The Spectacular Spider-Man #242

Cover art by Luke Ross shows a tense, intimate confrontation: a masked figure in red and white looms over a dark-haired man in a gray jacket, gripping him by the collar while the tagline "The Face of Defeat…" hangs ominously overhead. The composition is striking — two faces nearly pressed together, one hidden behind a blank white mask, the other exposed and seemingly overwhelmed. J. M. DeMatteis and Luke Ross team up on this January 1997 chapter, with the story's title "Facedancing" hinting at themes of identity and deception that feel right at home in the ever-twisting world of Spider-Man.