Ultimate War #1

The opening salvo of this 2003 Marvel miniseries pits the Ultimates against the Ultimate X-Men, and the cover wastes no time setting the tone — a grim-faced Captain America, shield raised and battle-worn, strides alongside a feral, long-haired Wolverine, claws extended, both pushing through a storm of debris and snow. Chris Bachalo's cover art gives both figures a raw, weathered intensity that feels less like superhero spectacle and more like two soldiers bracing for something genuinely ugly. With Mark Millar writing and Bachalo and Tim Townsend handling the interior art, this is one of those crossover openers that makes clear from the very first image that nobody is playing nice.