Superior Spider-Man #21

The cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli and John Dell tells you everything you need to know about the tone of issue #21 — a powerfully built woman in a black-and-red costume hurls an overturned vehicle while a red-and-black-suited Superior Spider-Man scrambles across the rubble below her, clearly outmatched in the middle of a devastated urban street. Slott's story is titled "Lethal Ladies," and that cover makes the promise feel entirely credible. If you enjoy seeing Spider-Man on the back foot against a formidable physical opponent amid gloriously chaotic destruction, this 2014 Marvel issue delivers that tension before you even crack the spine.