Detective Comics #817

Part of DC's 2006 "One Year Later" initiative, this issue of Detective Comics opens the eight-part "Face the Face" arc with a cover that pulls no punches — a brooding, close-up portrait of Batman gripping a bloodied, ornate helmet, his expression set and grim against a near-monochrome backdrop. The painted cover by Simone Bianchi gives the image a raw, unsettling weight that sets a fittingly dark tone for what lies ahead. With James Robinson writing and Leonard Kirk and Andy Clarke on interior art, this is a strong entry point for a new chapter in Batman's world.