Captain America & the Korvac Saga #3

The penultimate chapter of this 2011 Marvel limited series sets an ominous tone right on its cover: a blazing, energy-radiant figure looms triumphantly over the fallen form of Captain America, clutching the star-spangled shield aloft as if claiming it as a prize. Craig Rousseau's cover art makes the power imbalance viscerally clear — Cap lies motionless in his red, white, and blue uniform while that glowing adversary stands dominant, bathed in an eerie orange light. With McCool and Rousseau deep into "The Traveler" storyline, issue three of four promises the kind of high-stakes pressure that only the home stretch of a saga can deliver.