The Shadow Strikes #23

The Shadow looms large and menacing in Eduardo Barreto's cover for this 1991 DC issue, his cloaked figure dominating the foreground while a bound, shackled prisoner dangles helplessly in chains behind him — a vivid promise of the wrath Shiwan Khan is about to unleash. Gerard Jones, Rod Whigham, and Gerry Fernandez bring "Citadels" to life inside, with the tension between the Shadow and his arch-nemesis clearly at a fever pitch. If you've been following this series, issue #23 looks like a genuinely gripping chapter in the ongoing clash between these two formidable adversaries.