Joker: Last Laugh #1

Brian Bolland's cover for this 2001 DC six-issue series opener says everything you need to know about the Clown Prince of Crime's state of mind: the Joker, impeccably dressed in a dark suit with a purple bow tie and white boutonniere, extends one pale gloved hand toward the viewer while flashing that unmistakable rictus grin, a speech bubble alongside him reading "This one'll REALLY kill you!" It's a portrait of controlled menace — charming and deeply unsettling in equal measure. Writers Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty, with interior art by Pete Woods and Andrew Pepoy, kick off "Stir Crazy" with a villain who seems very much in command of whatever comes next.