Some scars fade. Crime Alley never does. Denny O'Neil ( Batman ), and Len Wein ( Swamp Thing ) headline a run that fuses crime noir, gothic horror, and raw emotion. Night after night, Gotham throws its worst at Batman: killers who freeze their victims, arsonists who turn the city into a burning maze, mystics and vampires haunting alleys, assassins sworn to Ra's al Ghul, and a clown prince who treats murder as performance art. This era also marks the pivotal debut of Lucius Fox, a figure who will become essential to both Bruce Wayne's personal and corporate life. Threaded through it all is Bruce Wayne's ritual return to the place where it began--Crime Alley--and the allies and enemies who remind him why he can never stop. Guided by Denny O'Neil ( Green Lantern/Green Arrow ) and Len Wein ( Detective Comics ), and including "Wanted: Santa Claus--Dead or Alive!"--a crucial early Batman story by award-winning writer-artist Frank Miller ( Batman: Year One )--this era pairs hard-hitting scripts with striking art from Don Newton ( Detective Comics ), Irv Novick ( The Flash ), Ross Andru ( Action Comics ), and more. Collects Batman #307-324; Detective Comics #482-490; DC Special Series #21; and The Brave and the Bold #159.