Iron Man #16

Sean Chen and Mark Morales deliver a genuinely wild cover for this May 1999 issue — Iron Man's armored form is nearly engulfed by an overwhelming swarm of reptiles: coiling snakes, lizards of every size and color, and what appears to be a monitor lizard all piling on in a chaotic, writhing mass while a crowd of onlookers fades into the background. The story title "Scale Model" pairs perfectly with the imagery, hinting at a reptilian threat that has Tony Stark's armor well and truly outnumbered. Written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern with interior art by Patrick Zircher and Anthony Williams, this issue promises the kind of imaginative, high-stakes storytelling that made this era of Invincible Iron Man so enjoyable.