Green Lantern #173

Green Lantern looks to be in serious trouble on this striking Dave Gibbons cover for issue #173 (February 1984), as the Emerald Crusader is shown splayed and apparently stunned across a rooftop, drenched in a burst of yellow energy — while the blue-and-yellow-clad villain Javelin swoops in from above, ring at the ready. The cover copy promises "a startling new chapter in the life of the Emerald Crusader," making this an enticing entry point into what writer Joey Cavalieri and Gibbons were building together on this title in 1984. It's a confident, dynamic composition that makes you want to flip straight to the first page.