As bad as the first Batman '89 miniseries was, I have to say the first issue of the sequel is so much better. Sam Hamm is starting the down the road to redeem himself. Let's see if he can stay on it. Joe Quinones' art is also improved from the first miniseries, where at times it seemed rushed, and the actors' likenesses were made more vague and generic.
The story picks up 2 years after the first miniseries. Batman has been out of action for 2 years, but a new group of wannabe vigilantes dressed in homemade Batman costumes start start showing up murdered in failed attempts to fight crime. Barbara Gordon, who is now a captain (remember, Hamm killed off Jim Gordon in the first miniseries), goes to Wayne Manor to see if Bruce knows anything about these fake Batmen. Bruce isn't home, and Alfred confides in Barbara that he went missing a month earlier.
Then we cut to TV psychologist Arleen Quinzel, aka "Dr. Q" who unveils The Joker's moll Alicia's surgically restructured face. Quinones' art for Dr. Q is great, but I can't quite place who he is basing her on. We get a glimpse of Dr. Q's obsession with the dead Joker.
Then the police go to capture the Firefly, whose alias is apparently Robert Lowery. Hmmm. After a well constructed action scene, they capture him. At the hospital, Lowery asks to see Dr Hugo Strange, but he gets Dr Jonathan Crane instead. Then we get our first view of Lowery's face.It's...
SPOILER ALERT
...Bruce... or a dead ringer for him.
This issue earns a B+.