Batman #455 – “Identity Crisis: Part One” – Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle/Steve Mitchell
This one starts with Batman hearing gunshots and rushing to the scene of the crime, where someone in a mask is shooting people at random. Batman takes the shooter down but when the mask is removed, it turns out to be an old lady. She shows no remorse for her actions, but says it was just an old woman’s whim. Elsewhere, Vicki Vale goes to a homeless camp to take photos for an expose. She gets freaked out when they offer her some grilled rat for breakfast and
leaves right before a masked man shows up with an axe and chops two of the homeless guys to pieces. When Vicki develops her photos later, she sees the masked guy in the background. At Wayne Manor, Tim Drake is having nightmares about his dead mother but insists he can handle the emotions involved. Today is his mom’s funeral and while he gets ready, Bruce sees a news report about a folk singer who shot up a store wearing a mask identical to the old woman’s (and the guy who killed the homeless people). Bruce can’t 
investigate immediately because of the funeral, but figures the crimes must be connected. Vicki sees a report on TV about the homeless guys being killed (that masked man turned out to be a bus driver) and re-examines the photos. She notices a car in the background and tries to blow up the license plate. At the funeral, Dick Grayson tries to comfort Tim, but he’s just as worried as Bruce about Tim’s eagerness to put on the Robin suit. Vicki asks the cops about the license plate in her photo, but they say it belongs to an innocent passerby (Rico Marcuse) who didn’t see anything. Vicki figures
Marcuse might be lying (especially if he really is connected to the killer). In the Batcave, Batman and Tim have another argument when Tim insists he’s ready to be Robin. Batman disagrees and leaves, but Tim wonders if there’s a way for him to prove he’s ready. Vicki finds Marcuse at his place of work, but finds herself menaced by another masked killer.
Detective #622 – “Dark Genesis” – John Ostrander/Flint Henry, Mike McKone/Jose Marzan Jr.
This one starts with Satan (or possibly another demon of Hell) asking Heaven for the chance to repent of his evil ways. Heaven says he’s gone too far to return to Earth, but offers him a chance: if he can find a human avatar to take on his quest for redemption, he can make the attempt. The Heavenly messengers believe the demon is beyond redemption (and humanity is too infused with evil to ever be rid of it fully), but think his quest could bring some good into the world. In the Himalayas, a man named Simon Petrarch
finds a temple where he believes spiritual awakening awaits. He meets the high priestess (Sine-Cha), who takes him to the master, the demon we saw earlier. The demon explains his desire to expiate his sins and reconcile with Heaven and offers Petrarch the chance to be his avatar. Petrarch accepts and ends up in Gotham a few weeks later, drawn by the taint of evil that infects the city. Using the demon’s power, Petrarch transforms into a demonic simulacrum of Batman. All of this turns out to be a (very weird) storyline in an unauthorized Batman comic book. The next day, Alfred shows Bruce the comic book about the demonic Batman who rips criminals to pieces with his claws. Bruce asks Alfred to 
check out the publisher, Tod Nathan Taylor. We see Tod meeting with the writer/artist of the demon Batman comic, a guy named Fred Tasker who lives in the shitty section of Gotham so he can write what he knows. Batman meets Commissioner Gordon at the site of a grisly murder with Batman’s named scrawled on the wall in blood. The media are going wild speculating about Batman’s possible involvement, but Gordon knows he had nothing to do with it. A late-night radio host (Jack Hemp) gets a call from a guy claiming to be Batman who knows the gory details of the killing. “Batman” tells Hemp his usual non-violent methods don’t work so he’s switched tactics. He urges Hemp to read the Batman comic to see what makes him
tick. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be Fred, or maybe just some nut taking inspiration from the comic. When Batman tries to help a mugging victim, not only is the mugger scared shitless of him (thinking Batman will steal his soul), but the victim runs away screaming too. Batman notices a copy of the comic depicting him as a demon who can take the soul from his opponent and figures it’s time he met Fred Tasker.