SYNOPSIS: In 1996, writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale teamed up for Batman: The Long Halloween, an award-winning 13-chapter saga that spawned multiple sequels and stands as the most influential Batman story of its era. Now, Loeb returns to the world of The Long Halloween for its long-anticipated final act: Batman: The Last Halloween, an all-new 10-part mystery continuing the story from 2021’s The Long Halloween Special. In each issue, Loeb will be joined by one of the top artists in comics, in a beautiful and lovingly crafted tribute to Sale’s art and legacy.In issue one, Gotham City learns to fear Halloween once more as a terrible event threatens to destroy Jim Gordon’s life and puts Batman and Robin’s teamwork to the test more than ever before. In a city of liars, masked vigilantes, and criminals…can anyone be trusted?
For Batman fans, Christmas Halloween came early this year.
We are getting a continuation (and finale) of THE LONG HALLOWEEN universe, with THE LAST HALLOWEEN. Written by Jeph Loeb, with a rotating list of artists (10, a different one each issue) since Tim Sale sadly passed away in 2022. The announcement of this series over the summer was met with excitement (understandable), and hesitation (also understandable).
I leaned more toward optimism, due to Loeb and what he’s said about the project. He and his partner did a special in 2021 (which I reviewed, emphatically, for BOF HERE), that we now know served as a prologue to this new series. What we didn’t know was that Loeb and Sale had talked and worked out the story before the artist passed away. After packing it away for a while, Loeb has dusted it off, rallied a host of talent, and is serving us a big tale in honor of his late friend and collaborator.
What he introduces us to in this opening chapter is mood, atmosphere, mystery, and intrigue. In other words, THE LONG HALLOWEEN. If writing Batman is like riding a bike, then Loeb is the champion of the Tour de France. He simply doesn’t skip a beat revisiting the head in the cowl, delivering is a formula we’ve grown accustomed to, but doesn’t feel formulaic. The internal dialogue is a great continuation, and reunion, with The Dark Knight. Batman is methodical, questioning, and human.
Aside from Batman, we check in with a host of other characters and see how they have evolved since the last time we saw them. Gordon’s family life is rocky, Catwoman is still unpredictable, the Falcone family is still around, the Dents are two-of-a-kind, and there may be a new version of Holiday. This opening chapter is a full-course meal with a lot of delicious sides.
Loeb has stated this book will be full of artists who were inspired by Tim Sale and will bring their own skills to the book, rather than try to emulate the late artist. First up is Eduardo Risso, who does a nice job of delivering the noir atmosphere that’s ingrained in this timeline. Risso has excelled in the past where noir is an element (think of his comic stories with Brian Azzarello), and it’s apparent here. I love the shadows, the silhouettes, and the characters. I imagine there was a mountain of pressure to be the first out of the gate on this book, and I’m relieved to say he did a stellar job.
Overall, I’m stoked to be revisiting my favorite world of The Dark Knight, written by a favorite Batman author of mine. There’s so much depth and love shown in this opening chapter and plenty of seeds planted that will undoubtedly flourish in the next 9 issues. Read it. – Ryan Lower
