Incredible Hercules #124

Part four of the "Love & War" arc finds Hercules in a precarious spot — the cover by Bob Layton depicts the muscular, lion-medallioned hero bracing himself against an enormous descending hand that dwarfs him completely, set against a lush landscape of trees and open sky. The sheer scale of the threat pressing down on him makes the title "The Weight of the World" feel entirely literal. Writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, alongside artist Clayton Henry, were delivering some of Marvel's most mythologically rich superhero storytelling in 2009.