Batwoman #22

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, Batwoman #22 arrives in September 2013 with a visceral cover by J. H. Williams III that pulls no punches — literally. Batwoman, her red hair blazing against a stark palette, is caught in the crushing grip of a massive, blood-soaked fist that dominates the foreground, her masked face set with fierce defiance even under that bone-rattling pressure. Writers Williams III and Blackman, with interior art by Trevor McCarthy, keep this title one of the most visually daring on shelves in 2013.