Thunderbolts #129

Tied to Marvel's 2009 Dark Reign crossover event, this issue of Thunderbolts presents one of the most unsettling cover images of the year: a leering Skrull — "Vote" button pinned to its chest — looms large before microphones and news cameras, an American flag rendered in eerie purple and green tones behind it. The image, rendered by Francesco Mattina, captures the paranoid mood of the Dark Reign era with chilling precision, suggesting that power, politics, and deception are very much on the agenda. Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre bring their sharp storytelling to this installment, making it a compelling chapter in one of Marvel's most morally complicated team books.