The Uncanny X-Men #309

The tagline "In Memory Most Bitter!" and the promise of "A Secret Chapter of Professor Xavier's Life!" make this February 1994 issue of Uncanny X-Men feel like a genuinely compelling character piece. Cover pencils by John Romita Jr. place a young, red-haired woman in a striking blue-and-gold costume front and center, while a younger-looking Charles Xavier — seated in his wheelchair — gestures earnestly behind her, the towering, helmeted form of Magneto looming over them both. It's a quietly charged image that hints at long-buried history between some of the Marvel Universe's most compelling figures.