Detective Comics Annual #1

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, Detective Comics Annual #1 (2012) arrives with a cover — penciled by Tony S. Daniel and inked by Sandu Florea — that throws Batman headlong into a fiery explosion, his cape billowing as masked, blade-wielding figures close in from every side. A horned, armored visage looms ominously in the foreground, and the bold cover copy asks the burning question: "Batman beaten by the Black Mask?" At $4.99, this oversized annual brings together a strong creative team — Daniel, Romano Molenaar, Pere Pérez, and Sandu Florea — for "The Abyss," a story that clearly puts the Dark Knight under serious pressure.