Detective Comics #49

Tyler Kirkham's cover for this April 2016 issue puts Batman front and center in an unusually raw, unguarded moment — mask on but lower face exposed, teeth bared in a fierce shout as he charges forward wielding a chunky, cross-emblazoned pistol. The fiery orange background and scattered bats amplify the tension, while a partially visible figure looms at the edge of the frame, hinting at a confrontation very much in progress. With Peter J. Tomasi writing and Fernando Pasarin on interior art, "The Bronze Age: Salt of the Earth" looks to deliver the kind of gritty, high-stakes Batman story this creative team does so well.