The Spectacular Spider-Man #29

This April 1979 issue makes a striking first impression — the cover by Keith Pollard and Bob McLeod fills the frame with a close-up of Spider-Man being throttled by a pair of enormous, grasping hands, his masked face front and center as the ominous tagline "…Dust to Dust!" looms beside him. The sense of peril is immediate and visceral, with Spidey's own red-gloved hands gripping his attacker's wrists in a desperate attempt to break free. Bill Mantlo's script, brought to life by artist Jim Mooney and inker Frank Springer, promises the kind of high-stakes tension that made this series such a reliable home for Peter Parker's solo adventures.