Superman #255

Nick Cardy's cover for this 1972 DC issue presents a striking scene of helplessness: Superman stands in the foreground, cape billowing, as cars, buildings, and debris are torn from the Earth and hurled upward toward a blazing, fiery sun. The Man of Steel's anguished caption says it all — "There's NOTHING I can do to stop it!" — making it clear that sheer power won't solve whatever catastrophe is unfolding in "The Sun of Superman!" Inside, Cary Bates scripts the story with art by Curt Swan and inks by Murphy Anderson, a creative lineup that defined the look and feel of Superman comics in the early '70s.