Batman: Gotham Adventures #27

The animated-style cover of this August 2000 issue says it all — Batman grips the bars of a prison cell, his expression set with quiet, steely resolve as the bold tag line "WRONGFULLY ACCUSED!" blazes across the bottom. It's a genuinely striking image, the Dark Knight rendered in the clean lines of the Batman: The Animated Series aesthetic by cover penciler Bob Smith and inker Terry Beatty. Inside, writer Scott Peterson and artist Tim Levins deliver "Lessons," promising a story with some serious stakes for Gotham's guardian.