Thor: God of Thunder #5

Esad Ribić's painted cover for this 2013 Marvel NOW! issue pulls no punches: a battered, screaming Thor — winged helmet askew, red cape torn — is hoisted helplessly in the grip of a pale, monstrous figure whose dark tendrils wrap around the God of Thunder like living shadows. The image captures a Thor pushed to his absolute limits, lending real weight to the concluding chapter of Jason Aaron's "The God Butcher" arc. It's a beautifully unsettling piece of cover art that makes this fifth and final installment feel like essential reading.