Superman / Batman #61

Superman and Batman soar front and center on this striking 2009 cover by Francis Manapul, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of DC heroes and villains radiating outward in bold panel-shaped wedges — faces including what appear to be Catwoman, the Joker, a red-haired villainess, and an array of both allies and rogues frame the dynamic duo from every angle. The composition feels genuinely alive, with Manapul's fluid linework giving the whole image a kinetic energy that suits a story called "Mash-Up, Part 2" perfectly. Writers Michael Green and Michael Johnson clearly had an expansive cast in mind, and this cover delivers that sense of a DC universe converging around its two most enduring icons.