Spider-Man #25

The gala 25th issue of this 1992 Marvel series promises something wildly unexpected: a Spider-Phoenix. Mark Bagley and Al Milgrom's cover depicts Spider-Man levitating at center in a pink-and-blue costume, arms outstretched and surrounded by a blazing aura of flame, while five startled faces — including what appears to be Captain Britain, a blue-furred Beast, and three women among the Excalibur roster — look on in shock from the swirling darkness around him. With Excalibur guest-starring and Terry Kavanagh writing interior art from Chris Marrinan, "Why Me?" looks like exactly the kind of dimension-hopping, reality-bending team-up that made early '90s Marvel such an adventurous ride.