Captain America #31

A quiet intensity radiates from this 2000 Marvel issue, as a blonde woman in black cradles a clearly distressed Captain America — his shield still strapped to his arm — against a dramatic green-lit background. The vulnerability on display here is a striking contrast to the small inset image of Cap striding confidently in the upper corner, hinting that "Hidden Paths" has taken the star-spangled hero somewhere unexpected. Andy Kubert's cover work, both pencils and inks, gives the scene a raw emotional weight that makes this Jurgens-written chapter genuinely hard to set down.