Nova #16

Tied into Marvel's 2008 Secret Invasion event, this issue of Nova pits the cosmic-powered Richard Rider against a Skrull impostor wreathed in flame — a shape-shifting figure bearing the rocky arm of the Thing and the face of a Super-Skrull — with crackling Nova energy meeting a trail of fire high above Earth's atmosphere. Writer Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning were steering Nova through some of the most thrilling cosmic storytelling of the era, and Paul Davidson's cover captures that tension beautifully, with the two combatants locked in a charged standoff that makes "Green for Danger" feel like exactly the right title.