As the Crow Flies is a comic book story arc that ran through the Batman monthly series. It was written by Judd Winick, penciled by Dustin Nguyen and inked by Richard Friend. It was published in episodes 626 - 630 of the series, and printed in its entirety in a single comic book recompilation in 2004. It was developed as a single self-contained storyline instead of being part of a larger saga, aiming mainly to casual or lapsed readers instead of collectors.

Synopsis

Something deadly and evil has arrived in Gotham. The criminal underworld is thrown into turmoil as crime lords start suddenly falling into a psychotic frenzy, which happens simultaneously with the arrival of a deadly creature known only as the Scarebeast, who is terrorizing and killing Penguin's lieutenants. Batman tries to get to the bottom of every crazy happening in Gotham, and as the climax comes to an end, Batman and the Scarecrow face off in a battle.