Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1

The first annual for Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man arrives in 2005 with a cover story aptly titled "The Date" — and the cover, penciled and inked by Mark Bagley, sets the mood perfectly: Spider-Man crouches atop a rocky ledge against a warm, dramatic sunset sky, looking down at a young woman in a yellow-and-blue outfit who gazes up at him with quiet curiosity. There's an easy, almost tender energy between the two figures that feels refreshingly different from the usual wall-to-wall action. With Brian Michael Bendis writing and Mark Brooks on interior art, this oversized issue promises the sharp character work and grounded storytelling that made the Ultimate line such a compelling reimagining of the Spider-Man mythos.