Batman Collection - Jim Aparo #4

This 2015 Panini Deutschland collection showcasing Jim Aparo's Batman work features a striking cover — drawn and inked by Aparo himself — where a determined Batman lunges forward while a blonde woman struggles in the clutches of a grinning, upturned Joker, whose mocking laughter ("Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha") sprawls across the bottom of the image. A speech bubble (in German) taunts Batman that while he may have caught the Clown Prince, nothing can save his friend Alfred — raising the dramatic stakes front and center. Collecting stories including "Die Höllengruft" with scripts by Bob Haney, this volume is a wonderful showcase of Aparo's sharp, expressive linework at its most engaging.