Aquaman #17

Aquaman surges into action on this 2004 cover — straining upward beneath a collapsing structure while two panicked civilians scramble for safety and a third figure looks on in alarm. The "Urban Renewal!" tagline sets a fittingly dramatic tone for part three of the "American Tidal" arc, with pencils by Alan Davis and inks by Mark Farmer giving the scene a real sense of desperate, churning energy. Writer Will Pfeifer and artist Patrick Gleason are delivering Aquaman well out of his element — and clearly making the most of it.