Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman: The Long Halloween is a 13 issue series set in the Year One continuity following Batman. He is tracking down a serial killer targeting the mob crime boss Carmine "The Roman" Falcone's empire as the killer strikes on holidays. It's up to Batman, James Gordan, and Harvey Dent to stop the killer and bring down the Falcone empire. Batman stories usually fall into two camps they can either be grounded in the criminal aspect the underworld of Gotham City or end up into these supernatural mysteries, and Batman, The Long Halloween, is the former not the latter. Where it's Batman trying to take down the mob and his Rogue's gallery while being present take a back seat to let the criminal syndicates play the primary antagonists. It's a nice change of pace. Batman is my favorite superhero part of the reason why he as many great villains and the arcs from taking down immoral assassins to giant walking zombies born on Monday there is no shortage of material. That's the beauty of The Long Halloween; even though the villains are mobsters, it still is one of the better stories up there. Certainly better than most modern-day graphic novels. The serial killer mystery element behind the plot is also well written. It keeps you guessing although by a certain point it does become obvious so there are no curb balls but its suspenseful and like an old noir movie. The art is another highlight of the comic the panels and transitions flow in a way that it's almost cinematic. At the same time, I didn't like some of the aesthetic choices such as Catwoman's costume and Bruce Wayne's design. I can still recognize their merit, unlike the Dark Knight Returns, where I hated the art and preferred the animated movie due to the ugliness of the graphic novel's art. I especially have to praise the flow of the comic as while reading it had me hooked, there where no panels that took me out of that flow. It was truly cinematic. My favorite scene had to be Falcone's Birthday August 2, that was the best chapter of the novel. In the end, I loved Batman The Long Halloween. It truly deserves its classic status. The mystery is a thrill from start to finish; it highlights the underground world of Gotham City. The only real complaint I had with the graphic novel is the story did end with loose ends, and while that doesn't ruin the story, it would have been better with an airtight ending. Regardless, I would say Batman: The Long Halloween is one of the best, if not the best Batman stories in the market. A must-read, whether you like Batman comics, movies, games, or animations.

Hi There comic book fans, This is one of the single most iconic Batman stories of all time. The origin story of Two-Face rendered supurbly by Jeph Loeb and Time Sale! First, let me tell you. This was one of the first Batman books I read. I started out reading close to six months ago. Given the weight of this story, and others among the firsts to be picked of the web's shelf, I elected to hold off on reviewing this one for a while. I've now read The Black Mirror, Dark Knight Returns, Dark Victory, Long Halloween, The Killing Joke, Knightfall Vol. 1-3, No Man's Land Vol. 1-2, Year One, and Joker. I also have past experience with Batman from growing up on the animated series, watching the films, and the direct to DVD animated features. So now that I have a more complete knowledge of the character in the books, I plan on slowly reviewing my way through the list above, along with some of the other series' I've read. This was a great beginner read, assuming you know the origin story already, and some of the characters that go along with it. It features a ton of villains, but it hardly ever focus' on the one's it doesn't give a bit of backstory on. For a real Batman origin story, read Year One, but assuming you haven't been living in a cave (Haha, funny right?) you'll be able to pick this up and understand just fine. This story focus' on the emotional journey both Batman and Bruce Wayne take as they watch events unfold, leading to the metamorphosis of Friend and Ally Harvey Dent into the schizophrenic enemy Two-Face. This is kind of an odd paperback collection of the famous holiday event. It has a strange material which composes the cover. It's a waxy, or rubbery cover. DC's print quality is good. There is no random ink bleed, and the stock is glossy. The paper has a decent weight to it, so you won't feel like you're going to rip it turning the pages. I used to be a trade paper kind of guy, so I have a lot of cheap paperbacks in my collection, but I've recently gotten more into hardcover collections. This is the only Batman book I'd like to trade up for the Absolute Edition. Writing and art style are very good. Art by Sale always catches my eye. I love the writing for Batman by Loeb. You can see how this is the Batman who inspired Christopher Nolan's character for the films. He has a lot of one-liners jumping out of the shadows, and you can see the relationships with some of his friends and enemies are... interesting. I'm in love with this book. It is a must read for anyone. For longtime Batman fans, and fairly fresh readers as well. Buy this, and you won't regret it.

Great story!! I had heard that this book was great and boy they were correct,!!! The art was different and fantastic, the story kept me interested and wanting more!! If you’re a Batman fan, this book is a must have

I bought The Long Halloween as a Christmas gift, but I couldn't help to go ahead and read it before I gave it away, and I am so glad I did. The story follows the Caped Crusader, Harvey Dent, and James Gordon and their attempts to identify and stop the Holiday Killer, a mysterious villain who murders members of Gotham's crime family on major holidays. Batman must also continue his fight against his old enemies, such as the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and more. The story is very well-written. It draws the reader right into the city of Gotham and refuses to let go. There is a lot of suspense, mystery, and action, which is to be expected of any Batman comic. The story does a brilliant job of tying together the main story and the several subplots, and ties everything up very nicely in a shocking and memorable conclusion. The art is one of the best I have seen in a comic book. There is a great mixture between the realistic drawings of Batman and company and the abstract, fearsome villains, such as the Joker, who is depicted with a very large mouth full of many long, crooked teeth. The characters are very memorable and very beautifully done, with equally beautiful settings full of color. There are many panels in the book that are colored in black and white, and, surprisingly, many of those panels are more beautiful than some of the colored panels. If you're a fan of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight or a Batman fan in general, this book will not disappoint you. I almost regret giving it away!

Good read

Best Batman story to date.

I didn't LOVE the artwork, as I thought it was sort of sloppy, and I did not enjoy the way Bruce Wayne was drawn.. He doesn't look handsome, as he supposed to be, and looks rather frightened all the time. The storyline was a little predictable, and I won't spoil it for anybody, but it is good in the sense that it fully explains how Two-Face came to be Two-Face, or at least accord to Loeb... so that was cool. Some twists but not really anything that shocked me. For everybody saying this is a rip off of godfather, I didn't see it that way. Art imitates art, people. And anyway, theres only a few references to it in the beginning (wedding scene akin to godfather part 1 & 2), but it wasn't an exact copy! It was changed around significantly enough for me. Also, there is another scene where the character is making spaghetti and he is describing it similarly to how Clemenza describes making pasta to Michael when he comes over for dinner (Michael comes in the door and Kay calls him, he doesn't want to say "I love you " back to her, Clemenza makes fun of him and then proceeds to desribe how to make pasta. Even THAT is still not the exact lines...big deal. So don't listen to people who say its a rip off, making it sound like its the same thing or whatever... it's not. It's paying homage to the great movies I guess you could say. And anyway, you could say that about any mobster book or flick, because nothing exists in a vacuum. Anyway, it is a LITTLE overrated, but it's definetely neccessary to understand vital characters in the Batman mythos, and it is entertaining. The art is so-so, but its not bad. I kind of liked the style, but I would have changed some things about how Bats is drawn, as well as Catwoman, when she is not in costume. I prefer a more attractive Catwoman, but those are my tastes, you might like her the way she is. Just saying she looks rather ugly so if you're not into that, you won't like it either. Other than that, its good. Ending is good imo.

A true classic. A must read for any batman fan