Suicide Squad #41

Suicide Squad #41 brings the second chapter of "The Phoenix Gambit" four-part arc, and Geof Isherwood's cover sets the tension beautifully — a green-suited figure stands arms-outstretched at the center of a glowing emerald vortex, surrounded by fallen soldiers, while two imposing faces loom large on either side: one in a blue-and-grey Batman cowl, the other a stern, close-cropped man framed against a deep red border. The ominous phoenix emblem hovering above the scene hints at stakes that reach well beyond a simple mission. John Ostrander and Kim Yale were crafting some of DC's sharpest ensemble storytelling in 1990, and this issue sits right at the heart of that ambition.