Supergirl #43

Supergirl charges fist-first into a massive, shadowy creature on the cover of this April 2000 issue, her hair flying and expression fierce as a wall of flame erupts behind her — and a figure wreathed in fire looms ominously in the background. The tagline "In the Heat of Battle!" says it all, promising a story with real stakes on multiple fronts. Cover art by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs frames the tension beautifully, and with Peter David writing and Kirk handling interior pencils, this late run of the series delivers the kind of charged storytelling the title was known for.