The Batman's Grave #1

Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch launch this 12-issue prestige series with a cover that sets an unmistakably grim tone: Batman lunges forward through a decaying graveyard, his cape sweeping wide while skeletal figures and reaper-like forms loom in the blood-red background around him. The ornate Victorian lettering of the title and the surrounding imagery of crumbling monuments and undead silhouettes promise something darker and more meditative than your average Gotham adventure. If you've been waiting for a Batman story willing to sit with mortality and dread, issue one of The Batman's Grave is a compelling place to start.