Justice League of America #252

Issue #252 brings the Justice League face-to-face with one of their most formidable adversaries, as the cover — penciled by Luke McDonnell and inked by Kyle Baker — depicts a massive, glowering Despero looming over the battlefield, his yellow eyes blazing with contempt. Batman, a white-costumed hero, and several other Leaguers are shown struggling against a relentless wave of monstrous creatures, while Despero's speech bubbles make his threat unmistakably clear: "You can never vanquish Despero's Infinite Horde!" Writer Gerry Conway and artist Luke McDonnell were delivering high-stakes superhero drama in 1986, and this cover promises exactly that kind of larger-than-life confrontation.