The Shadow Annual #2

The Shadow looms out of pure darkness on this 1988 DC annual — wide-brimmed hat pulled low, crimson scarf masking his face, both pistols leveled straight at the reader — with his chilling laugh spelled out in bold letters across the bottom. Kyle Baker's cover art (pencils and inks both his own) distills the character down to his most essential elements: menace, mystery, and those twin guns pointed your way. Subtitled "Agents" and written by Andy Helfer, this oversized annual promises the kind of mature, moody storytelling that made this era of The Shadow genuinely compelling.