Captain Marvel #5

The final chapter of this 2008 miniseries arrives under the looming banner of Marvel's Secret Invasion crossover, and Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines deliver a striking cover: Captain Marvel stands tense against a stone wall, fists crackling with raw energy as a massive Skrull silhouette looms behind him. It's a quietly intense image — determination etched on Mar-Vell's face, power literally burning at his hands — that perfectly captures the pressure bearing down on the hero in this concluding issue. Brian Reed's story, brought to life by Lee Weeks and Jesse Delperdang, promises a satisfying close to a series caught at the intersection of heroism and cosmic deception.