The Amazing Spider-Man #616

Part of Marvel's "The Gauntlet" storyline, this 2010 issue pits Spider-Man against one of his most formidable classic foes — Sandman — and Paolo Rivera's cover captures the sheer overwhelm of that encounter brilliantly. Spider-Man is literally buried alive in a crushing torrent of sandy, fleshy Sandman duplicates, multiple grinning Flint Marko faces surrounding him on all sides as massive sandy limbs pin him down. With Fred Van Lente scripting and Javier Pulido and Javier Rodríguez bringing the interiors to life, "Keemia's Castle" promises a genuinely compelling chapter in this ambitious villain gauntlet.