Detective Comics # 623 1990 NM-

Detective Comics #623, published by DC Comics with a cover date of November 1990, is titled "Death of Innocence". Written by legendary writer John Ostrander and illustrated by Mike McKone and Flint Henry, this issue serves as Part 2 of a dark three-part storyline dealing with a copycat killer terrorizing Gotham City.

The Plot: "Death of Innocence"

• The Copycat Crime Scene: The issue opens with Commissioner Gordon and Batman investigating the gruesome murders of two more victims found with "BATMAN" scrawled in their blood. The real Caped Crusader is tracking a serial killer whose methods are directly inspired by an unauthorized, ultra-violent, in-universe "Batman" comic book. A nearby crowd mobs the real Batman, blaming him for the killings and forcing him to escape using a smoke bomb. 
• The Meta Comic-Within-a-Comic: As the radio waves buzz with talk of the murders, listeners learn that the sleazy publisher (Tod Nathan Taylor) claims he has every right to print the stories because "Batman" isn't a copyrighted name. Meanwhile, the comic's writer and artist, Fred Lasker, operates in a manic blur, making up bizarre, unrecognizably violent versions of Batman, Robin, and the Joker.
• The Excerpts: The real narrative explicitly shows panels from the fake comic book. In this fictional inside-story, a young boy possessed by a guardian angel becomes the "Robin" to save a captured Batman from the Joker. Batman declares he doesn't need help, and instead transforms a standard street dog into the "Bathound". Later in the comic, the fictional Joker captures the boy, claiming he "killed his innocence," which horrifies the fictional Batman.
• Closer to the Truth: Back in reality, the copycat killer calls into a radio show to take credit for the latest murders and tells Gotham citizens to read the new issue for clues. Batman investigates the city morgue while the coroner reads the very same comic book. By cross-examining the text with the crime scene details, Batman realizes exactly where the false Batman will strike next.

Artistic Significance & Collecting Key Facts

• The Dick Sprang Cover: This issue is highly celebrated for its striking, nostalgic cover artwork illustrated by legendary Golden Age artist Dick Sprang. Sprang, famous for shaping the look of Batman and the Joker in the 1940s and 50s, returned to deliver a retro-styled cover depicting Batman, the Joker, and the bizarre "Bathound" character.
• First Appearance: The issue features the first meta-fictional appearance of the in-universe characters Simon Petrarch (the fake Batman) and Jeremy Standish (the fake Robin).