Universe X #2

The second chapter of Marvel's sprawling Universe X saga brings together a striking assembly of characters on Alex Ross's painted cover: a red-and-blue Union Jack–clad figure armed with a rifle, a blue-skinned alien, a red-haired woman raising a gun, a blue figure in a bold zigzag costume, an ermine-robed figure in the foreground, and a massive armored form looming on the right — all set against swirling flames and a starfield below. Ross's cover renders this ensemble with the painterly richness he's known for, giving each figure a weight and presence that makes the gathering feel genuinely momentous. With Krueger and Ross scripting and Braithwaite and Reinhold handling interior art, this 2000 Marvel series was clearly swinging for something epic in scope.