Batgirl #14

Part of DC's 2013 "Death of the Family" crossover, this issue of Batgirl presents an immediately unsettling image: a fallen Batgirl lies motionless on the ground, surrounded by scattered chattering teeth, while the Joker looms above her — knife in one hand, a heart-shaped box in the other — bathed in an eerie spotlight. Ed Benes' cover art captures a chilling power imbalance that makes the story title, "A Courtship of Razors," feel all too apt. With Gail Simone writing and a talented art team including Daniel Sampere and Vicente Cifuentes bringing the interior pages to life, this is a compelling entry in one of the New 52's most intense Batman-family storylines.