Batman: Gordon of Gotham #3

Part three of this four-issue 1998 limited series puts Commissioner Gordon front and center — literally — as he's caught in a dramatic standoff on an industrial fire escape, a gun firing just inches from his outstretched hand while harsh spotlights cut through the darkness below. The cover by Klaus Janson and Dick Giordano uses stark yellow light and deep shadow to give the scene a genuinely noir-thriller feel that suits Gotham's top cop perfectly. With O'Neil, Giordano, and Janson collaborating on the story, this is a sharp spotlight on the man who keeps Gotham's thin blue line from collapsing entirely.