Captain Marvel #39

This 1975 Marvel cosmic thriller promises high stakes right on its cover, where a commanding bald figure directs a massive, saber-toothed beast called Mad-Eye to "slay the one called Mar-Vell" — with the shocking claim that the order comes at the command of the Watcher himself. Captain Marvel, in his red-and-blue uniform, is caught squarely in the creature's pounce while a small inset at the top reminds us of the hero's stellar power. Cover pencils by Al Milgrom and inks by Klaus Janson give the whole confrontation a muscular, kinetic energy that makes "The Fate of the Watcher… and the Deadly Verdict!" feel like a genuinely cosmic event.