The X-Men #50

Jim Steranko's cover for this November 1968 issue is a striking composition: a mysterious green-clad villainess with flowing blonde hair and a skull emblem dominates the foreground, one hand raised commandingly against a dramatic burst of yellow and black, while the overwhelmed X-Men — including a winged Angel and Cyclops — recoil beneath her. The contrast between her cool confidence and the team's visible distress sets an ominous tone perfectly suited to the story title "City of Mutants." Arnold Drake's script, brought to life by Steranko's bold, psychedelic visual style, makes issue #50 a vivid snapshot of late-1960s Marvel at its most ambitious.