Ultimate Fantastic Four #14

The Thing's craggy, rocky face fills the entire cover of this 2005 Marvel issue — those piercing blue eyes staring out from an expanse of cracked, orange-brown stone skin make for a genuinely striking image. It's part two of the N-Zone arc, written by Warren Ellis with cover art by Adam Kubert and John Dell, and the close-up framing gives Ben Grimm's transformation a raw, almost geological weight. If you've been following this reimagined take on Marvel's first family, this chapter looks like it's keeping the tension firmly dialed up.