Welcome to the thread.
Thank you. I really got inspired when I saw your "The Wonder Woman Golden Age Reread" thread.
Regarding Batman #358:
I loved the little dialogue between Dick and Trina. At this point I'm surprised that Jason is going to end up with Bruce and not with Dick. But so far Jason hasn't said a word. So maybe he and Bruce will have a better connection than Bruce' immediate dislike of Trina. It's obvious I'm missing context since Bruce seems upset about something Vicki and Selina did before Jason was introduced.
I feel like the rest of the story didn't age that well. Reading it nowadays, everything seems a little cliché. On the other hand, the issue was published in 1983. Back then, it probably was better received by readers. Having a tobacconists' club and seeing Gordon smoking a pipe seems so old-fashioned. (Although Batman and Gordon reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in that scene)
And Croc stealing some random super high-tech computer to prove his worth by hiding beneath a car (how is that even possible by his body size?) and "masquerading" as security guard (I can't believe nobody noticed, he didn't even hide his face) didn't grab me at all.
The scene in the cave with Specs was okay although the man gave in pretty fast. Nowadays, writers and artists probably would emphasize Specs' own mental terror more.
The Squid, Croc and Specs all have a similar theme going on. They are all looked down at but (maybe even because of that) are ambitious to ascend in their rank. While Squid and Specs just feel greedy and power-hungry, Croc has the additional motive to escape his past and bad treatment by others because of his looks. I don't feel sorry for Squid and Specs. But seeing Croc destroying his "safe space" because it was tainted by Batman's break-in shows that there is more to Croc than his criminal intents.