Ultimate Human #1

This opening chapter of Warren Ellis's four-part Ultimate Human miniseries sets up what promises to be a collision of Marvel's most formidable intellects and physiques. Cary Nord's cover captures the tension perfectly: a massive, hulking figure looms and lunges from above while a red-and-gold armored Iron Man fires twin repulsor blasts downward, the sheer scale difference between the two making the confrontation feel genuinely dangerous. Dave Stewart's coloring bathes the scene in deep reds and cool blues, giving Nord's dynamic linework a striking cinematic weight that makes this 2008 series feel like essential reading right from issue one.