Batman: The Long Halloween
Trade Paperback
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale
Cover by Tim Sale
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $19.99
Recently I have been reading a lot of older comics and graphic novels and one that has stood out the most lately is Batman: The Long Halloween. If you haven’t read this trade, written by Jeph Loeb with art by by Tim Sale, it is absolutely amazing!
The story deals with a serial killer named Holiday who is picking off major members of the Falcone crime family in Gotham City. The reason why the killer is named Holiday is the fact that he only strikes on major holidays. He starts his spree on Halloween and goes on for about a year murdering over a dozen people. It’s up to Batman to find out who Holiday really is and why he’s killing all these people.
There are so many twists and turns with the plot of this story that it will keep you on your toes until the very last panel.
Jeph Loeb writes one hell of a story and you can just see his passion for these characters come to life on the pages of the book. This is one of the most original stories and I love how the Joker is used as comic relief in the story by retelling How the Grinch Stole Christmas when he breaks into Harvey Dent’s house.
I absolutely love the artwork by Tim Sale in this book, he brings a unique perspective to not only the characters, but the story. It’s both bright and dark at times and it really has a film noir feel to it like you are watching an old detective movie. The characters are so well drawn and they all have unique looks, which is why I love the artwork.
If you haven’t read this yet and you are a Batman fan, I do suggest you pick it up because it is well worth the time and money. I give Batman: The Long Halloween 5 batarangs out of 5.
Should probably also mention the sequel (if you can call it that) Batman: Dark Victory. Similarly good :)
Comment by unwesen — October 31, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
I loved this book when it first came out, it’s one of the finest displays of villain ensembles in the series. In fact I may have to go an dig it out tonight and give it the once over!
Comment by Craig Sharp — November 2, 2010 @ 2:45 am
I actually bought this book only several weeks ago. Very very good indeed.
Comment by Pirkaf — November 3, 2010 @ 7:48 am
I’m only halfway through it and I think it’s fantastic. It’s so much better than I expected. The dude who lent it to me said he prefers his Batman darker but I don’t know, this story is pretty dark.
Comment by Redcoldethyl — March 10, 2011 @ 9:56 am