Batman: The Long Halloween Review

This week, as I continue to work through The Ultimate Batman Chronology we will be taking a look at Batman: The Long Halloween. After the success of their previous stories (collected in Batman: Haunted Knight) writer Jeph Loeb and illustrator Tim Sale were tasked with following their work up with a complete Batman arc. The end product was The Long Halloween, released during the years 1996–1997 and including Batman: The Long Halloween issues #1–13.

There really is something special about Tim Sale’s artwork. I think it’s a blend of several things. The first, which pertains to his work on comics in general, is that he understands the stories that Loeb is telling and is able to brilliantly match the styling of his art to the themes of the story. This blending allows the art to feel perfectly in place and means that contradictions in the art or story don’t pull you away from either. This results in being fully emerged in the pages of each comic. Second, in regards to how Sale draws Batman, he really nails the character. Dark, physically imposing, and (at times) worn down. During “busy” parts of the story Batman will be seen recently unshaved and tired looking. Whereas after a date he may seem slightly more refreshed. To nitpick, some have claimed that the cowl of Sale’s Batman has ears that are far too long. However, I think it adds to the menace of Batman’s look and also makes this particular iteration of Batman extremely unique and memorable. Last, in regards to Batman’s rogues gallery, Sale somehow manages to blend realism and the “over-the-top” nature of comic book villains masterfully into their appearances. Poison Ivy has a sprawling growth of leaves extending off of her but yet is portrayed as beautiful and believable. The Joker has a smile larger than the rest of his face but yet is terrifying and creepy. I could go on for days about why I think Tim Sale is one of the greatest comic book artist of all time, but I will conclude only by saying that everything he draws is must-see.

The Long Halloween is absolutely canon and has set the tone for how all modern Batman stories are told. Not only that, but some of the most important character development for Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent are contained within these pages.

The story takes place in Gotham City from around the second Halloween of Batman’s career to the third (or the second to third year). Batman, Alfred, Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, Catwoman, Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, The Riddler, Calendar Man, Solomon Grundy, The Joker, Sal Maroni, and Carmine Falcone all make appearances throughout these issues.

The story begins with the triumvirate alliance of Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent being established. An alliance that will attempt to rid Gotham of Carmine Falcone and organized crime for good (within the confines of the law). As Dent, Gordon, and Batman attempt to take down Falcone a mysterious murderer (tagged as the Holiday Killer) has begun killing members of Falcone’s enterprise on each major holiday. With the Calendar Man locked up in Arkham Asylum Batman has no real leads as to who the murderer could be.

This is one of (if not the) most important early year stories in the Batman canon. This story also sort of mask’s itself as a murder mystery when it’s really a Two-Face origin story (and a brilliant one at that). The alliance between Batman, Gordon, and Dent and how it progressed completely changed the three of them forever. We get some really good Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon moments as we see how they struggle to balance their home and family life with their duty as men of the law. Further, we see how Batman attempts to use his flexibility working outside of the law to assist the law in bringing criminals to justice in the right way. As a bit of a bonus, we get a lot of Catwoman in this story as she seems mysteriously tied to Falcone himself.

Conclusion

The artwork by Sale is some of the best ever done on a Batman title, if not ever. The plot is a well-told mystery that will keep you engaged throughout and the character development of Bruce, Dent, Gordon, and even Catwoman is top notch.

Final Rating: Essential

I’m rating this trade as Essential. As a comic fan it would be a gross disservice to not experience the artistic work of Sale in this trade. Further, the story is compelling and good murder mystery. The character development is crucially important to the Batman mythos. It would be really hard to say that this is not one of the all-time great Batman stories.

If you’re interested in purchasing this trade, it can be found here.

If you would like to see how I review and rate trades, you can find that here.

Finally, if you’re interested in viewing The Ultimate Batman Chronology (for trades) that I am putting together, click here.