Excalibur #87

Part of Warren Ellis's energetic run on Marvel's transatlantic mutant team, this July 1995 issue drops you straight into the tension with a cover by Carlos Pacheco (pencils) and Terry Austin (inks) that pulses with urgency. A wild-maned, snarling creature lunges forward while a brown-haired woman in a yellow-and-blue costume reacts with visible alarm, Nightcrawler and another figure scrambling behind them — all set against an ominous "DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED" warning and a tangle of mechanical arms overhead. It's a snapshot of Excalibur under real pressure, and with Ellis and artist Ken Lashley driving the interior, "Back to Reality" promises exactly the kind of sharp, high-stakes storytelling this era of the title delivered.