Guardians of the Galaxy #5

A radiant, winged figure dominates the background of Sara Pichelli's cover in shimmering gold, while Star-Lord stands front and center with weapons drawn — flanked by Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Iron Man arrayed across a deep-space backdrop. The full team assembled against that luminous, imposing presence gives the cover a real sense of high-stakes cosmic tension. Brian Michael Bendis, Pichelli, and colorist Justin Ponsor were clearly firing on all cylinders during this 2013 Marvel NOW! run.