Guardians of the Galaxy #2

This second issue of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's "Legacy" arc pairs Rocket Raccoon — perched atop a snow-dusted boulder and hoisting an oversized cannon — with a looming, glowing-eyed Groot at his back, the two of them radiating the kind of scrappy, against-all-odds energy that made this era of cosmic Marvel so compelling. Dominating the foreground is Captain America's shield, half-buried in snow and ice, its red-white-and-blue star unmistakable even in these frigid, far-flung surroundings. Clint Langley's painted cover work gives the whole scene a moody, cinematic weight that feels perfectly matched to the team's universe-spanning ambitions.