Superman: The Man of Steel #123

A massive robotic hand closes around Superman, cape billowing as he strains against fingers of cold steel — it's a striking image from cover artist John Cassaday that sets the tone for "Gangs of Metropolis Part One: Grip of Terror!" The Man of Steel looks genuinely outmatched here, pinned between crushing mechanical digits against a warm amber background that makes the silver machinery feel all the more imposing. With Mark Schultz writing and Yvel Guichet and Dexter Vines on interior art, this April 2002 issue kicks off what promises to be a tense street-level arc for the Last Son of Krypton.