The Outsiders #7

The cover banner promises that "Nothing Can Stop the Duke of Oil!" — and the image makes a strong case, as the massive mechanical villain coils his pipeline-like body around the team, sending Geo-Force, Katana, and Halo scrambling while Metamorpho and Black Lightning move in to challenge him. Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo were firing on all cylinders in May 1986, and Aparo's cover compositions for this series had a kinetic clarity that made every issue feel urgent. With the Outsiders facing a villain whose very design screams industrial menace, issue #7 is a vivid snapshot of what made this team's corner of the DC universe so distinctly its own.