Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16

Part one of a three-part "Knightfall" tie-in, this 1993 issue sends Batman: Shadow of the Bat headlong into a confrontation with Scarecrow — and Brian Stelfreeze's cover sets the mood perfectly, depicting the straw-hatted master of fear looming menacingly over a restrained, helpless figure strapped to a chair, clawed hands poised with unsettling calm. The checkerboard floor and swirling blue atmosphere give the scene an eerie, dreamlike quality that suits Scarecrow's terror-inducing methods. With Alan Grant writing and Bret Blevins on interior art, "The God of Fear" promises a genuinely chilling chapter in the sprawling Knightfall saga.