The Outsiders #9

This July 1986 issue puts Black Lightning front and center in a high-stakes solo moment, as the cover by Jim Aparo shows him diving headlong into a crossfire of blazing gunshots while his bound and gagged ex-wife sits helpless in a chair behind him. Surrounding the action are the looming faces of his teammates — including figures with fire, electricity, and a pale masked visage — all conspicuously absent from the fight, driving home the cover's bold declaration: "Black Lightning Fights Alone!" Mike W. Barr and Aparo deliver a cover that's equal parts personal drama and pulse-pounding action, making "Bentama Means…Betrayal!" a compelling chapter in the Outsiders' 1986 run.