Superman: The Man of Steel #24

Part ten of the "Reign of the Supermen" saga arrives with a cover that puts the tension front and center: Steel — armored in blue and gripping his signature hammer — squares off against the caped figure known as the Last Son of Krypton, energy crackling violently between them as debris scatters at their feet. Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke give the confrontation a raw, kinetic energy, with bold reds and yellows turning the whole scene into a near-volcanic standoff. Louise Simonson and the rest of the creative team were clearly firing on all cylinders during this pivotal 1993 storyline, and the cover's blunt promise — "Title Bout II!" — makes it hard not to turn the page.