Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #5

Part of DC's 1997 "Pulp Heroes" annuals event, this Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #5 leans delightfully into the lurid romance-pulp aesthetic — right down to its tantalizing story title, "I Was The Love-Slave of a Plant-Based Killer!" Glen Orbik's painted cover sets the mood beautifully, depicting a sharply dressed man in a pinstripe suit and fedora with a red-haired woman draped against him in a leafy green ensemble, while a brooding, oversized Batman looms in the shadows behind them amid swirling foliage. Written by Alan Grant and illustrated by Stefano Raffaele, this annual promises a fun, pulp-flavored Gotham tale with Poison Ivy's unmistakable botanical flair at its heart.