Batman #451

The Joker dominates this July 1990 cover in full unhinged glory — purple hat, purple trenchcoat, manic grin, and a smoking gun clutched in hand, surrounded by a swarm of screeching bats while Batman looms as a massive dark silhouette behind him. Norm Breyfogle's cover work gives the composition a wild, kinetic energy that perfectly captures the chaos of Gotham's most dangerous rivalry. With Marv Wolfman writing and Jim Aparo on interior art, "Judgements!" promises a confrontation that more than lives up to its striking cover.