Batman #7

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, Batman #7 arrives in May 2012 with a cover by Greg Capullo that pulls no punches — a battered Batman crouches low, claws outstretched, locked in fierce struggle with a masked opponent against a swirling backdrop of dark, flame-like shadows. The composition crackles with desperation and grit, hinting at the relentless pressure the Dark Knight is under as the story's title, "The Talons Strike!", suggests a confrontation pushed to its limit. Scott Snyder and Capullo, inked here by Jonathan Glapion, were crafting some of the most gripping Batman work of 2012, and this issue looks like a pivotal chapter in that run.