Ultimate Spider-Man #24

The Green Goblin looms large and menacing on this cover, his clawed hand gripping Spider-Man's costume as the web-slinger struggles in his grasp — it's a visceral image of predator and prey that sets the tone for the "Ultimatum" arc with real intensity. Mark Bagley's cover pencils give the Goblin a reptilian, almost demonic presence, his fanged grin and glowing red eyes radiating threat while Spider-Man's familiar red-and-blue suit is crumpled under that iron grip. Brian Michael Bendis and Bagley were firing on all cylinders in 2002 with this series, and this issue promises the kind of high-stakes confrontation the Ultimate Universe did so well.