Black Panther #9

With his homeland facing devastation, T'Challa hurls himself through a gauntlet of armed robots and alien-looking adversaries on this kinetic 1978 cover — penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Bob Wiacek and Frank Giacoia — as rockets streak past and explosions light the background behind him. The cover also spotlights the Black Musketeers, whose portrait medallion proclaims them "Last Hope for the Wakanda," hinting at the alliance T'Challa may need to save his doomed domain. Jack Kirby's storytelling energy is in full force here, making issue #9 a vivid snapshot of high-stakes, continent-shaking adventure from Marvel's late-'70s catalog.