Blackhawk #254

Dave Cockrum's cover for this January 1983 DC issue says it all with striking economy: Blackhawk himself stands chained and defiant in the path of an oncoming tank, arms spread wide, while a uniformed figure in the foreground watches the confrontation unfold against a smoke-filled city skyline. The blunt cover tagline — "To Save a City… Blackhawk Must Die!" — sets up Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle's interior story, "What Price Courage?", with exactly the kind of grim stakes that made this era of the series compelling. A tense, atmospheric package that captures the wartime-adventure spirit Blackhawk does best.