Was it this one? I saw that the other day when I was looking up an airing order list. It intrigues me and I might give it a go someday.
As for the concept of escalation with Batman, I’d say that dates back to the original Batman: Year One that follows the start of his crusade. There’s actually a great list of the comics that continue on from there here. The Archie Goodwin run of The Legends of the Dark Knight was phenomenal.