Tricks and treats are everywhere in the latest chapter of THE LONG HALLOWEEN: THE LAST HALLOWEEN. Grundy is sleeping with the fishes, Mad Hatter is interrogated (while also nodding to a past Halloween story), gunmen dress as The Scarecrow and The Penguin is on the run.
That’s just a few pieces of the puzzle writer Jeph Loeb has provided in this issue. It is up to us readers to start assembling, but there clearly isn’t enough yet to solve. Loeb does what he’s so good at here: giving us enough to satisfy our appetite but leaving us wanting more. He builds on the initial mystery, deepening it but not providing too much. He also has such a great voice for Batman that the entire issue reads so smoothly. I appreciate the different settings we were taken too, as well as some interactions between Batman and others.
A main talking point of this series is the rotating door of artists. This month we get legend Klaus Janson, who doesn’t try to emulate the late Tim Sale’s style but honors it. Obviously, his work looks different. But the subtleties are there, as well as the noir-drenched atmosphere that this corner of the Batman universe is known for. I really dug it.
Overall, another quality chapter that gives us more questions than answers, which is what a second issue should do. I never felt shortchanged or lost, but rather intrigued and satisfied. – Ryan Lower