The Spectacular Spider-Man #19

Ernie Chan's striking cover for this 1978 installment sets the stage perfectly: a massive, sinister masked face looms in the background while Spider-Man is caught squarely in the middle of a three-on-one assault from the Enforcers — the bruising Ox, the wiry Montana with his lasso, and the dapper Fancy Dan. The cover copy promises the trio is "deadlier than ever" and teases a mysterious mastermind pulling the strings, which makes the whole composition crackle with genuine menace. With Bill Mantlo writing and Sal Buscema on interior art, this is a solidly crafted chapter of the Spectacular era that fans of Spider-Man's street-level rogues will want in their collection.