Batman #4

Part of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's acclaimed New 52 run, this February 2012 issue carries the ominous title "Face the Court." Capullo's cover is a striking composition: a massive, bird-masked figure looms over a blood-red Gotham City skyline, its circular goggle lenses each reflecting Batman's silhouette — a deeply unsettling image that speaks to the Dark Knight being watched and mirrored by a shadowy adversary. It's a beautifully atmospheric piece of design that makes the Court of Owls feel genuinely menacing before you've even opened the cover.