Spider-Man: The Gauntlet #1

A battered Spider-Man slumps against a grimy wall on Adi Granov's moody painted cover, his red-and-blue suit torn and weathered as a glowing golden light threatens from just out of reach — an image that radiates exhaustion and danger in equal measure. This 2010 Marvel hardcover collects "The Gauntlet: Electro & Sandman" storyline, with scripts from Slott, Van Lente, and Waid brought to life by Kubert, Kitson, Azaceta, and Pulido. Granov's atmospheric cover art sets a fittingly grim tone for a collection that puts Spider-Man through the wringer against two of his most persistent foes.