The Joker Meets the Cat-Woman The Joker has miraculously survived his apparent death-by-knife-wound, during his last encounter with Batman in Batman #1. He is taken to a hospital, wounded almost to death. Batman briefly plans to abduct the Joker and take him to a famous specialist who can fix his brain, but instead, Crime Syndicate, Inc., a criminal gang in need of a leader, and a better brand-name, kidnap him from the hospital, hoping to obtain his help in stealing the priceless Pharaoh Gems. First they force some doctors, at gunpoint, to operate on the Joker, which draws Commissioner Gordon and a whole lot of cops to cordon off the building, but the gangsters (led by "Weasel") lure the police away by having a Batman impersonator attack them. The impersonator kills two cops and leads many of the rest away in pursuit; after a battle at a barn, the bogus Batman is shot dead and unmasked as "Circus Charlie," a wanted criminal.
Wolf, the Crime Master Adam Lamb is a museum curator for Cyrus Craig's private museum. One night, while Lamb is making his rounds, he trips on a rug and strikes his head on the ground. Dazed he glances at a bat portrait and his mystery novel "The Crime Master" while a clock chimes midnight. After a few hours he wakes up and heads home. The next night when the clock strikes midnight, his personality changes to that of Wolf, violent master criminal. Every night after, he commits crimes until he attracts the attention of Batman and Robin. One day Craig is showing Bruce Wayne around the museum. After another encounter with the crime master, he remembers Lamb's car looks like that of his alter-ego Wolf. Bruce decides to visit the museum. That night at the museum Lamb turns into Wolf while helping Craig and tries to kill him. Batman and Robin jump in and save Craig. Lamb becomes confused when he notices Batman's emblem. Batman and Robin follow the Crime Master's car to the waterfront, where they attack his gang. Batman is shot in the shoulder, and the Dynamic Duo use a smoke pellet to cover their trail and escape back to Bruce's laboratory, where it falls upon young Dick to surgically remove the slug from Bruce's shoulder. In their next encounter, Lamb is accidentally killed when Batman knocks him down the stairs. Before his death he recalls, to Batman, Robin, and Craig what caused his transformations.
The Case of the Clubfoot Murders The story begins with Clubfoot (a large clubfooted man with a hook for a hand) murdering Harley Storme. Batman attempts to catch Clubfoot only to be dazed by a kick to the face. The next day Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon go to the Storme Mansion. While they are there they find that the whole Storme Family hates one another and have only come together for Harley Storme's Will, read by Ward the lawyer. The family is only given envelopes with a piece of gold with the inscription "United we stand, Divided we fall." The family is annoyed, but Ward tells them all will be explained if they attend another meeting in 30 days at which time he will open a sealed letter from Haley. Later Tommy Storme tells his loan shark Varrick that Ward will read a letter at the end of the month, Varrick decides to pay Ward a visit the next day. That night Clubfoot kills Abel Storme in his sleep. The next day, after hearing the news of Abel Storme's death, Bruce decides to visit Ward. Upon arrival Batman is met by Varrick's men, who are quickly dispatched, at an abandoned powerhouse by the waterfront. The next night Robin searches the Storme mansion only to find Roger Storme dead. He is then ambushed by Clubfoot. Clubfoot is fought off and decides to make his escape. Meanwhile Batman is at Ward's home when he discovers the real Clubfoot Beggs. Beggs tells Batman how he was kidnapped and framed by Ward. Ward just arriving from his encounter with Robin, draws a gun on Batman. Ward tells how the scratchings on the tokens spelled gold mine when fully assembled, and that the gold mine was left to Harley's heirs. Since Ward was an heir he decided to kill the Storme family and take the mine for himself. At this time Robin burst into the scene and knocked the gun from Ward's hand. Ward makes a break for the stairs and is stopped by Batman and taken to jail.
