Mutant X #23

Two versions of Cyclops — one in a dark blue uniform, one in the series' signature blue-and-gold — clash at point-blank range on this striking 2000 cover, a crimson optic blast cutting right between them while a crowd of greyed-out figures looms in the background. Michael Golden's linework gives the face-off a visceral, almost claustrophobic energy that perfectly suits a series built on alternate-reality tensions. Howard Mackie, Tom Lyle, and Andrew Pepoy bring "The Gift of Fear" to life inside, and the cover promises the kind of high-stakes confrontation that made Mutant X one of Marvel's more intriguing late-'90s concepts.