Batman Annual #21

Part of DC's 1997 "Pulp Heroes" initiative, Batman Annual #21 channels the moody atmosphere of old pulp magazines in a story titled "The Screams of the Green Dragon." Cover artist Joel F. Naprstek sets the scene vividly: Batman lunges into action alongside a imperiled woman clutching a dagger, while a massive, snarling green dragon looms behind them in a blaze of color and chaos — and a shadowy gunman lurks in the foreground. Written by Doug Moench and illustrated by J. H. Williams III with inks by Mick Gray, this oversized annual promises Gotham's Dark Knight doing what pulp heroes do best — battling to save both a city and, as the cover boldly declares, a beautiful woman's soul.