Aquaman #21

Aquaman surges through a vividly rendered undersea world on Mike Zeck's cover, his orange-and-green costume blazing against swirling dark clouds of deep-ocean murk as a swarm of brilliantly colored fish and a sleek ray race alongside him. The tagline "Before the Storm!" sets an ominous, expectant tone perfectly suited to the story title "First Strike!" — suggesting the King of the Seas is powering toward a confrontation of real consequence. Peter David's writing paired with Jim Calafiore and Peter Palmiotti's interior art makes this June 1996 issue a compelling chapter in one of the era's most ambitious takes on Atlantis.