Aquaman #45

Nick Cardy's cover for Aquaman #45 (June 1969) delivers an arresting image: the Sea King lies washed up at the shoreline, unconscious and clutching a wanted poster that reads "Wanted by the Underworld — Dead or Alive!" while a dark-haired woman kneels in the background, her face buried in her hands against a blazing sunset. It's a striking, sun-drenched tableau that conveys both danger and despair without a single word of dialogue. Steve Skeates and Jim Aparo bring "Underworld Reward, Part 2" to life inside, making this a compelling chapter in one of DC's most underappreciated runs of the era.