Superman #379

The cover of Superman #379 plays a wonderfully self-aware trick: Superman squares off against his imperfect duplicate Bizarro in a brawl so chaotic that a banner cheerfully admits "This scene is not in this magazine!" — the perfect setup for a Bizarro story. Ross Andru and Dick Giordano stage the action with real energy, showing Superman mid-punch while Bizarro tumbles inverted, with a cluster of costumed onlookers — including figures resembling Batman and other heroes — watching from the sidelines. Writer Cary Bates and artist Curt Swan deliver the interior goods in "The Bizarro-Buster Is Loose!", and this January 1983 issue promises the kind of gleefully absurd Superman adventure that made this era of DC comics so much fun.