Incredible Hercules #127

Set against a moonlit urban skyline with a massive patriotic eagle statue looming in the background, this Dark Reign tie-in finds Hercules front and center — muscled, determined, and clutching a golden weapon — flanked by a sword-and-shield-bearing warrior woman and a young man ready to fight. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente bring their sharp mythological sensibility to Marvel's Dark Reign era, with David Williams delivering a cover full of grit and forward momentum. At $2.99 in 2009, it's a snapshot of the Lion of Olympus standing defiant in a city that feels anything but safe.