Superboy #39

Part two of "Meltdown" arrives in this May 1997 issue, and the cover — penciled by Ramon Bernado and inked by Doug Hazlewood — makes an immediate impression: a battered, bloodied Superboy is pinned against a brick wall by what appear to be sharp metallic tendrils, while several fallen figures lie scattered across the shadowy foreground. The stark subtitle "Freakshow!" hints at the chaotic threat closing in around him, and the grim urgency on Superboy's face sells every bit of it. Ron Marz scripts the adventure with art by Bernado and Hazlewood, making this a solidly crafted chapter in the ongoing "Meltdown" storyline.