JLA #75

The "Obsidian Age" saga reaches its conclusion in JLA #75, and the cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen makes the stakes unmistakably clear — Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman are pressed to their limits, struggling against a massive, churning water elemental that looms over them with clenched fists and raw menace. The trio looks genuinely strained, which is a rare sight, and Mahnke's dynamic linework sells every ounce of the pressure they're under. "The Hunt for Aquaman" ends here, and Joe Kelly's creative team — including artists Yvel Guichet and Darryl Banks — packs this 2003 milestone issue with everything the arc has been building toward.