Daredevil #234

The cover by Klaus Janson sets an unsettling, almost carnival-dark tone: a grinning, yellow-skinned Madcap — wide-brimmed hat, purple cape, and pinstripe suit — looms large against a rain-streaked city skyline, his manic laughter literally filling the air in bold pink letters. Below him, a clearly staggered Daredevil struggles to keep his footing, suggesting the Man Without Fear has met an opponent whose brand of chaos is genuinely difficult to counter. With interior work from writer Mark Gruenwald and artist Steve Ditko inked by Klaus Janson, Daredevil #234 from September 1986 looks like a sharp, offbeat change of pace from the title's usual street-level grittiness.