Detective Comics #785

Tim Sale's striking cover for Detective Comics #785 (2003) splits the composition beautifully between a brooding, close-up portrait of Batman rendered in rich blacks and grays on the left, and a vivid red-tinted line-art scene on the right depicting a cloaked figure fleeing through a Gotham cityscape. The bold graphic contrast between the two halves gives the cover an almost noir-poster quality that's hard to look away from. This issue also includes the backup feature "DogCatcher" by Rick Spears and Rob G, making it a satisfying double dose of dark Gotham storytelling.