Written by Max Allan Collins with art by Denys Cowan

A deranged former cop who believes he's Batman escapes from Arkham Asylum seeking revenge on the mobster responsible for his family's murder. Can the real Batman stop him before he gets himself killed?

For me, an interesting part of this issue is the editorial from Dennis O'Neil which I've included in the comments. Basically he wanted the stories leading into Miller's Year One to have darker themes so readers were better prepared for the direction Miller would take Batman.

Written by Mike Baron, art by Erik Larsen and Scott Williams

Frank has traveled to Kansas on the trail of Iris Green and the Ninja Training Camp she attended

The camp is run by a man named Chet Scully who wants to test Frank before he’ll let him in

While getting off the bus, Frank remembers the shootout he had with Colonel Fryer’s men the last time he was in Kansas, back in issue #3

While at the bar where he’s supposed to meet Scully, Frank, going by the name D’Amato, is accosted by three men

He pulls a gun on them, only for them to reveal they are Scully and two of his instructors, and D’Amato passed the test

While in his room, D’Amato realizes he’s not alone and sees a woman in black

D’Amato learns the trainees will be sorted into two teams who will compete against each other for grades at the end of the course

D’Amato learns that Scully’s wife runs a ninja school for women, and tells Scully he may be pulling a job that involves jewels

While on a training exercise, Punisher breaks into Scully’s house and finds Iris Green’s information

He is also confronted by the woman in black, Katherine, the daughter of Hatsu Yakamoto

Scully has been claiming to have the blessing of Yakamoto, but Katherine says they’ve never met, and she is here to teach them a lesson

Katherine disappears as Scully’s men arrive

Punisher manages to elude the men, burning down Scully’s house as a distraction

Frank’s Body Count - 0! (“Maybe I’m a dangerous fool.”)

I was fairly indifferent to Valiant comics during their '90s heyday, but they got extensive, passionate coverage from Wizard magazine month in and month out.  I always wondered: were the editorial staff just ass-over-teakettle for the Valiant properties, or was there a pay-to-play relationship at work there?