After a month off, we are back in the thick of it in the latest chapter of THE LONG HALLOWEEN saga. The Joker is loaded with weapons and takes it upon himself to recommit villains to Arkham, Batman gives Robin training lessons, the Gordons have a family problem, and Two-Face reunites with someone he doesn’t recognize.
Jeph Loeb has been firing on all cylinders with THE LAST HALLOWEEN and doesn’t let up here. However, perhaps the least interesting plotline in this issue is dealing with Batman. I don’t say that as a negative, but more as a surprise. I found myself feeling for the Gordons and fully entertained by The Joker. Batman was necessary and helped us focus on an interesting seed planted by Loeb relating directly to Catwoman. The writer shines a little light on the motive behind this Holiday but doesn’t fully explain it either. There’s more to the story, figuratively and literally.
The artist carousel continues this month, with the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz taking over the issue. For the first time, it didn’t work for me either. Previous artists were able to do their own thing but made it work in a noirish vibe honoring Tim Sale. Sienkiewicz has a very unique style (which personally isn’t for me) that I don’t think lends itself well to noir. And when you think of THE LONG HALLOWEEN, you think of noir. The opening fight between Batman and Joker took me a while to really settle into, whereas in the previous issues, I jumped right in on page one. Scenes within the Gordon household worked better for me but didn’t save the book overall.
This was another quality chapter, with the art standing out as more of a distraction than a celebration. I admit it may be personal preference, but was harder to sell as taking place in this world. Everything else, however, is just lovely. – Ryan Lower
GRADE: B+
