The Uncanny X-Men #406

Ariel Olivetti's moody purple cover sets an immediately tense tone for Uncanny X-Men #406, as a blue-skinned, skull-adorned woman levels a blade directly at a red-haired man in an X-Men uniform who looks anything but comfortable about the situation. The story title — "Staring Contests Are for Suckers" — suggests that words (and apparently sharp objects) will do the talking here. With Joe Casey writing and Aaron Lopresti on interior art, this 2002 Marvel entry delivers the kind of charged, character-driven mutant drama the series does so well.