The Batman Adventures #26

This 1994 installment of The Batman Adventures puts the whole team in the thick of it — the cover by Mike Parobeck and Rick Burchett shows Robin leaping into action and Batgirl grappling overhead while a blond gunman fires point-blank at a shadowy figure in the foreground, the muzzle flash blazing at the center of the image. It's a tense, kinetic composition that captures the animated-series style at its most dynamic, with real danger crackling across every panel of that dark background. Written by Kelley Puckett with interior art from Parobeck and Burchett, "Tree of Knowledge" looks like a worthy chapter in one of DC's most sharply crafted all-ages series of the era.