Guardians of the Galaxy #16

Tied into Marvel's 2009 "War of Kings" crossover event, this issue carries the intriguing story title "Earth, Overcome" — and Pasqual Ferry's cover art makes a striking case for what's at stake. Five figures are assembled against a star-filled cosmos: a winged, glowing Nova soars at the center, flanked by a massively built figure in red (Guardian Vance Astro/Major Victory), a blue-skinned alien, a Captain America-shielded hero, and a luminous silver figure at the far right. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with artist Wesley Craig and colorist Nathan Fairbairn, were consistently delivering some of the most ambitious cosmic storytelling Marvel had to offer in 2009.