Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #45

This March 1993 issue plunges Nick Fury and Solo straight into Soviet-tinged danger, as the cover — penciled by John Heebink and inked by Don Hudson — depicts the two agents rappelling down what appears to be a missile bearing a hammer-and-sickle emblem, weapons drawn, while armed opponents in yellow combat suits and a black-clad figure in green close in from multiple angles. The cover copy promises "nuclear mishaps with the Viper," and that tension crackles across every inch of the composition, from the vertiginous drop to the bristling array of firearms. Fans of cold-war espionage action and high-stakes S.H.I.E.L.D. adventure will find plenty to enjoy in issue #45.