Detective Comics Annual #5

Part of DC's 1992 "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" crossover event, this Detective Comics Annual brings together Alan Grant, John Wagner, and artist Tom Mandrake for a story titled "Acts of Madness!" Sam Kieth's cover — pencils and inks both — delivers a striking composition: a grim, determined Batman looms in the foreground while a leering, wild-eyed Joker lurks behind him, a gun thrust menacingly into the frame against a sickly yellow moon. It's a tense, atmospheric image that makes a strong case for why this pairing remains one of comics' most compelling rivalries.