The Marvels #7

Alex Ross's painted cover for The Marvels #7 is a sweeping, atmospheric piece that earns every inch of its purple-skied grandeur. A massive, green-skinned cosmic figure looms over the composition, his enormous hand cradling a desperate cluster of heroes — Iron Man, Storm, Captain America, Namor, a winged figure, and others — all gathered around a burst of flame amid churning clouds, while smaller figures appear balanced on his opposite hand. Kurt Busiek and Yıldıray Çınar continue "Part Seven: Communing with the Smoke," and the cover perfectly captures the sense of powerful forces at play and heroes who are very much at the mercy of something far larger than themselves.