Excalibur #72

This December 1993 issue of Excalibur pits two fierce combatants against each other in a fiery mid-air clash — a red-haired woman in a blue-and-orange costume trading blows with a blonde figure wreathed in flames and dressed in red and yellow, both caught in a moment of raw, wide-eyed intensity. The story arc's subtitle, "Crucible of Fear," sets an appropriately charged tone for what looks like a battle pushing both fighters to their limits. Cover art by Ken Lashley and Cam Smith delivers the action with punchy, kinetic energy that makes this installment of Marvel's British-flavored mutant title hard to pass by.