Batman Adventures #14

Batman gazes up at a looming, noir-tinged figure of the Gray Ghost — fedora-wearing, gun in hand, rendered in moody grays like a ghost from a black-and-white television screen — on this stylish 2004 installment of Batman Adventures. The tagline "The Gray Ghost Vanishes!" sets an intriguing mystery in motion, and the cover by Kelsey Shannon captures a wonderful contrast between Batman's vivid blues and yellows and the spectral, washed-out image towering above him. With Dan Slott scripting and Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty handling interior art, "Reel to Real" looks like a treat for fans who appreciate a good detective yarn with a dash of old-school Hollywood atmosphere.