Batman / Joker: Switch #1

John Bolton's cover for this 2003 DC one-shot sets the tone perfectly: a massive, unsettling Joker face dominates the composition, his wild green hair swirling around a gaunt, pale visage, while a comparatively tiny Batman crouches defiantly in the foreground beneath the villain's sweeping cape. The visual contrast — one figure enormous and looming, the other small but clearly unbroken — speaks volumes about the dynamic writer Devin Grayson and the multiply-talented Bolton (handling pencils, inks, and colors throughout) are exploring in "Switch." At $6.95, this oversized prestige-format package is a striking showcase for Bolton's moody, painterly style applied to Gotham's most enduring rivalry.