What makes the best comic book covers? It is a great topic for debate. For us, as individuals, there is no wrong answer, of course; it is purely subjective. But, with a little thought it’s possible to explain what it is about a particular image that grabs you. The best images are the ones that make you stop and check out something you weren’t previously planning to purchase – and in some cases, you even end up picking up a title you’ve never even heard of before.

Throughout the 1990s, the industry’s two comic book powerhouses, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, were breaking sales records year after year, thanks in no small part to having their respective hallowed heroes cross over in the pages of comic book events that landed in specialty stores the world over. One of the standout specials that still thrills fans to this day is Batman/Captain America, written and illustrated by John Byrne and was published by DC Comics in 1996.

Taking place in the dark days of World War II, the Dark Knight and America’s Sentinel of Liberty face off against the Joker and the Red Skull in thwarting the villain’s evil schemes. And although it took more than a decade to pair these iconic heroes, the teaming of Batman and Captain America has had fans clamoring since word first came they were going to pair up in the first, never-published JLA/Avengers crossover back in the 1980s.

If you already read this treasure, read it again. If not, I envy you and the reading enjoyment that awaits you.

–Scott Braden