Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi'ar Empire #[nn]

This 2008 Marvel hardcover collects the "Rise & Fall of the Shi'ar Empire" arc, and Billy Tan and Danny Miki's cover sets the tone brilliantly — a sprawling cosmic battle scene packed with X-Men figures clashing amid alien terrain, with a looming astronaut helmet reflecting a green-skinned face dominating the background. A winged warrior, a fiery redhead, and a sword-wielding hero in red anchor the foreground as the chaos of an interstellar conflict unfolds around them. It's a striking visual promise of the epic Shi'ar saga contained within.