Excalibur #111

Nightcrawler leaps into action on this 1997 cover from Rob Stotz and Scott Koblish, his blue form and red cape cutting a dynamic diagonal across the image while a golden-energy-charged young woman charges alongside him — all under the looming, ominous presence of a massive red-skinned villain in the background. The taglines promise "a deadly foe strikes" and "a betrayal from within," giving Ben Raab's "Broken Vows" a tense, high-stakes atmosphere before you've even cracked the spine. A solid chapter in Excalibur's late-'90s run, and a compelling snapshot of the team facing threats both outside and closer to home.