Cable #18

Part two of "The Dark Ride" arrives in this December 1994 X-Men Deluxe title, with cover art by Steve Skroce and Mike Sellers that pulls no punches — a tightly packed group of figures, including Cable himself along with Storm (sword raised, white hair streaming) and several armored and cloaked allies, hurtles through a smoke-filled sky in what feels like a desperate, high-stakes scramble. The warm orange backdrop and billowing clouds give the whole composition an urgent, almost apocalyptic energy that suits the "Judgement Day" subtitle perfectly. Jeph Loeb and Skroce were clearly firing on all cylinders for this one.