The first appearance of Black Orchid in Adventure Comics #428 has a cover that is beautifully drawn by Bob Oksner, filled to the brim with that pulp comic attitude. The posing of Orchid is absolutely flawless, conveying a sense of Batman-esque fear even while wearing bright purple. Orchid has gone on to see moderate success in different comics, but was never more purely defined than this cover right here.
54. Action Comics #311 (Curt Swan)
If you thought Superman was all about fighting supervillains and stopping asteroids, this cover to Action Comics #311 will change everything you know about the Man of Steel. A positively nutso cover drawn by the perennial Superman artist Curt Swan, everything about it is just off the wall, but amazing. The absurdity of this type of cover is what identified so much of the Silver Age, the innocent charm that should never be forgotten.
53. Superman #2 (John Byrne)
After John Byrne rebooted Superman in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character was treated to his finest run to date with compelling stories and an excellent modern spin on classic concepts. The cover to Superman #2, drawn by Byrne himself, spoke to that attempt to update Superman's world. Despite the specific nature of the era, it still comes off as being timeless and the story held within is also a great example of the stellar work that Byrne was doing.
52. Final Crisis #6 (J.G. Jones)
Final Crisis marked the beginning of many things in the DC Universe, not the least of which was the mystery surrounding the supposed death of Batman. Artist J.G. Jones delivers a very direct vision of the Dark Knight, which comes off as traditional yet also feels very unique. It's a stirring cover, an ominous primer to the impending battle between Darkseid and Batman on the interior pages.
51. Booster Gold #1 (Dan Jurgens)
In recent years, the character of Booster Gold has been getting quite a bit of attention thanks to the likes of Geoff Johns. His initial appearance, drawn by creator Dan Jurgens, features a slam-bang action cover that just leaps off the page. It's trademark Jurgens, with incredibly expressive characters and pencils so full of immense life. Booster Gold was among the very best of the new characters introduced in the Modern Age, with hope for his potential future as a movie star on the horizon.
