Paradise X #10

Paradise X #10 brings the penultimate tension of Marvel's sweeping alternate-future saga to a striking visual moment. Alex Ross's painted cover dominates with a massive, brooding bald figure in a dark suit — a green gem at his chest — looming over a red-haired warrior who grips a gleaming sword with fierce determination, while a dark-haired woman watches warily from the upper right and a shadowed face lurks in the lower corner. With writing from both Ross and Krueger and interior art by Braithwaite and Reinhold, this 2003 issue carries the weight and atmosphere that has made this trilogy one of Marvel's most ambitious storytelling endeavors.