Batman: Shadow of the Bat #21

Part one of three in the "Knightquest: The Search" crossover, this 1993 issue sends Bruce Wayne — leaning on a cane and dressed in civilian clothes against a brick wall — to the streets of London, with Big Ben looming in the smoky background. A red-caped, armored figure leaps dynamically overhead, making for a cover that crackles with tension between two very different worlds. Brian Stelfreeze's painted artwork gives the whole scene a moody, cinematic weight that sets a compelling tone for Alan Grant and Bret Blevins's opening chapter.