Azrael #39

The cover of Azrael #39 promises exactly what the bold banner declares — the return of Bane — as the massive, bare-armed villain looms over Azrael in a dramatic clash rendered by penciler Roger Robinson and inker James Pascoe. Azrael, clad in his gold-and-blue armored suit with a red cape, wields a flaming blade that cuts a vivid arc against the rain-streaked background, while Bane's muscular form towers above him in a posture of overwhelming force. With Dennis O'Neil at the helm for the finale of the "Angel and the Bane" arc, this March 1998 issue looks like a thoroughly satisfying collision between two of DC's most physically formidable combatants.