Birds of Prey #10

The tag line says it all — "Toxic Warfare!" — and Travel Foreman's cover delivers on every syllable, filling the frame with a towering, grotesque mass of writhing green tentacles and monstrous faces bursting through the walls of what looks like an indoor corridor. Standing between that bio-horror and certain disaster are three Birds: Batgirl crouching low at the front, Black Canary and a red-haired teammate pushing forward beside her, while a fourth member holds her ground in the background with a weapon raised. New 52 writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Travel Foreman were one of 2012's more daring superhero pairings, and this issue's cover makes a compelling case for why.