New Avengers #14

Simone Bianchi's cover for New Avengers #14 is a striking, almost ritualistic image: a sorcerer sits cross-legged in deep meditation, arms raised as crackling arcs of mystic energy encircle him within a glowing ring, while a massive demonic skull looms in the darkness above and grotesque figures lurk at the edges of the composition. The title "The Agamotto Gambit" suggests the mystical stakes couldn't be higher for this corner of the Marvel Universe in 2014. Jonathan Hickman's run continues to push the Illuminati into genuinely unsettling territory, and Bianchi's painterly, brooding artwork makes this one of the more visually arresting covers of the series.