Marvel Tales #231

A menacing three-way standoff dominates this December 1989 installment of Marvel Tales, with Spider-Man looming large above while Paladin — bearded and clad in yellow — faces the draining energy blast of the Thermatronic Man, whose glowing fist crackles with dangerous power. Todd McFarlane's cover art captures the visceral tension perfectly, the villain's agonized expression leaving little doubt about the stakes. With a story titled "Something Wicked This Way Kills!" and a creative team including Tom DeFalco, David Michelinie, and Herb Trimpe, this is a solidly entertaining chapter in Marvel's long-running Spider-Man reprint series.