Batman #290

Mike Grell's cover for this August 1977 issue delivers an unsettling dilemma: Batman is visibly straining, held back by some invisible force, while a gaunt, skull-faced villain in a sweeping purple cape attacks a helpless victim right in front of him — the cover's speech bubble makes the horror plain: "Skull Dugger — killing that man — right before my eyes — and I can't stop him!" Eerie, pink-skinned creatures swarm the background, adding to the sense that the Dark Knight is dangerously outnumbered and outmaneuvered. It's a genuinely gripping setup that captures everything mid-1970s DC does well — atmospheric menace, a desperate hero, and a villain theatrical enough to match the story's wonderfully punny title, "Skull Dugger's Killjoy Capers!