Batman and the Outsiders #26

Alan Davis delivers a genuinely striking cover for this October 1985 issue, with the enormous serpentine form of Kobra literally coiling around Batman and the Outsiders — Batman, Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Geo-Force, and Katana all struggling in its crushing grip. The tagline "Caught in the Coils of Kobra" says it all, perfectly setting up "Serpent in the Sky!" as a team-wide confrontation with one of DC's most theatrical villains. Mike W. Barr and Davis were clearly firing on all cylinders here, making this a vivid snapshot of the Outsiders at their mid-'80s best.