Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk #4

The four-issue limited series comes to a head with this Paul Gulacy-covered finale, depicting a tense standoff as a powerfully built figure in a dark suit faces down a burst of fiery energy carrying several airborne combatants, while armed soldiers crowd the smoky foreground. The dueling forces — raw superhuman power on one side, gritty military firepower on the other — capture the friction at the heart of this Marc Guggenheim-scripted clash between two very different Squadron Supreme philosophies. A satisfying capstone to one of 2007's more grounded Marvel limited series.