Hawkman #1

This 1993 series launch sets an immediately arresting tone with Jan Duursema's cover depicting Hawkman ascending through billowing clouds against a vast moon and star-filled sky, his broad wings spread wide and a red emblem blazing at his chest. The stark black-and-gold palette gives the whole image a powerful, almost mythic weight — this is a hero rendered with real gravitas. John Ostrander, Duursema, and Rick Magyar bring "Winged Fury" to life, and if this cover is any indication, the series hits the ground — or rather, the sky — with serious ambition.