Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 1 1992 VF/NM

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 (June 1992) features the first part of the story arc "The Last Arkham". Batman is framed for the murder of a police officer and committed to Arkham Asylum, where he has to contend with a new warden and a new killer. This issue is also notable for the first appearance of the villain Victor Zsasz and the asylum's new head, Jeremiah Arkham. 

After a police officer is found dead, Batman is framed for the murder. He is subsequently committed as a patient to Arkham Asylum. 

Introducing Jeremiah Arkham 

• The issue opens with the introduction of Jeremiah Arkham, the nephew of the asylum's original founder, Amadeus Arkham.
• Jeremiah, the new warden, has big plans for the institution, including an overhaul of its methods and structure.
• He is shown to be a strict, calculating character, and Batman is immediately skeptical of his motivations. 

Batman's incarceration 

• In order to find the real killer, Batman allows himself to be incarcerated in Arkham.
• He finds himself trapped in the maximum-security facility with Gotham's most dangerous criminals, including Scarecrow, the Joker, and Penguin.
• Batman is stripped of his cowl and is forced to use his wits to survive and continue his investigation from within. 

First appearance of Victor Zsasz 

• Batman soon discovers that a new serial killer, later revealed to be Victor Zsasz, is also active within the asylum's walls.
• The killer is a cold-blooded sadist who carves a tally mark onto his own body for every person he murders.
• Zsasz’s appearance in this issue marks his debut in the Batman comics. 

The mystery continues 

• As the first part of a multi-issue story, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 ends with Batman seemingly trapped in Arkham, facing a new threat from within while trying to clear his name.
• The mystery of who framed Batman and how Zsasz is involved is set up to be explored in the subsequent issues of "The Last Arkham" story arc.