Batman: The Long Halloween

This is a very popular graphic novel as it is first in the Halloween series that attempts to continue what Miller left off in Year One. These stories chronicle the early years of Batman as more of a detective than a superhero fighting crime. He fights crime as well in this book and battles pretty much all the popular villains such as Joker, Riddler, and Two-face. This book also includes the famous story of Dent's transformation to Two-face. If you like a lot of plot twists and turns, very typical of crime mysteries, then you will enjoy this book. I'm not too big on such complicated plots and like a more focused straight-forward, although witty plot. In addition, it does not make sense how Batman battles all the villains with ease with the exception of Two-face. Given this takes place during his second year, it is not realistic how he trashes, for instance, the Joker in a page or two. The movie is more realistic as it depicts Batman struggling in desperation to defeat the Joker, the most popular villain of the whole franchise. Ultimately, too much focus was placed in the mystery story, which a lot of people seem to enjoy, and on the character, Harvey Dent, leaving the rest of the villains as filler.

I was expecting the Long Halloween to be great like Dark Knight Returns or Year One, but it didn't come close to measuring up. It was definitely solid, just not in the same ballpark. Sale's art is cool, and the coloring is beautiful, but some of the characters are a bit over-exaggerated for my taste. The Joker in particular was way overdone, and Batman himself was too muscled out. The Scarecrow and Catwoman were both very well done. Loeb's writing was decent, but nothing to get too excited about. There were some twists that I didn't see coming, but the dialog was a little mundane. Overall it was a solid book, and worth the price for sure. I will definitely check out their other collaborations (Dark Victory, When In Rome, etc.).

The Batman Universe has always had a film-noir feel, and never more so or to better advantage than in Loeb & Sale's epic urban nightmare, The Long Halloween. A new supervillain has emerged from the underbelly of Gotham, a villain who strikes on each of the major holidays. The killer's motives are as dark and complicated as the streets of Gotham, is he in league with the crime families of Gotham or against them? Is there a method in his madness? The artwork is stellar as usual, and the storyline is as strong and intricate as anything by the great mystery writers like Hammett or Chandler.

The debate rages on between Batman fans as to who is the better Batman writer: Frank Miller or Jeph Loeb. Miller tends to focus more on the psychology of the character, where Loeb focuses more on his skills as a troubled detective. Loeb's first seminal Batman work, following a successful stint on the "Legends of the Dark Knight" series, was "Batman: The Long Halloween," published in 13 issues from late 1996 to late 1997. "The Long Halloween" picks up after Miller's "Batman: Year One." Someone is murdering prominent Gotham citizens on holidays. At the end of each month, Batman races to discover the identity of the killer, nicknamed "Holiday," and to stop him or her. Aiding him is Lieutenant Jim Gordon and spunky District Attorney Harvey Dent. Those familiar with the Batman mythos know where this is headed.

"The Long Halloween" was heavily influenced by film noir, as well as "The Godfather." The "Godfather" influence is clear in its depiction of the Falcone family, and its noir influences are clear throughout the story, especially in its depiction of Selina Kyle, who is given the femme fatale status she so deserves. There's plenty of substance to go with that style. Loeb can certainly craft a story. "The Long Halloween" is a delightful mystery, shifting the focus from just how messed up Bruce Wayne to Batman's detective skills. This is Batman as he was originally written. We see Bruce Wayne, disturbed and haunted billionaire. We see more of Batman, dark detective, prowling the tops of Gotham's skyscrapers, hiding in shadows, beating up thugs to know what he needs to know. Surprisingly, Loeb even creates a killer whose identity will keep readers guessing until the end -- and maybe even after that. To this day, the revelation still leaves people pondering.

Loeb's world is added dimension by Tim Sale's terrific artwork. Sale is such a wonderful artist. His work is some of the most distinctive and recognizable in the industry, alongside and yet vastly different from visionairies like Alex Ross or Frank Miller. Sale's artwork can be beautiful, gothic, chilling, grand, or gritty. It could even be all those things at once. But while Sale really hits the noir depiction of Selina Kyle, the way he draws her makes her seem kind of trashy to me, for lack of a better word. He did a much, much better job with her in the sequel, "Batman: Dark Victory." In every other way, though, Sale's artwork is wonderful.

Also wonderful is Loeb's focus on the friendship between Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, and Batman/Bruce Wayne. He emphasizes the tragic angle of their friendship and the result, especially its result on Bruce Wayne. Loeb's depiction of their friendship may have influenced Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight." Screenwriter David S. Goyer has said that "The Long Halloween" was one of the three chief influences for "Batman Begins." Additionally, IGN Comics named "The Long Halloween" the fifth greatest Batman story in the history of the character. It was the only Batman story of the last 15 years to crack the top five.

For making a sixty-year-old character seem completely fresh and new, for crafting a very original and very engrossing mystery, and for making one of the best comics in recent years, Sale and Loeb deserve a lot of credit. "Batman: The Long Halloween" is one of the finest Batman stories, and a must-read for fans or casual readers looking to become acquainted even loosely with the world of comics.

I had never read this book before, but had heard somany good things about it. I picked it up and read the whole thing in one sitting. An excellent story on Batman taking on organized crime in the early part of his crime fighting carrer. I read this stoy in one sitting. A very enjoyable story.
Interesting to note how the mob seems to feel threatened by the new breed of criminals starting to take over Gotham(like The Joker, Riddler, Poinson Ivy, and such). Or as The Mob call them "Freaks".
I do recommend this book, as I myself really enjoyed it.