Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman: The Long Halloween is an outstanding book that completely exceeded expectations. The story is dark, suspenseful, and brilliantly written, keeping readers hooked from beginning to end. The mystery unfolds in a smart and engaging way, offering a deeper look into Batman’s character while introducing memorable moments and strong storytelling. The artwork is detailed and atmospheric, perfectly matching the tone of the narrative and making the reading experience even more immersive. Most importantly, my daughter absolutely loved it. It was truly the best gift I could have given her. She was excited from the first pages and couldn’t stop talking about the story and characters. Seeing how much she enjoyed reading it made the gift even more special. This book is a fantastic choice for young readers and longtime Batman fans alike, and it makes a meaningful, memorable gift that really leaves an impact.

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.

My favorite Batman comic and a amazing detective story

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.

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!

I bought two Batman trade-paperbacks recently: Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween. I read Year One first and it was pretty good but it felt like a lot of setup for a much larger story. Fortunately that story is... The Long Halloween. And boy does it deliver! This trade paperback is the very definition of 'densely plotted': a serial killer is on the loose in Gotham. He (or she?) only kills on holidays and usually targets the associates of Gotham's two ruling crime families. This being Gotham, the rogue's gallery is vast. Is Holiday the homicidal Joker? The mysterious Catwoman, who always seems to be in the right place at the right time? Calendar Man, who despite being currently institutionalized has a known propensity for date-based killings? Is it all a mafia feud? Or could it be that Gotham's white knight, prosecutor Harvey Dent, has finally flipped and gone to the dark side? The plot, as I've said, is complicated and you'll want to pay attention to every detail. Even having finished it I feel compelled to go back through it and put together some of the stuff I missed the first time. I really liked the art. Graphic novel art (for me) tends to fall into two categories: completely confusing and easily skimmable. Skimmable is better but of course then you tend not to notice the art at all. The Long Halloween straddles the line. Each panel makes you work a little bit but it almost never leaves you completely confused. So I was actually paying attention to the art and getting something out of it. And it's art worth paying attention to. Combine Year One and The Long Halloween and you've got a one-two punch that makes up one of the best story arcs of the modern Dark Knight era.

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.

Just finished reading this. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read! This review is from the point of view of someone who has just very recently gotten into reading the comics/graphic novels. This story is very well written and well-paced. It is the story of Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Dent, and their year-long mission to stop Gotham's crime lords. The story revolves around the mob, but also involves many of Arkham Asylum's villains (which we all know and love) including Joker, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, the Riddler, and a couple more. So if you're looking for a story involving all the crazy villains, this one gives a nice array of them, plus Catwoman! There are quite a few twists in the overall plot, a few of which I never would have seen coming, and some which are simply part of the lore. If you enjoyed Nolan's The Dark Night, you will enjoy this. The art is very good too! It makes very good use of color and shadow; even in an integral part of the foreshadowing. The art is good enough I am willing to read it a second time, just to see the details I may have missed. Apparently, the direct sequel is "Dark Victory". I bought that along with this and now I'm glad I did because I really want to start reading it now! I'd say, if you're new like I was and you started off with Year One, The Long Halloween is the perfect next step.

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.

Una excelente edición justo lo que quería

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.

A must read for any Batman fan