Aquaman #4

The fourth chapter of this 1989 five-part DC miniseries carries a quietly charged cover penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Al Vey: Aquaman stands with his back to us in his classic orange-and-green costume, while a red-haired, crowned woman — Mera — leans urgently from the hull of what appears to be a large vessel above him. Equally striking is the coiled, ribbon-trailing sea creature lying on the ground in the foreground, its graceful form hinting at the aquatic stakes of "The Tide of Battle." With Giffen and Fleming steering the story and Swan's clean, expressive linework setting the tone, this penultimate issue feels like a series hitting its stride right when the tension is peaking.