Ultimate X-Men #20

There's a quiet gravity to this cover that sets it apart from the usual mutant mayhem — Professor X sits alone in his wheelchair amid a stark, leaf-strewn autumn landscape, a small cat perched on his shoulder as bare trees loom behind him in the mist. The title "Resignation" paired with that solitary, contemplative image from writer Mark Millar and cover penciler Adam Kubert promises something more introspective than action-driven. It's a compelling, moody chapter in the Ultimate X-Men run that earns its place on any 2002 Marvel shelf.