JLA: Incarnations #4

In "Balance," the JLA faces an alien invasion by the Debris while grappling with personal tragedies that fracture the team—Aquaman mourning his son, Black Canary coping with her mother’s death, the Flash on trial, and Green Lantern’s return from deep space. Written by John Ostrander and illustrated by Val Semeiks, with inks by Kevin Conrad and Prentis Rollins, colors by John Kalisz and Heroic Age, and letters by Ken Lopez, this 2001 issue sees the League barely survive, but not before Aquaman, broken by loss, dissolves the team and vows to rebuild it his way. The cover by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins captures the weight of that moment.