By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was the 12-issue "Outcasts" limited series (Oct. 1987–Sept. 1988) for DC Comics. Although it was not a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in "Detective Comics" from issue 583 (Feb. 1988), largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles. Grant and Wagner introduced the Ventriloquist in their first Batman story and the Ratcatcher in their third. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. He has long stated that Wagner left after five issues because the title did not sell well enough to give them royalties, and that Wagner's name was kept in the credits for the remaining seven issues because Grant was afraid DC would fire him.