Thunderbolts #139

Part of Marvel's 2010 Dark Reign event, this issue pits the Thunderbolts directly against the Agents of Atlas — and Francesco Mattina's cover makes the tension viscerally clear, depicting a masked, gun-wielding figure squaring off against a massive, snarling gorilla amid a swirling chaos of claws and bodies. The gritty, atmospheric painted style gives the confrontation a raw, almost desperate energy that sets up what promises to be a genuinely wild clash between these two teams. Writer Jeff Parker and artist Miguel Sepulveda bring their talents to a crossover that looks every bit as ferocious as its cover suggests.