Scarecrow (Villains) #1

Part of DC's 1998 "New Year's Evil" event spotlighting the Dark Knight's rogues gallery, this one-shot pulls Gotham's Master of Fear out of Batman's shadow and into the unsettling spotlight he deserves. Jason Pearson's cover delivers an imposing, tattered Scarecrow looming out of darkness — burlap mask stretched into a rictus grin, glowing red eyes peering from beneath, frayed straw erupting from every seam as rope binds the figure together in genuinely creepy fashion. Writer Peter Milligan and artist Duncan Fegredo bring their distinctive sensibilities to a villain whose grip on terror runs far deeper than any simple Halloween costume.