Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #40

Part three of "The Cold War of Nick Fury" hits the jungle running, and the cover by Paul Abrams and Charles Barnett says it all — a powerfully built, shirtless blond combatant dominates the foreground with fists raised, while a blue-haired woman crackles with energy rings to the left, a female agent in camouflage opens fire from the upper right, a dark-haired woman looms in the lower right, and a cigar-chomping Nick Fury himself watches from the background amid what the cover boldly promises is a "Super Agent Slugfest!" It's a wonderfully kinetic ensemble piece, with military greens and supernatural energy effects colliding in every corner of the image. Celebrating Marvel's 30th anniversary of The Amazing Spider-Man to boot, this 1992 issue feels like a high-stakes chapter that earns every one of its four-part story's momentum.