G.I. Joe, a Real American Hero #8

Against a dusky purple sky, this 1983 Marvel issue delivers a kinetic cover — penciled by Mike Vosburg and inked by Jack Abel — packed with mid-air mayhem: a sleek white WHALE vehicle hovers overhead while a soldier in brown gear leaps from a tall structure amid bursting explosions, and a gunner below mans a heavy weapon mounted on a military vehicle, sparks flying at its base. The Cobra sigil stamped on the tower makes it clear whose turf is being contested. With a story titled "Code Name: Sea-Strike!" and the full creative team of Herb Trimpe and colorist Christie Scheele on interior duties, this is a sharp snapshot of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero at its action-packed best.