Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones #1

Kelley Jones's cover art says everything you need to know about this collaboration: Batman crouches over a mountain of skulls, a single lit candle in his grip, while spectral faces and skulls swirl through the eerie purple void behind him — brooding, gothic atmosphere turned all the way up. This 2014 DC Collections volume gathers writer Doug Moench and artist Kelley Jones's run beginning with "Troika Part 1: Dark Rider, Cold Warrior," and that cover image alone makes a compelling case for IGN's pull quote splashed across the top: "A perfect marriage between story and art." If you've been looking for a Batman steeped in genuine darkness and expressive, almost horror-tinged visuals, this is a very good place to start.