Aquaman #30

A tense, visceral cover greets readers of Aquaman #30 (July 2005), with pencils by Patrick Gleason and inks by Christian Alamy delivering an uncomfortably close portrait of Aquaman's agonized face — mouth open, eyes strained, water and bubbles surging across his features while a large hand presses hard against his face. The tagline "Kiss of Death!" and the story title "Kiss of Death, Part 1: The Nine" promise that Marc Guggenheim and Andy Clarke are steering the Sea King into seriously dangerous waters. It's a striking, unsettling image that makes it very easy to pick this one up off the rack.