Nightwing #145

Rain-soaked rooftops set a tense, atmospheric stage on this August 2008 cover by Andy Kubert, where Nightwing crouches low with escrima sticks in hand while a long-haired, knife-wielding woman looms behind him in a striking red outfit. The dynamic composition — two figures braced against a stormy Gotham skyline — promises exactly the kind of charged confrontation you'd expect from "Freefall, Chapter Six," the penultimate chapter of Peter J. Tomasi's arc with Rags Morales and Michael Bair on interior art. It's a sharp, propulsive entry in the series that captures Dick Grayson at his gritty, acrobatic best.