The Brave and the Bold #197

Jim Aparo's cover for this April 1983 issue says it all: Batman and Catwoman locked in a tender embrace at the center of the image, while a looming, burlap-masked Scarecrow spreads his arms wide overhead, surrounded by crawling spiders, coiling snakes, and swooping bats — passion and terror sharing the same stormy night. The tagline "Night of Passion… Night of Fear!" perfectly captures the charged tension between the two figures below and the menace bearing down on them. With Alan Brennert writing, Joe Staton on art, and Aparo's atmospheric cover anchoring it all, this is a Brave and the Bold team-up that pairs genuine romantic drama with one of Gotham's most unsettling villains.