Animal Man #26

One of the most striking covers of 1990, this issue blends photography and illustration in an arresting way: Animal Man in his blue-and-yellow costume lies collapsed on the floor, while a real-world figure — seated at a desk, cradling a small cat — looms in the background, indifferent or unaware. Brian Bolland's rendered figure of Animal Man against that photographic setting creates an unsettling collision of worlds that feels entirely deliberate. With Morrison, Truog, and Farmer listed on the cover, "Deus Ex Machina" promises to be a genuinely thought-provoking chapter in one of DC's most adventurous series.