Crown of Storms

Multiple plot threads collide as Fraction introduces the Crown of Storms, a controversial psychiatric device that will define his first arc. Dr. Anna Zeller debuts her invention on television opposite Hugo Strange, who opposes her technology with suspicious fervor. The Crown regulates electrical brain activity to treat mental illness, and Wayne Foundation money partially funds it. Bruce takes notice.

The Riddler returns to crime, but something's terribly wrong. Edward Nygma isn't playing games—he's desperately trying to get arrested. His compulsion has spiraled beyond control; he shows Batman a grocery list that took hours to write because every item became a riddle. Eddie breaks into Wayne Experimental Sciences not to steal the Crown of Storms but to be sent to Arkham, where he's heard Zeller is already testing the device on patients. Batman sedates his old foe with uncharacteristic gentleness, recognizing a man drowning in his own mind.

Elsewhere, Vandal Savage continues framing Batman for crimes while a teenager named Huston films a school project about Gotham's changing identity, providing a civilian perspective on the city's descent. Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock work to build a low-tech Bat-signal independent of the GCPD. Bruce spars with Damian while encouraging him toward Gotham University, balancing crimefighting with fatherhood. The issue's title refers to Zeller's device, but the real storm gathering is the one Batman doesn't see coming.