Batman #414 – “Victims” – Jim Starlin/Jim Aparo/Mike Carlin
This one starts with Batman and Commissioner Gordon checking out a crime scene: the body of a young woman has been mutilated and left in a dumpster, the third victim in recent weeks. But whoever’s doing it has left no evidence behind, so the cops are frustrated. As they’re talking, they notice a nearby building on fire and Batman goes to help. He finds a young woman (Kate Babcock) on the roof trying to rescue a kid. He gets them out safely but pisses Kate off by asking questions about why
she was hanging around this neighbourhood after dark. (She’s a social worker.) As he’s leaving, Batman notices Cutter Thompson, a local dope dealer, hanging around but decides not to bother with him. A week later, Bruce meets Kate at a dinner and they become friends (just friends, according to Bruce). When someone sees a girl being pulled into a blue van, everyone assumes it’s the slasher and the alert goes out. Batman patrols all over, but can’t find the van. He gets a police call that a fourth victim has been found and it turns out to be Kate. He tries to maintain his objectivity but can’t, and vows there won’t 
be a fifth victim. He wonders if Cutter Thompson might be involved, since the girls are all cut up (although Thompson got his nickname from cutting drugs). He uses all his resources to dig up info on Cutter and finds out he owns a blue van. But Cutter has disappeared and Batman searches fruitlessly for weeks. He gets a break when he hears some undercover cops are making a buy from Cutter and he asks to tag along. While checking out the neighbourhood, Batman notices a red van cruising around and thinks about stopping it, but some punks robbing a liquor store distract him and then he has to go to the drug buy. Turns out Cutter is trying to keep the money and the dope, so
Batman jumps in and starts pounding Cutter and his men. When Cutter pulls a knife, Batman remembers Kate and beats the shit out of him, telling Gordon he’s the slasher. But it turns out Cutter’s been in jail for weeks (and his van impounded), so he can’t be the slasher … and another victim is found, only dead a few hours. Another witness saw a red van (probably the same one Batman noticed earlier) around the scene and Batman realizes he fucked up. He allowed his feelings to cloud his logic, but he swears he’ll make up for it by finding the real killer.
Detective #581 – “One Out of Two Isn’t Bad” – Mike W. Barr/Jim Baikie/Pablo Marcos
Last issue, a new version of Two-Face (Paul Sloane, who the real Two-Face had turned into his double) was running around committing crimes, taking some heat off the original Two-Face. But Sloane believes he is the original, so he captured Batman, Robin, and Two-Face and put them in a freezer with a bomb, a deathtrap worthy of the old TV show. Batman busts a Freon coil and freezes the bomb, cutting their ropes with the jagged edge of the coil. Robin still hates Two-Face for killing his father, but naturally Two-Face doesn’t know that because he has no idea Robin is Jason Todd. They toss the bomb outside and the explosion
gives them time to pound Sloane’s men, but Sloane gets away. Two-Face knocks the Dynamic Duo out, but a flip of his coin dictates that he leave them alive. Batman comes up with a plan and plants a story in the news about a botched robbery at a theme park called Noah’s Park, which is based on Noah’s Ark. Naturally, the “two-by-two” theme appeals to Sloane, who assumes Two-Face (who he considers an impostor) is behind the failed robbery, trying to make him look bad. Sloane and his men go to rob the park properly, but find Two-Face waiting for them. Except it’s not Two-Face, it’s Robin in disguise and he and Batman pound Sloane’s men and capture Sloane. 
Sloane’s wife shows up to talk some sense into him and he finally decides to go back to being Paul Sloane instead of Two-Face … a decision he makes without help from his coin. Sloane helps figure out Two-Face’s big plan, which they think will be to steal the U.S. Constitution being exhibited at the museum. (1987 was the 200th anniversary of the Constitution.) They figure out that Two-Face will come up through the sewers and lie in wait for him. They pound his men, but Two-Face gets upstairs, gasses the crowd, and grabs the Constitution. He threatens to pour acid on it, but Sloane uses his coin to knock the acid from Two-Face’s hand and they start fighting. (There’s one panel where the
dialogue bubbles are pointing to the wrong guys … I guess having two Two-Faces was confusing to everyone.) Naturally, we get the scene where nobody knows which is the real Two-Face, which Batman solves by tossing two coins at them. The real Two-Face catches it with his right hand (Sloane is left-handed) and Batman decks him. Robin tells Batman he actually feels kinda sorry for Two-Face, which is worse than hating him in a way. Sloane has surgery to repair his scars and goes back to his wife.
Outsiders #26 – “Uneasy Lies the Head” – Mike W. Barr/Jim Aparo/Bill Wray
Last issue, the Outsiders’ headquarters was blown up and naturally everyone is wondering where they are and what happened. They’re lying low to let some of the heat die down, since the government is still pissed off about them being at Camp David without authorization. We see that Dr. Jace is still having sinister thoughts, but much more intensely than last issue. (I think Jace’s sudden heel-turn has to do with the Millennium crossover that’s coming up right away; it was probably shoehorned in at the last minute.) Geo-Force gets a call from his brother
(Gregor, King of Markovia) asking him to come home. The country is in turmoil and Gregor thinks having Prince Brion back might calm things down, since he’s always been popular with the people. Gardner (Atomic Knight) Grayle offers to fly Geo-Force back in his STAR Labs jet, inviting Dr. Jace along too … which is just what she wants. Brion is welcomed warmly and we see later that he’s still in touch with Denise (who’s still kinda fixated on him). The U.S. State Department is pissed off about Station Markovia “harbouring” the Outsiders and demands all their secret identities be revealed, or all American funding will be withdrawn from Markovia. Gregor tries to be diplomatic, but Brion 
gets pissed off and walks out. Grayle gives him a pep talk to calm him down, and mentions he’s been having another of his future visions, but this one won’t come in clearly. Meanwhile, Jace is busy releasing some kind of gas into the meeting room where Gregor and the American official are talking. Later that night, Gregor and the American both die in their sleep and Grayle’s vision clarifies … it’s Brion being crowned King of Markovia. As Brion attends his coronation, Jace slips something into Queen Ilona’s drink that makes her susceptible to suggestion. Ilona interrupts the coronation to accuse Brion of killing his brother to usurp the throne. Ilona is pregnant, which means she’s technically in charge until her child is of age and she orders Brion and Grayle arrested. Brion submits to his country’s laws, but Grayle escapes. He
retrieves his Atomic Knight armour and heads back to the castle, running into the other Outsiders on the way. Grayle has a pretty good idea who might’ve killed Gregor and brainwashed Ilona and Looker uses her mental powers to confirm it, letting Brion read Jace’s thoughts too. Jace is thinking about taking over Markovia, but also about other countries being taken over in a worldwide conspiracy, so Brion busts out of prison. He gets pounded by guards wearing giant robot armour, but the Outsiders make short work of them. They get a summons to the Green Lantern Citadel, but Brion is reluctant to go until Looker suggests it probably has to do with whatever big plan Jace and her confederates are cooking up. Yup, it’s Millennium time, where a lot of supporting characters turn out to be assholes … but more on that next time.