Startling Stories: The Thing - Night Falls on Yancy Street #3

The third chapter of Evan Dorkin and Dean Haspiel's four-part "Night Falls on Yancy Street" offers one of 2003's more quietly striking Marvel covers: the Thing's massive, rocky orange hands cradling a young woman's face with unexpected tenderness against a stark black background. Haspiel's cover linework keeps the composition intimate and almost painterly, letting the contrast between Ben Grimm's craggy stone form and the woman's soft features do all the emotional heavy lifting. It's a surprisingly affecting image for a series that clearly has more on its mind than straightforward superhero action.