Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #4

Issue four of six in this 2005 limited series puts the cosmic stakes in stark, visceral perspective: the towering, impassive face of Galactus dominates the cover, his enormous gauntleted hand cradling a small, flame-wreathed demonic creature — Asteroth — that writhes with feral energy against his palm. Andrea Di Vito's cover art captures the sheer scale of the encounter brilliantly, with the fiery glow of Asteroth contrasting against Galactus's cold, purple-armored enormity. With Michael Avon Oeming and Dan Berman driving the story and Laura Villari's colors lending the whole scene a rich, dramatic warmth, this is the kind of issue that reminds you why Beta Ray Bill's saga earns the word "cosmic.