Batman #488

From January 1993, Batman #488 arrives with a cover — penciled by TC and inked by Ray McCarthy — that throws Robin and a menacing armored figure into a high-altitude clash above the clouds, with an explosive burst of flame and a giant mechanical sphere looming ominously in the background. Robin's determined expression and clenched fist say everything about the stakes, while the armored antagonist's red-eyed helmet and gold-plated gauntlets make for a genuinely unsettling opponent. Interior work by the all-Aparo team of Jim Aparo on pencils, inks, and letters — with coloring by Adrienne Roy and script by Doug Moench — promises the kind of sharp, atmospheric Gotham storytelling that defined this era of the title.