Doctor Fate #36

The cover of this 1992 DC issue poses a tantalizing question right on its masthead — "Is this the return of the Original Doctor Fate?" — as a powerfully built, helmetless figure stands in confident low-angle dominance, crackling lightning illuminating a stormy sky behind him. Cover pencils by Scot Eaton and inks by Peter Gross give the figure a grounded, imposing presence, the golden Doctor Fate emblem glowing on his chest against a dark armored suit. With a creative team that includes writers William Messner-Loebs and Tom Peyer alongside interior art from Scot Eaton, "Prelude to War" looks to deliver the kind of mystical intrigue this series does best.