We begin with Batman in "Legacy of Hate" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown, and Dick Giordano. Bruce Wayne is called to the ancestral home of the Wayne family in England by his uncle Lord Elwood Wayne. Elwood has also summoned three of Bruce's other distant relatives to his deathbed. Elwood plans to leave equal shares of his estate to the four relatives. In the event that they should die first, the estate transfers to his doctor Merrin.
That night Wilhemina Wayne is attacked by the ghost of Lord Harold, a former knight of the Crusades. The ghost claims that his brother Lorin took what was rightfully his. He seeks vengeance on the rest of the Wayne family. He stages another attack on Jeremy Wayne a short time later.
Bruce dons his Batman costume and investigates. He chases the ghostly knight in and out of the castle. He eventually unmasks the spectre as Asquith the butler, who really does appear to be possessed by the ghost. In a secret chamber, Batman finds a note written by Lord Harold. Lorin had him locked away inside the castle. Asquith dies, but the spirit carries on swearing vengeance. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 6 TPB (2016).
Our Batgirl backup is "The Head-Splitters" by Frank Robbins and Don Heck. Barbara Gordon learns the details of a strange murder in which a socialite had her head crushed. While discussing the case with her father, she mentions the popularity of wigs. Commissioner Gordon offers to buy her one for her birthday.
Barbara goes to the wig shop of Vazly and is fitted for a wig. Socialite Tina Lansbury is also fitted for one. Vazly has invented a device to use the wigs to crush skulls. He uses them to extort money from his victims. He intends to target the wealthy socialite, but her wig is mixed up with Barbara's.
That night the wig nearly kills Barbara. She rushes to Vazly's studio, where the crook tries to convince her she dreamed the entire thing. As she exits, she spots a clue. She returns to the studio as Batgirl to confront the killer. Vazly's assistant, Wanda tries to smother Batgirl with a wig. The story continues next issue. It has been reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1 TPB (2007) and Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2018).
Edited by Julius Schwartz.
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