John Carter: The Gods of Mars #3

The third chapter of Marvel's 2012 adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' beloved Martian adventure series, this issue drops readers right into the thick of it — Julian Totino Tedesco's cover depicts two combatants locked in fierce mid-air combat above a surging mass of sword-wielding warriors that fills the image edge to edge. The sense of overwhelming odds and raw kinetic energy is immediately gripping, with beautifully rendered figures tumbling through a warm, dusty palette that feels unmistakably Barsoomian. With Sam Humphries writing, Ramón Pérez on art, and Jordie Bellaire's colors bringing the Red Planet to life, this limited series continues to make a strong case for Burroughs' world on the comics page.