Secret Wars #3

The third chapter of Jonathan Hickman's universe-reshaping eight-part saga arrives with a cover by Alex Ross that perfectly captures the tension at Battleworld's heart. A single figure stands dead center, his face and costume split down the middle — half Mister Fantastic in blue, half a dark armored alter ego — while a cast of dozens surrounds him: Spider-Man, Thor, Emma Frost, Cyclops, and Thanos among the faces radiating outward on either side like competing factions. Esad Ribić and Ive Svorcina bring their atmospheric artistry to the interior, making issue three of Secret Wars a genuinely compelling installment in one of Marvel's most ambitious crossover events of 2015.