Batman #472

A playing card motif makes for one of the more striking Batman covers of December 1991, with a grinning, crown-wearing Queen of Hearts — draped in a sweeping purple cape and clutching a pistol — dominating the frame while Batman himself is pinned beneath the card at the bottom. Norm Breyfogle's cover art crackles with unsettling energy, the blood-red dripping background amplifying the villain's smug menace. "The Idiot Root: Part One" kicks off what looks to be a delightfully offbeat story from writer Peter Milligan, and this bold visual introduction makes a compelling case for picking it up.