New Avengers #16

Six of Marvel's heaviest hitters surge forward in full battle mode on Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines's cover — Iron Man, Captain America, and Wolverine charge in the foreground while Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and a red-clad figure press the assault from behind, with a dark armored enemy lurking at the rear. The assembled firepower hints at exactly the kind of sprawling, high-stakes confrontation that Brian Michael Bendis was delivering in this era of the title. At $2.50, issue #16 captures the New Avengers lineup at a genuinely thrilling moment in their 2006 run.