Detective Comics #825

Detective Comics #825 brings "The Return of Dr. Phosphorus!" to shelves in January 2007, and Simone Bianchi's cover makes an immediate impression — a skeletal, screaming visage wreathed in churning chemical energy dominates the foreground while Batman's dark, looming cowl hovers ominously above. The stark monochromatic rendering gives the image a genuinely unsettling atmosphere, with Bianchi's draftsmanship drawing the eye straight into that ghastly, wide-open mouth and the corrosive tendrils spilling across the composition. Writer Royal McGraw and artist Marcos Marz handle the interior, promising a story every bit as gripping as this haunting cover suggests.