Batman / Superman #17

Few covers in DC's New 52 era hit quite as hard as this one — a battered, bloody Batman crouching over an equally wounded Superman, both men clearly having been through hell, while a massive, glowing-eyed presence looms ominously in the background above them. The tension between the World's Finest as allies versus adversaries has rarely felt this raw, and that lurking, red-eyed shadow suggests neither hero is the biggest threat in the room. Penciled by Ardian Syaf and inked by Danny Miki, it's a striking image that sets a desperate, high-stakes tone for Greg Pak's "Deathwatch" storyline.