The Avengers #196

A skull-faced figure armed with a sword, bow, and quiver of arrows dominates this 1980 cover, his flowing orange cape and confident stance broadcasting a clear message: "Anything the Avengers can do, I can do better!" That's the Taskmaster, introduced here as a villain who mirrors the skills of Earth's Mightiest Heroes — whose faces peer out from the corner boxes above. George Pérez's pencils and Joe Rubinstein's inks give the character an immediate, menacing presence that makes David Michelinie's story title, "The Terrible Toll of the Taskmaster," feel like a genuine promise.