Captain America #240

December 1979 brings Cap straight into the thick of it — the cover by Bob Budiansky and Bob Wiacek drops Captain America right into the middle of a brawling arcade, shield raised as he faces down a ring of armed thugs wielding guns, a baseball bat, and a heavy chain among the pinball machines. The bold tagline "Carnage in Coney Island!" sets the stage perfectly for the "Gang Wars!" story inside from the Kupperberg-and-Perlin creative team. It's a gritty, street-level Marvel moment that captures everything appealing about late-'70s Cap — one hero, outnumbered, unflinching.