Catwoman #45

Catwoman #45 arrives with one of the most unsettling covers of 1997's DC lineup — Jim Balent's pencils and inks depict Selina Kyle's suited figure bathed in eerie purple light, surrounded and loomed over by eight skull-faced doppelgängers wearing her own cowl, their clawed hands reaching outward in the darkness. The story title "Nine Deaths of the Cat" is rendered right across the image in bold, skull-adorned lettering that leaves no doubt this is a high-stakes chapter for Gotham's most agile antihero. Writer Doug Moench and artist Jim Balent deliver a cover that's genuinely striking in its macabre imagery, making this a memorable entry in the long-running series.