Fantastic Four #9

Reed Richards stands resolute in the foreground alongside the ever-looming, rock-solid Thing, while behind them looms an unsettling crowd of Doctor Doom variants — armored, robed, and distinctly threatening — filling the cover with an eerie green-tinged menace. Mark Bagley and Mark Farmer deliver a cover that balances quiet defiance with overwhelming odds, making "Nativity!" feel like a story with genuine stakes. Part of Marvel NOW!, this 2013 issue continues Matt Fraction's run on "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" with a creative team that clearly relishes putting Marvel's First Family under pressure.