It is vastly refreshing when you find a Batman tale that is both epic and successfully explores the core of a resolutely explored character. Taking as its catalyst a sub-plot from the seminal Batman: Year One, the story revolves around murders occurring on national holidays, the victims connected to Mob boss "The Roman". Dubbed "Holiday", the killer uses an untraceable handgun and leaves small trinkets at the scene. Plenty of suspects are available, but the truth is something the Dark Knight never suspected. This series scores two major coups: it brilliantly portrays the transfer of Gotham rule to the supervillains and charts the horrific transformation of Harvey Dent from hardened D.A. to the psychotic Two-Face. Both orbit around the sharply portrayed relationship between Dent, Commissioner Gordon and Batman: a triumvirate of radically different perceptions of Justice. It is always great to see the formative incarnation of Batman, drenched in noir here. Loeb's writing is keenly aware that Batman is a detective and Tim Sale portrays a Gotham that is a fertile breeding ground for corruption and madness. Here, Batman is coming to terms with the potent image he projects and the madness it attracts. There are many fine Batman stories, but the ones that capture the spirit with extreme clarity are few. On this alone, The Long Halloween comes highly recommended. Masterfully executed, this is an excellent chance to revisit the world of Batman as fresh as in the summer of 1939. --Danny Graydon
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Not that special if you aren't a huge fan of crime fiction I have to state that I'm not a great lover of the noir graphic novel, and I sometimes think that Batman's enemies are more interesting than the man himself. I did approach this title with an open mind, though, as I had enjoyed Batman books in the past, such as Alan Moore's superb Batman: The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's take on the Dark Knight. However, I have two problems with this book. Firstly, I didn't like Tim Sale's artwork very much - so already I'm on to a loser. I found it flat and dark and... more info
Batman for the fan who is...slightly older now If like me, you have fond memories of being young and pouring over those 70s Batman comics and getting lost in the wonder of them, this book is very good news. Since we're all a bit older now and less easliy drawn into super hero tales, this book was a total delight and surprise. Intelligently written and well drawn, it's a joy to sit and read. Little homages and references to things we've all seen (e.g. 'the Godfather')plus a cast of the usual baddies but all thoughfully and cleverely written, make it... more info
Thumbs up! This is, by far, one of the most enjoyable Batman stories ever published. It brutally surpasses "Year One" in every department. Story, character development, twists, action, art-work, dialogue: "The Long Halloween" is an absolute joy. After the events of "Year One", Batman and Commissioner Gordon form an alliance with Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent. They attempt to round up all of the crime in Gotham, and hopefully bring an end to the injustice that once plagued the city. However, an... more info
Amazing In my opinion this book distills the character of Batman more perfectly than any other comic ever. Once you read this it makes a lot of DC's regular Batman output look cheesy and simplistic, which in comparison to this haunting murder mystery/early years story, it is. The plot concerns the hunt for a murderer who is picking off members of Gotham's mafia underworld, into which Batman, the Joker and others are drawn. It also serves as an amazing origin story for Two-Face. Jeph Loeb's (Superman for... more info
