Machine Man #6

The cover of this September 1978 Marvel issue makes the stakes unmistakable — Machine Man, billed as "The Outcast," squares off against a massive, pale-faced robotic antagonist surrounded by swirling cables and a fleet of airborne craft, while a fiery explosion erupts between the combatants and a purple-suited figure reels from the impact. Walter Simonson's cover linework delivers a kinetic, densely layered composition that feels genuinely cosmic in scope. With Jack Kirby writing and penciling the interior story "Quick Trick," inked by Mike Royer, this is late-'70s Marvel storytelling firing on all cylinders.