Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #1

Part of DC's 1992 "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" annual event, this oversized issue features a striking cover by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti that sets an ominous tone — Superman surges forward through a star-filled void, his expression strained and shadowed, a darkened eclipse looming behind him like a spreading corruption. The visual tension between the Man of Steel's raw power and that encroaching darkness makes for a genuinely compelling cover image. With a story titled "The Gathering Darkness" and a creative team including Roger Stern, Robert Loren Fleming, and Chris Wozniak, this annual is a solid piece of early-'90s DC storytelling.