Big Bang Comics #24

Big Bang Comics #24 presents itself as "The Big Bang History of Comics #1," and the cover delivers on that grand promise with a sprawling ensemble of the publisher's superhero roster assembled against a stark black background — among them a grinning masked figure in a mining helmet and red cape front and center, a star-spangled patriotic hero, a woman in an American flag-inspired costume, a blue-suited hero bearing a bold "U" on his chest, a green-costumed figure with insectoid goggles, and several other colorfully clad heroes filling every corner of the image. Penciled by Joe Cooper and inked by John Livesay, the composition has a confident, Silver Age energy that suits a retrospective celebration perfectly. With a roster of contributors this deep inside, this 1999 Image anthology clearly set out to honor the full breadth of the Big Bang universe in style.