Batman: The Dark Knight #23.1

Part of DC's 2013 New 52 "Villains Month" event, this issue puts the Ventriloquist front and center in a genuinely unsettling spotlight. Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray's cover depicts a pale, ghoulish young woman in a white dress commanding a sinister dummy in a pinstripe suit, while Batman lies bound at the bottom and puppet-like figures of Red Robin, Batgirl, and others dangle from ropes in the background. Writer Gail Simone brings her sharp character work to this villain showcase, with interior art by Derlis Santacruz, inker Karl Kesel, and colorist Brett Smith giving "A Rising Star of Red!" a fittingly eerie visual life.