Adventures of Superman #472

Part two of "Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite," this November 1990 issue drops Superman into a genuinely harrowing predicament — bound in heavy rope and plummeting helplessly above a city street far below, his cape streaming as the ground rushes up to meet him. The cover's vertiginous top-down perspective, by Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert, drives home the tagline "Without Powers… Without Hope!" with real visceral force. It's a striking snapshot of the Man of Steel at his most vulnerable, and a compelling reason to see what the creative team has in store inside.