Batman and Robin #18

A mysterious, gun-toting woman dominates this February 2011 cover, identified by the bold tagline as "The Absence" — she stands triumphant above a struggling Batman and Robin, surrounded by a swirling mass of skulls and grasping hands. Guillem March's cover art delivers a striking visual tension, with a white rose resting in the foreground offering an eerie counterpoint to the chaos. Part two of "The Sum of Her Parts" promises Paul Cornell's story is building toward something genuinely compelling, with Scott McDaniel and Christopher Jones bringing the interior pages to life.