The Power of SHAZAM! #43

The haunting cover by Jerry Ordway sets a somber, unsettling tone: three figures lie unconscious in hospital beds, hooked to IV drips and medical equipment, while looming above them — cracked through jagged black tears — are the imposing visages of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, a white-robed elder, and a fourth troubled face. The tagline "Broken Heroes!" says it all, framing this October 1998 installment of The Power of SHAZAM! as a story where even the mightiest champions can be laid low. "Children of Thunder" promises high emotional stakes, and Ordway's painted-style cover work gives the whole thing a gravity that's hard to shake.