The Power of SHAZAM! #38

Two figures — one tumbling helplessly through the air, another scrambling below — are dwarfed by a massive, roiling fireball on this striking 1998 cover, with the tagline declaring that even the Power of Shazam "is NOT enough to save a city." The grim promise of "The Monster Society of Evil! Part One" sets the stage for what looks like an overwhelming threat, rendered with real dramatic urgency by cover artist Jerry Ordway. With Ordway, Pete Krause, and Dick Giordano on the creative team, this series was in confident hands as it launched what promises to be one of its most ambitious arcs.