49. The Dark Knight Rises From The Grave - "Hearts In Darkness"
Though Tony Daniel is far from as cherished as some of his contemporaries, his shot of Batman fighting his way out of the grave is easily one of the most instantly iconic panels in the history of Batman comics.
48. Sarah Essen Gordon's Death - "No Man's Land"
Sometimes it's hard to imagine that The Joker could be any more heinous, and then he pulls something like the murder of Sarah Esson-Gordon. Not content with using a baby to distract her and make her lose her weapon, Joker calmly walks up to her, and adds a bullet in her head to his festive quip, letting her die surrounded by infants.
47. Two Face's Creation - The Long Halloween
Not only does the seminal graphic novel show the relationship between Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent in the most intriguing terms, it also establishes the second greatest villain origin story in Batman history.
46. Gordon Goes Full Bad-Ass - Batman: Year One
If anyone has ever doubted Jim Gordon's credentials to be a leading man in Gotham, they need only read this iconic moment from Frank Miller's classic when he evens out a fight with dirty cop Arnold Flass by giving him a baseball bat, despite his military training.
45. The True Power Of Batman's Fear - Batman Begins
For one tantalising moment, thanks to Scarecrow's fear toxin, we get a look at exactly what Batman must appear like to the criminals he takes down.
44. Batman Takes A God Down A Peg
After Forager, of the New Gods, had laid down his life to save Batman and indeed Earth itself, the Dark Knight snapped at Orion's dismissive labelling of him as "Bug" and stood up for the departed hero's honour by punching The Dog of War.
43. The Bat Snaps - Hush
Having believed he had witnessed the murder of his childhood friend Tommy Elliot, Batman takes his furious anger out on the Joker, almost breaking his non-fatal rule, until Jim Gordon forcibly intervenes. Aside from the rare - and usually criticised - moments when Batman does kill, this is the closest we ever came to the Batman completely snapping and killing his nemesis.
