Suicide Squad #1

Eight expendable operatives crowd the cover of this May 1987 launch, their profile portraits arranged around a stark black field — a woman in a wide-brimmed hat, a helmeted figure with a targeting reticle, a snarling man-beast, a masked figure, and several others, each rendered in Howard Chaykin's sharp, high-contrast linework. The cover copy cuts right to the heart of the premise: these eight people will put their lives on the line for their country, and one of them won't be coming home. John Ostrander, Luke McDonnell, and Karl Kesel bring "Trial by Blood" to life in a series that wastes no time signaling it plays for keeps.