Justice League America #53

This August 1991 issue kicks off the "Breakdowns" storyline with a cover that trades action spectacle for raw emotional weight — a rare and striking choice. Green Lantern dominates the foreground, jaw set and clearly shaken, while behind him a doctor delivers an "I'm sorry…" to a gathered group that includes Blue Beetle, Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold, and two distressed women, the scene set in what appears to be a hospital corridor. Chris Sprouse's pencils and Bruce Patterson's inks give the whole moment a grounded, almost cinematic stillness that makes this Giffen and DeMatteis collaboration feel genuinely affecting right from the cover.