Journey into Mystery #623

Kieron Gillen's run on Journey into Mystery delivers one of 2011's most compelling takes on the God of Mischief, and this issue's cover by Stephanie Hans sets the tone beautifully — a young, helmeted Loki crackles with swirling magical energy in the cupped palm of a looming, shadowy figure whose golden-horned crown hints at something far older and more dangerous. The interplay between the small, charged figure below and the vast, watchful presence above gives the image an eerie sense of manipulation and scale that feels entirely fitting for a tie-in to the Fear Itself event.