Story: "Batman Year 3. Different Roads" (22 Pages)

Credits: Marv Wolfman (plot, script); Pat Broderick (pencils); John Beatty (inks); Adrienne Roy (colors); John Costanza (letters); Dan Raspler (assistant edits); Denny O'Neil (edits)

Feature Character: Batman (also in flashback)

Guest Star: Nightwing II (also in flashback as Dick Grayson)

Supporting Characters: Mary and John Grayson (die in flashback); Alfred Pennyworth, James Gordon

Villains: Jacobi (a mob boss; dies), Ernie (one of his men; dies); Boss Anthony Zucco (in flashbacks only); Nicholas Taft (first appearance), Samms (a mob boss; in flashback only), Ricky Rosselli (a mob boss; first name not revealed in this issue)

Other Characters: Sister Mary Elizabeth (a nun; in flashback only), Harrison H. Haly (owner of Haly's circus; in flashback only), Margie, the tattooed lady, Harry, the clown (both employees of Haly's circus; in flashback only [along with Elinore, the circus elephant]); Tim Drake, Jack Drake, Janet Drake (first appearance of all three; in flashback only)

Flashbacks: The flashbacks in this issue cover Zucco's childhood and early criminal career as well as the day of the Graysons' deaths.

Comment: The cover date is not indicated on the cover of this issue

Comment: Story continues in the next issue

Synopsis:

Someone is killing off Gotham's mob bosses, and Batman keeps arriving too late to prevent the murders. Meanwhile, Boss Zucco is up for parole, and Alfred Pennyworth pleads with the parole board not to let him free. Nightwing returns to Gotham, having heard that Batman's sanity is eroding, and sets off in search of his mentor.