The Sandman #6

This mid-1970s DC gem puts the "Master of Nightmares" in dire straits: the cover by Bill Draut drops the Sandman — clad in his vivid yellow-and-red costume — face-down and motionless in dark waters, while two blue-robed, star-marked figures row a raft from the gaping maw of a massive, red-eyed sea creature as a full moon looms behind them. A speech bubble drives the tension home: "We have him, Dr. Spider… The Sandman is DEAD!" Inside, the creative team of writer Michael Fleisher, artist Jack Kirby, and inker Wally Wood brings "The Plot to Destroy Washington D.C.!" to life alongside the Sandman's supporting cast of Jed, Brute, and Glob — reason enough to track down this quarter-priced slice of Bronze Age adventure.