Kurt Busiek's Astro City #3

The cover of this November 1996 Homage Comics release stops you cold with a quietly haunting image: a school cafeteria tray holding a milk carton printed with a child's face and the words "HAVE YOU SEEN ME?" — a missing-person plea rendered in photorealistic detail by cover artist Alex Ross. It's an unexpectedly grounded, even melancholy way to frame a superhero series, hinting that Astro City is interested in the human cost and quiet mysteries that exist in a world full of extraordinary beings. With Brent Anderson, Will Blyberg, Alex Sinclair, and Comicraft rounding out the creative team, this is the kind of issue that earns its place on any thoughtful comics shelf.