2001, A Space Odyssey #9

Marvel's cosmic odyssey takes a bold new turn in this 1977 issue, as the cover — penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Frank Giacoia — announces the arrival of Mister Machine, heralded as "the most awesome creation of all" from out of the Monolith. The cover depicts a powerful purple-suited figure surging through the air amid a fiery explosion, while a green-clad astronaut pilots a pod-like spacecraft in the foreground, debris scattering dramatically around them. Kirby's kinetic energy is in full force here, blending the cosmic grandeur of the source material with Marvel's signature larger-than-life dynamism.