Batman #396 – “Box-Office Smash” – Doug Moench/Tom Mandrake
Last issue, a failed actor named But Weston re-invented himself as the Film Freak, staging crimes based on old movies. Batman and Catwoman got on his trail but always seemed to be one step behind. Robin and Harvey Bullock (who’s quite the cinephile himself) are working the case separately, since Robin wants to prove he’s a better partner than Catwoman. This issue starts with Batman and Catwoman outside the apartment of Al Jacobs, another actor and former friend of Weston, who they think will be
the next target. At police headquarters, Bullock realizes that Weston must’ve been watching them and leads Robin and Commissioner Gordon to the place across the street from Gordon’s office, where Weston has a camera set up to record everything in Gordon’s office. Weston has left a videotaped message (for Batman) saying he has all the clues he needs to stop Weston. Bullock references the movie Blow-Up and figures the police lab can enhance the film to give them some clues. At Al Jacobs’ place, Batman and Catwoman hear signs of a struggle and burst in, finding Jacobs wounded. He tells them Weston took 
off when he heard them coming and they go out the window to look for him. There’s no sign of Weston and Batman realizes the truth … the guy they thought was Jacobs was really Weston in disguise. They go back and find the real Jacobs dead in the closet and Weston long gone. At police headquarters, Bullock and Robin get a blow-up of Weston and can read the titles of the cassettes behind him. The only two movies Weston hasn’t referenced yet are the List of Adrian Messenger and The Man Who Knew Too Much. When Gordon tells them how Weston fooled Batman and Catwoman by disguising himself as the victim, Bullock realizes that eliminates List of Adrian Messenger. Robin is thrilled that they
seem to be making more progress than Batman and Catwoman, but Gordon gives him shit for worrying about a petty rivalry while people are being murdered. Gordon gets everyone together to share info; Batman is sure director Paul Vasseria will be Weston’s next target and Vasseria is premiering his new movie (about terrorists who blow up a nuclear plant) tonight. Bullock puts that together with the Man Who Knew Too Much and figures Weston will try to shoot Vasseria, timing the shot to coincide with the big explosion in the movie. They check out the theatre and all the guests, but can’t find anything suspicious. (Vasseria doesn’t want to cancel the premiere since this is his 
“comeback” movie that’s supposed to put him back on the map in Hollywood.) Bullock wonders if Weston might change his pattern a bit (as he did with previous crimes), using a bomb instead of a bullet. They search the theatre and Batman realizes where the bomb is … in the actual film itself. Weston wants to ruin Vasseria’s career as well as kill him. Batman shoves the film in a safe to muffle the blast, although Vasseria’s not happy the movie was interrupted right before the big scene. Batman realizes Weston’s real target must be Julia Pennyworth, whom he failed to kill earlier. They arrive at Julia’s place just in time to see Weston dragging her to the roof like King Kong. The three heroes converge and kick Weston’s ass, saving Julia. Batman escorts Julia home, leaving Robin and Catwoman to work things out between them.
Detective #563 – “Free Faces” – Doug Moench/Gene Colan/Bob Smith
This one starts with Jason (Robin) Todd mooning over Rena, the girl he met last issue. Alfred notices Jason’s preoccupation and knows exactly what’s going on, since Jason talks in his sleep. At Arkham Asylum, Two-Face is trying to sculpt a clay likeness of Batman, but can’t seem to get it quite right. At school, Jason runs into Shane (the local drug dealer) and his friends, but Rena won’t let him fight them. Jason soon forgets about Shane when Rena tells him she can come over after school. In Arkham, Two-Face recounts his origin to a lawyer, who he asks to file an appeal on his behalf. The lawyer is skeptical,
but Two-Face hypnotizes him and we see him pull out a box of colloidal clay. After school, Rena is pretty impressed by Wayne Manor, but she makes Jason jealous (of himself) when she talks about how much she admires Robin. Jason considers revealing the truth, but Alfred shows up in time to stop him. Alfred later mentions it to Batman, who says he’ll talk to Jason tomorrow. Batman heads out with Catwoman to check the Sionis family crypt for signs of the False Face Society. Other than a few masks, there’s no sign of them, but Circe does leave a wreath on the door while they’re inside, creeping them out a bit. We see the results of Two-Face’s scheme: he escaped Arkham made up to look like the 
lawyer, leaving the lawyer in his place wearing Two-Face makeup. Two-Face decides he needs some quick cash and flipping his scarred coin tells him he’ll rip off someone who deserves it. Robin has decided to take down Shane’s supplier and trails Shane to the guy’s place. Before Robin can decide how to handle the dope supplier, Two-Face and his boys bust in to rip him off. Another benevolent flip of his coin means Two-Face doesn’t kill the dealer, just knocks him out and steals his cash. Robin knows better than to tangle with Two-Face and his crew, but figures he’d better alert Batman.
Green Arrow – “Winner and Still Champion” – Joey Cavalieri/Jerome K. Moore/Dell Barras
This is a quick back-up showing the fate of Champion, the Angel rip-off
who rescues heavily insured objects for rewards from the insurance company. After finding suspicious bolts at the site of Champion’s last “rescue”, Green Arrow figured out that Champion was staging the accidents and ripping off the insurance company, so he planted a story in the paper about some piece of shit being heavily insured. That drew Champion out to stage another “accident”, but this time Arrow is waiting and captures him. When Arrow is telling Black Canary the story later, he mentions how Mayor Bolt refers to his son as Brucie and Canary remembers Steelclaw using the same nickname for Bolt’s kid. She figures out that Steelclaw is Bolt, which we already knew from last issue.
Adventures of the Outsiders #34 – “Against All Odds” – Mike W. Barr/Alan Davis/Paul Neary
Last issue, the Outsiders (without Batman, who quit the team) went to Markovia to help fight the invasion by Soviet troops. They ran into the Masters of Disaster and were captured, but Windfall refused to kill Halo like she was ordered to and ended up capturing and imprisoning her, hoping to keep her safe. Halo begs Windfall to free her (even offering her membership in the Outsiders), but she won’t, thinking Halo is safer away from everyone else. After Windfall leaves, her sister New Wave shows up, telling Halo she knew Windfall was lying and that she’s going to kill both of them after she’s taken care of the other
Outsiders. Looker has arrived in Markovia and tries to use her natural charms to get over the border. That doesn’t work, but Looker realizes she has mental powers to compel people to do what she wants. Once she’s over the border, she starts looking for the Outsiders. The leader of the invasion is Baron Bedlam and (as we saw last issue) he’s got Hitler in a glass tube, ready to unleash him on the world again. Even Bad Samaritan (Bedlam’s Soviet liaison) is bothered by the lunacy of that plan. Bedlam assures him this isn’t technically the real Hitler, it’s just a clone brought to life by a warped Nazi scientist named Ovarni. Apparently Bedlam himself is a clone, who Ovarni brought back 
after the mob killed him in Batman & the Outsiders 2. Samaritan is knocked out and imprisoned with Princess Ilona, while Bedlam goes to taunt the Outsiders. Later, Bedlam, the Masters of Disaster, and the Soviet forces attack the capital and capture King Gregor (and the American reporter who was interviewing him) quite easily. Bedlam returns to find Hitler out of his tube, but still without any memories or personality, which Ovarni says will take time to return. Looker finds the Outsiders but before she can free them, she gets jumped by the Masters. Bedlam takes Hitler and Ovarni to a secret chamber beneath the castle, recounting how his father (the Nazis regent of Markovia during WW II) took cell samples from Hitler in case he lost the war. Looker manages to
hold off the Masters and free the Outsiders, making a connection with Windfall in the process. Windfall offers to lead the Outsiders to Halo and New Wave figures the Masters will have another chance to kill them when they go after Bedlam. Speaking of Bedlam, we see what he found under the castle: a proton cloud generator, which seems to strip the flesh right off a person’s bones (as it does to an over-curious Russian soldier). Ovarni shows up with a chambermaid to look after Hitler and Bedlam figures the maid can serve as the final test when Hitler’s memory returns … because she’s Jewish.
Outsiders #8 – “Ladies Day” – Mike W. Barr/Jan Duursema
This one starts in Tokyo, where the yakuza boss known as Oyabun meets with an old man who brings him a tengu, a Japanese trickster spirit. Oyabun has the tengu possess one of his men, who he plans to send after Katana. In Los Angeles, Katana, Halo, and Looker are working out at a gym and later head out for some shopping. Back at Halo and Katana’s place, Katana is attacked by the tengu-possessed yakuza, but she kills him quite easily. Katana suggests they should stay at Outsiders headquarters, since it’s safer there. But while cleaning her blade
(which holds the souls of those killed with it), Katana realizes that there’s more than just the soul of a dead yakuza inside … unfortunately, she realizes that too late. Halo figures out something’s up when Katana attacks her, but ends up getting stabbed through the chest. Katana takes off in the Outsiders’ jet and we see that Halo used her illusion aura to make it look like Katana stabbed her. Halo calls Looker and they head to Japan to find Katana. She’s not exactly inconspicuous, as Oyabun has her killing rival yakuza for him. By staking out another yakuza headquarters, Looker and Halo find Katana as she comes to 
perform another assassination. They confront her and Katana attacks. She ends up fleeing, but leaves her sword behind and Halo notices that Katana’s soul is trapped inside the sword. Katana tells them about the tengu switching places with her and directs them to a forest to lure more tengu out of hiding. Their ruse works and the old man shows up too. When Katana asks him for help, he agrees, thinking it’ll be fun. They invade Oyabun’s headquarters, where he’s meeting some of his rivals (and setting them up for tengu-Katana to kill). Halo, Looker, and the tengu get inside and the women take down Oyabun’s guards while the tengu pull their counterpart out of Katana’s body. Katana’s soul goes
back where it belongs and she considers killing Oyabun, but decides to let him live since he’s lost face by getting defeated by three women and a handful of tengu. Back in the forest, the “old man” turns out to be the Tengu-suma, the master of the tengu, who says he allowed Oyabun to use him because he enjoys trickery, but helping Katana was an even better trick. The three women head back to the States, with a tengu stowing away.