Batman #444 – “Crimesmith and Punishment” – Marv Wolfman/Jim Aparo/Mike DeCarlo
Last issue, Batman caught some thieves who were working for a criminal mastermind known as Crimesmith. But when Batman tried to get one of the thieves to talk about his boss, the guy was immolated by an incendiary device Crimesmith had earlier injected into his neck. Naturally, none of the other thieves will say a word now and Batman feels a little guilty about forcing the dead guy to talk, but does extract the burnt
guy’s wallet before taking off. The next day, Jeffrey Fraser and his assistant (Maya) come to WayneTech to check things out. Fraser is a security expert who’s trying to get Bruce’s business back on track after he was falsely accused of treason. Lucius Fox thinks Fraser is pretty good, but Bruce seems to get a bad vibe from him. Later, Batman eavesdrops outside the coroner’s office to hear about the device that killed the thief. He heads to the Batcave to give Tim Drake a lesson in forensics, using the computer to cross-reference people with the required scientific know-how and access to the needed chemicals. He also shows Tim how printers can have characteristic wear patterns, like old 
typewriters do by analyzing a paper taken from the dead thief’s wallet. They discuss Tim’s parents, who are away in Europe (and don’t seem to have much time for him even when they’re at home). Bruce gets a shock when the computer spits out Fraser’s name as a possibility and he confirms it by finding the same wear marks on the papers Fraser printed out for WayneTech. Batman heads for Fraser’s place, which is fitted with numerous high-tech (and deadly) security devices, like phosphorus in the floors and lasers in the corridors. Batman is prepared and gets past everything, which freaks Fraser out. We learn that Maya is actually the Crimesmith, with Fraser acting as her front man and
assistant. Batman makes it to the control room, but Maya has already left. When the whole place starts on fire, Fraser wants to go look for Maya, but Batman tells him she’s already left. Fraser freaks out and tries to tell Batman that Maya is Crimesmith, but she uses her remote controls to shoot him down. Batman gets out of the burning building, but Maya is gone.
Detective #611 – “Bird of Ill Omen” – Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle/Steve Mitchell
Last issue, Penguin faked his death to get out of prison with a little help from Kadaver, who implanted a post-hypnotic suggestion that would make Penguin go into a coma-like state. Now that Kadaver has revived him, Penguin doesn’t need him anymore. But Kadaver’s not stupid: he uses a code-phrase to send Penguin back into his coma, telling Penguin’s men he’ll leave their boss like that if they try anything. Kadaver wakes Penguin and tells him they’re partners now. Penguin has no choice, so he takes Kadaver to see his weapons supplier (Otto), who builds all the trick umbrellas and stuff that Penguin uses. That night, Batman
drops by the diamond exhibition at the Ritz, thinking someone might try to steal the stones on display. Nearby, Penguin and Kadaver crash a dope deal between a mobster named Santini and some of Scarface’s men. Penguin and Kadaver use a giant bird (built by Otto) to blow up the dope dealers and grab the drugs and the cash. The noise attracts Batman’s attention, but he’s too late. Batman realizes the next strike will be at the diamond exhibition but shows up too late. He figures out Penguin is behind the robberies (since they have to do with “snow” and “ice”) and heads to where he thinks 
Penguin will strike next … the bank. Penguin is already there and he shows that he’s not as stupid as Kadaver thought by stuffing tissues in his ears so he can’t hear the post-hypnotic trigger. After wasting Kadaver, Penguin takes off but Batman is waiting for him. They fight and Batman wins, which makes the other bank robbers surrender immediately.
Legends of the Dark Knight #4 – “Shaman Book Four” – Dennis O’Neil/Edward Hannigan/John Beatty
This story takes place early in Batman’s career, around the same time as the Year One storyline. Last issue, Bruce Wayne returned to Alaska (where he’d done some of his pre-Batman training) to investigate the connection between some strange murders in Gotham and some sacred Inuit relics. He found the Inuit shaman who’d saved his life was now a drunk because Professor Spurlock (whose expedition Bruce funded) got the tribe hooked on booze and dope so he could steal the relics. Bruce and the shaman’s granddaughter were taking him home when someone ran their car off the road into an icy lake. Bruce manages to bail out and dives into the freezing water to rescue the
other two. He starts a fire and the shaman uses his own control over his body to warm himself, but his granddaughter is in bad shape. The shaman can no longer use the healing magic (since he feels he disgraced himself by trusting Spurlock), so he tells Bruce to heal the girl, using the Batman mask as his own personal totem. Bruce doesn’t really believe in magic, but the girl does get better after he tells the sacred story while wearing the Batman mask. Later, Bruce figures out what happened the first time he was in Alaska and the girl confirms it: the shaman healed Woodley (the fugitive Bruce and Willie Doggett were 
tracking as part of Bruce’s training) as well as Bruce himself. Woodley helped Spurlock screw over the tribe and steal the relics, but he has a weird sense of honour and believes the mask belongs with the tribe. He’s killing everyone who was involved in the theft, like Spurlock and his assistant. Bruce realizes he’ll be on the hit list too, since he funded Spurlock. He calls Alfred to do some research on the connection between the drugs and the Chubala killings, but fails to warn him about Woodley. When Bruce gets back to Gotham, he breaks into an apartment (though we’re not told whose) and finds a secret room with the
Chubala mask in it. Batman alerts the guards to his presence so they’ll get scared and trigger the alarm. Later, he sends a dead bat and a note (urging them to turn themselves in) to a couple that were in Alaska at the same time he was. It was them who ran Bruce and the others off the road into the lake; from the way the couple is acting, I’m assuming it was accidental and their crime was in not reporting it or trying to help. The next day, Bruce disguises himself as a security expert and goes to the apartment he broke into, telling the guards he’s there to assess the place. He sabotages the Chubala mask, replaces bullets with 
blanks, and plants miniature devices in the Chubala costume. Bruce heads home, unaware that Woodley (wearing the shaman bat-mask) has broken into Wayne Manor and taken Alfred hostage. But Woodley really wants to kill Bruce, so he’s happy to see him return and prepares to ambush him.