Superman #172

Superman #172 from 1964 presents a striking and unsettling cover: a man in a business suit kneels and pleads desperately, while a Superman-suited figure looms over him with a raised fist, threatening to drive him into a brick wall. The cover dialogue reveals the kneeling figure as Clark Kent, begging someone called Ar-Val — apparently now wearing the Superman identity — to help Lois and Lana, who are in danger. Curt Swan and George Klein bring genuine tension to the scene, making this issue's feature story, "The New Superman!," feel like essential mid-1960s DC reading.