- While pursuing leads on Manny "the Fish" Cardona's drug ring, Batman finds himself clashing with several police officers, particularly a vigilante-hating zealot named Max Cort.
- Mayor Wilson Klass also has contempt for Batman.
- Gordon is forced into a televised roundtable with Klass and renowned psychologist Hugo Strange to discuss Batman's growing prominence. Strange psychoanalyzes Batman to be a mentally-disturbed egomaniac, motivated by nothing but past trauma and a lust for power. Gordon disagrees with this sentiment, but is forced to admit that Batman is technically a criminal.
- Klass announces a new anti-vigilante taskforce, with Gordon as commander. Klass hires Strange as consultant on the Batman.
- Bruce sees this announcement, and tries to distract himself by focusing on building a new crimefighting vehicle.
- Gordon reluctantly gathers personnel for the taskforce, beginning with Cort - thought too unintelligent to be a serious threat - as second-in-command.
- That night, an overeager Cort gathers his own draftees for the taskforce - for a raid on Cardona's main warehouse. Unfortunately, it turns out several of the officers on the taskforce are corrupt, and the Cardona has warning - the warehouse is empty, except for Batman who was also there to raid Cardona. The men attack Batman. Batman fights them off and escapes.
- Meanwhile, in the privacy of his own penthouse, Strange tries to simulate Batman's psyche by donning a homemade Batsuit. He grows enthralled by the idea of being Batman, of sowing violence and terror in total anonymity.
