The Flash #293

A city-street showdown anchors this January 1981 issue, with a radioactive Flash reeling at the center of the cover while the skull-faced villain Atomic Skull looms triumphantly nearby — and Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, streaks in from above as the apparent only hope for the stricken Speedster. George Pérez's cover art crackles with kinetic energy, conveying genuine danger through the panicked bystanders scattering in the background and the eerie glow surrounding the Flash. It's a vivid, well-composed team-up setup that makes The Flash #293 a satisfying snapshot of early-'80s DC storytelling at full throttle.