The Batman Adventures #3

The Joker has never looked more delighted with himself than on this December 1992 cover, where he grins front and center while a chained and thoroughly trapped Batman looms behind him — a magician's cabinet complete with padlocks and stars setting the scene for some very unwelcome showmanship. Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett nail the sleek animated style perfectly, capturing both the Clown Prince's menace and Batman's steely defiance in one striking image. Tied to the hit TV show and packed with creative talent including writer Kelley Puckett, this is a fine early chapter in The Batman Adventures run.