Marvel Team-Up #22

Part three of Robert Kirkman's five-part "Freedom Ring" arc arrives with a cover by Phil Hester and Ande Parks that puts a sleek, blue-and-purple armored figure front and center, crackling energy at its back while armed combatants are flung and scattered in every direction around it. The sense of overwhelming force is palpable — weapons flying, figures reeling — making it clear that whatever confrontation is unfolding, the stakes have escalated considerably by this midpoint. Andy Kuhn brings the interior pages to life, and with Kirkman steering the story, this 2006 series continues to deliver the kind of superhero team-up energy that keeps readers coming back issue after issue.