Ultimate Spider-Man #17

Spider-Man is pinned against a crumbling brick wall, both arms seized by a pair of massive mechanical tentacles that dwarf his frame — a cover by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert that immediately signals serious trouble for the wall-crawler. The composition drives home a raw sense of power imbalance, with Spidey straining against the coiling metal grip in his crisp red-and-blue suit. Brian Michael Bendis, Bagley, and Thibert were hitting their stride on this title in 2002, and this issue's cover alone makes a compelling case for picking it up.