Captain America #21

Part four of "Twenty-First Century Blitz" arrives in this 2006 Marvel issue, and Steve Epting's cover sets a gripping tone — a dark-suited, goggled figure looms aggressively over a battered Captain America against a hellish, city-in-flames backdrop that radiates real menace. Ed Brubaker and Epting's collaboration was already turning heads that year, and covers like this one — all burning orange skies and rooftop tension — capture exactly why their run felt so urgent and grounded.