Justice League of America #256

The Martian Manhunter takes center stage on this November 1986 entry in DC's longest-running superhero team title, depicted in raw, visceral close-up as he lunges forward through an all-consuming wall of flame — his greatest vulnerability rendered spectacularly by cover artist Luke McDonnell. The tagline "Burn, Martian, Burn!" makes the stakes immediately, unmistakably clear, and the anguish etched across J'onn J'onzz's green face sells every bit of it. With J. M. DeMatteis scripting a story titled "Back to Godhead," this is one of those mid-'80s JLA issues that puts a beloved character through the wringer in genuinely compelling fashion.