Master of Kung Fu #4

The penultimate chapter of this 2015 Secret Wars: Battleworld tie-in delivers one of its most gripping covers yet, with Francesco Francavilla's artwork portraying a battered, shirtless Shang-Chi clutching a blade while the enormous, looming visage of a masked, robed figure — unmistakably sinister — bears down on him from behind. The tension between master and apprentice practically radiates off the page, with Francavilla's warm orange and red palette giving the whole composition an almost ceremonial intensity. Haden Blackman and Dalibor Talajić's creative team keeps this Battleworld corner of the Marvel universe feeling both intimate and high-stakes.