Batman: Gotham Knights #4

Issue four of Batman: Gotham Knights brings a striking Brian Bolland cover that immediately sets an unsettling tone — a wild-eyed, grinning young man with red hair dominates the foreground, fingers pressed to his temples in a gesture that reads somewhere between ecstasy and torment. Behind him, a stoic Batman stands watch against an iron fence and a stone angel, the cool blue atmosphere giving the whole composition a cemetery stillness. Writer Devin Grayson and artist Paul Ryan deliver the conclusion to "Samsara," and this 2000 DC release makes a compelling case for picking it up on the strength of Bolland's cover alone.