The Uncanny X-Men #401

Part of Marvel's 2002 "Nuff Said" silent-issue event, Uncanny X-Men #401 announces itself with a cover that needs no words — a figure screams with raw intensity at the center of the image as massive, shattered letter forms from the series logo explode outward around him in a burst of golden light. Ron Garney and Mark Morales deliver a composition that feels genuinely visceral, the fragmented debris radiating in every direction while the figure's clenched fists and anguished expression sell the sheer force of whatever is unfolding. It's a striking visual promise for "Golden," written by Joe Casey.