Detective Comics #422

Detective Comics #422 (April 1972) offers a genuinely gripping cover by Neal Adams: a mysterious figure in a purple coat points accusingly at a startled Batgirl, her red hair flowing beneath her cowl, while Batman's dramatic shadow looms large on the wall behind her — all anchored by the bold declaration, "This is no surprise to me, Barbara Gordon — I always knew you were Batgirl!" The main Batman story, "Highway to Nowhere!," is crafted by writer Frank Robbins with art by Don Heck and lettering by Ray Holloway, and the issue rounds out with two additional mystery thrillers, "The Bush Trackers" and "The Unseen Clue." Three complete stories for a quarter makes this an exceptionally satisfying slice of early-'70s DC anthology storytelling.