Black Panther #30

The bold yellow cover of Black Panther #30 sets a striking stage for "First Contact: Wakanda 1941," framing a fierce clash between Black Panther — wielding a traditional spear and a Panther-emblazoned tribal shield — and a red-boots-era Captain America, who raises his star-spangled shield in fierce opposition, with a crowd of wartime soldiers visible in the circular vignette behind them. Sal Velluto's cover work crackles with kinetic energy, capturing the tension of two formidable warriors meeting on what the cover promises is historic ground. Writer Christopher Priest was at the height of his celebrated run on this series in 2001, and this issue — with its wartime Wakanda premise — looks like exactly the kind of bold, myth-building chapter that made this era of the book so compelling.