Batman / Superman #8

Part 1 of the "First Contact" crossover event arrives in this 2014 New 52 entry from writer Greg Pak and artist Jae Lee, and the cover makes an immediate impression: Superman is caught in a chaotic tangle of shattered debris and dark, thorny tendrils, while a cloaked Batman looms above him and Supergirl streaks in from the upper right — with a fourth figure, appearing to be Huntress, tumbling at the bottom of the frame. Jae Lee's stark, atmospheric linework gives the whole scene a brooding, almost painterly tension that sets this team-up apart from a standard superhero slugfest. If you've been following the New 52's World's Finest corner of the DC universe, this is exactly the kind of opening chapter that demands your attention.