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.

Se volete leggere una storia mozzafiato che vede coinvolti un Batman ancora alle prime armi in qualità di detective, il senza macchia capitano della polizia Jim Gordon e l'indecifrabile procuratore distrettuale Harvey Dent, questa graphic novel fa proprio al caso vostro. Seguito praticamente perfetto di Anno Uno di Miller, in questa storia i tre protagonisti si trovano a dare la caccia ad un misterioso serial killer che sembra aver preso di mira le più importanti famiglie mafiose di Gotham City. La trama è magnifica e perfettamente articolata. Si menano le mani solo quando davvero necessario: il fumetto è senz'altro più "psicologico" che "fisico". Dialoghi eccezionali e un carnet di personaggi, tra cui i principali super-criminali della serie, davvero notevole e mai inseriti a caso o solo per apparire. Disegni meravigliosi, tra i più belli che abbia visto in una graphic novel di Batman: l'eroe è fisicamente possente, Gordon e soprattutto Dent sono spettacolari, per non parlare degli antagonisti, che presentano un tratto a dir poco grottesco e quasi spaventoso. I contenuti aggiuntivi non sono niente di che, ma poco importa; è una storia che gli appassionati devono assolutamente leggere, considerando anche i seguiti Dark Victory e Hush.

Le duo Loeb-Sale signe ici un véritable chef-d'œuvre. Ils nous emmènent dans une intrigue passionnante où Batman, Gordon et Dent sont confrontés à un tueur inconnu qui sème la terreur dans Gotham. Un véritable roman policier où l'on cherchera le fin mot de l'histoire jusqu'à la dernière page. L'enquête est très bien rédigée et fait apparaître plusieurs personnages de la saga qui sont là pour aider ou entraver le travail des détectives qui fonctionnent chacun à leur propre manière. On m'avait averti que The Long Halloween était un must-have mais je ne pensais pas que ce serait aussi bon. On sent que cet ouvrage a été source d'inspiration pour Christopher Nolan. Il s'agit indéniablement d'un des premier ouvrages de la collection Batman que les fans doivent se procurer.

It is a very good detective story … in my opinion, this is what Batman stories should be like. Focus on the crime and detective work, and less on long fighting sequences. Batman is, after all, a sleuth and considered to be the world’s greatest detective. It is always good to go back to the fundamentals. One is kept guessing right to the end as to the real identity of the serial killer, Holiday. Chapter 7 —midway through this 13-chapter story — toys with the reader by introducing multiple suspects such as Salvatore Maroni, Carla Viti, Catwoman, and Harvey Dent. And there is a huge twist at the end of the story (I certainly didn't expect it)! There is certainly plenty of character development and depth. We get to see how wedded Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent are to their jobs and responsibilities so much so that they neglect their own families. We also get to see how Harvey Dent unravels and ultimately transforms into Two Face. And there is “something” going on between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The fact that this story influenced Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” should be sufficient reason/enticement for one to pick up this book and read it. Even Matt Reeves’ more recent “The Batman” movie was influenced by “The Long Halloween”! The panels are not text heavy (unlike say, Alan Moore's "Watchmen"), so it is a pretty breezy and brisk read overall. However, just to nitpick, the opening sequence in Chapter 1 copies Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather”. It is cheesy to have Bruce Wayne declare, “I believe in Gotham City” in the style of Amerigo Bonasera. And Carmine Falcone is made out to be like Don Corleone in this sequence. The smelling of a rose, the wedding reception … all these lack originality. Thank goodness the artist, Tim Sale, did not draw in a cat sitting on Falcone’s lap! Well-known Batman villains are gradually introduced as the story progresses (e.g., Catwoman, Solomon Grundy, the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, and the Calendar Man). Most are decently linked to the story but Solomon Grundy and the Mad Hatter are completely superfluous in my view. Batman seeking insights on the killer from the Calendar Man is too similar to Clarice Starling seeking Hannibal Lechter's help in "Silence of the Lambs". Because of these, I contemplated subtracting half a star from the rating but then I decided against it. The art style is nice with clean, crisp lines. It certainly has a distinctive “look and feel” to it. It is stylish. It is the complete opposite of the “rough and ready” style such as that found in Frank Miller’s "Ronin". And then, there is the creative cover art for every chapter, with each related to a specific holiday occasion. I like it.

Sempre fui um grande fã do Batman e na busca pelos melhores títulos em Graphic Novels, encontrei este título (em promoção na época). Realmente merece todo o crédito que lhe é atribuído porque tem uma história envolvente, bem estruturada e personagens cheios de facetas. Trocadilho infame sem intenção. A qualidade do produto é muito boa, mas se quiser um item de colecionador, procure a versão Brasileira. Embora a impressão, papel etc. sejam de alta qualidade, esta versão em inglês não possui capa dura.

So peak, deffo worth it!!!!!