Batman: The Dark Knight #26

The cover by Chris Burnham delivers an immediately unsettling image: Batman himself stands at the center, mouth taped shut and heavy chains draped across his shoulders, surrounded by a group of battered, similarly bound and gagged civilians — all staring forward with hollow, desperate eyes. It's a striking visual statement that ties directly to the story title "Voiceless," suggesting a threat that has silenced not just Gotham's vulnerable but the Dark Knight himself. Writer Gregg Hurwitz and artist Alberto Ponticelli bring that tension into the New 52 with this February 2014 issue, and if the cover is any indication, the stakes feel genuinely grim.