Thunderbolts #28

Mark Bagley and Scott Hanna deliver a cover that crackles with tension — a red-and-blue costumed figure grimaces at the center as purple energy arcs across his body, unleashed by a dark-haired attacker in a caped purple suit bearing down from behind, while a winged figure soars overhead and fallen teammates lie scattered across a rubble-strewn battlefield. The tagline "Caught Between a Rock and a Teammate!" perfectly frames the fractured loyalties on display in this July 1999 chapter of Kurt Busiek's run on Marvel's most wanted team. With Busiek's sharp character work and Bagley's kinetic layouts, Thunderbolts #28 looks like exactly the kind of issue where trust gets tested in the most painful ways.