New Avengers #31

Part of Brian Michael Bendis's ambitious "End Times" arc, this 2012 issue puts a sorcerer-like figure — dressed in black with a striking red sash — front and center, crackling magical energy blazing from one outstretched fist as he surges upward through a dark, star-flecked void. Looming beneath him is an enormous hand reaching from below, suggesting a confrontation of genuinely cosmic scale. Mike Deodato's cover work is dynamic and moody, with Rain Beredo's deep teal-and-black palette giving the whole image a sense of dread that makes this chapter of New Avengers feel unmistakably high-stakes.