JLA #44

Part two of the "Tower of Babel" arc arrives with one of the most striking images of 2000: a looming Batman pulling the strings — quite literally — as The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Superman dangle helplessly like marionettes beneath him. Howard Porter and Drew Geraci's cover composition says everything without saying a word, placing the World's Greatest Detective in a position of unsettling dominance over his own teammates. Mark Waid's acclaimed arc is in full swing, and this visual alone makes the tension of the Justice League's predicament impossible to ignore.