Batman: Shadow of the Bat #25

This anniversary installment of Batman: Shadow of the Bat arrives as part of the sprawling KnightQuest: The Crusade crossover, and Brian Stelfreeze's cover makes an immediate impression: a heavily armored, gold-and-blue Batman figure crouches menacingly above a storm-lit Gotham skyline, claws extended and red eyes gleaming beneath a lightning-streaked purple sky. The design signals that whoever wears the cowl here is operating with a very different edge than readers might expect. Alan Grant, Bret Blevins, and John Beatty handle the interior, promising the kind of gritty Gotham storytelling that made this series a standout of 1994 DC publishing.