Nightwing #29

Nightwing and a female ally stand back-to-back in fierce combat stances on this striking 1999 cover, surrounded by a swirling chaos of bats that fill every corner of the frame — a fitting visual complement to the issue's title, "Back to Back to Back." Scott McDaniel's pencils and Karl Story's inks give the scene a kinetic, almost frenetic energy, with Nightwing's escrima sticks raised and ready while both fighters look tensely outward at unseen threats. Chuck Dixon's run continues here, and if this cover is any measure, issue #29 promises the kind of fast-paced, no-breathing-room action that made this series a standout of late-'90s DC.