Superman #154

Superman #154 brings the Man of Steel face-to-face with the mischievous fifth-dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk in a delightfully absurd underwater showdown. Curt Swan and George Klein's cover depicts Superman hovering above a giant banana boat — submarine number D-757 magically transformed — while a grinning, purple-suited Mxyzptlk dances atop it, his name spelled backwards ("KLTPZYXM") emblazoned on the hull as the perfect trap. The cover's speech bubbles spell out the whole delightful dilemma: Superman can't say the magic word underwater, leaving him at the mercy of Mxyzptlk's aquatic pranks — a perfectly charming setup from Jerry Siegel and the Swan/Klein art team in 1962.