Ultimate X-Men Annual #1

The neon glow of the Las Vegas Strip — Bally's, the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, the Barbary Coast — sets a stylish, high-stakes backdrop for this 2005 oversized annual from Brian K. Vaughan, Tom Raney, Scott Hanna, and Gina Going-Raney. Stuart Immonen's cover art frames a long-haired, sharp-eyed figure at a poker table, an ace of spades in hand and casino chips stacked nearby, while a striking dark-haired woman in an elegant black dress stands coolly at his shoulder. It's a confident, film-noir-flavored package that makes "Ultimate Sacrifice" feel less like a superhero story and more like a Vegas thriller hiding beneath the X-Men banner.