Detective Comics #500

Detective Comics #500 is a genuine milestone — a 500th-issue anniversary celebration packed with seven special stories from an extraordinary assembly of talent including Walter Gibson, Jim Aparo, Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino, Walter Simonson, J.L. García-López, and many more, with cover art by that same remarkable collaborative group. The cover itself makes the occasion feel festive and grand, with a close-up of Batman's determined face dominating the foreground while the Action Hero (Hawkman), Robin, and Batman in full figure swirl dynamically behind him in a reflective composition. At $1.50 in 1981, this oversized celebration was clearly something DC put real care into, and it shows on every inch of that cover.