ALLYSON'S ATTIC


/\ /\ /\ /\ Splash Page from Green Lantern #55 Pencils Doug Mahnke /\ /\ /\

Thursday, September 29, 2011

BATMAN : THE LONG HALLOWEEN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Mini TPB Review




Rating 4.9 out of 5

Originally published in 1997 this mini still has kick and eye appeal.
It's a staple of Batman fandom.  If you start a question asking "What Batman/Bruce Wayne story's should I read?"...this one indubitably comes up.  There are, of course,  nay sayer's of this story but we'll get into that in the spoilers.

Jeph Loeb created a wonderful work of mystery in this mini and Tim Sale...sold it. Tim Sale really knows how to tell a story with his craft.  Also, let's not forget Gregory Wright who did the colors, the coloring brought out the drama of the story.    With the holiday's coming up this is a good time for DC to reprint the Trade Paperback.  The leaves falling outside my window and the moody weather helps with the tone of the story.

The Long Halloween is about a killer nicknamed Holiday because he kill's on holiday's starting with Halloween.  In the background of the story you have Captain Gordan and District Attorney Harvey Dent trying to fit their family's into their life of fighting crime.  The story has tons of wonderful cameos from the villain elites of Gotham city as it travels from one holiday to the next. I've got to admit the twist and turns at the end of the story did throw me.

Cameo's include:

Calender Man
Joker
Catwoman
Scarecrow
Mad Hatter
Poison Ivy
Riddler
Solomon Grundy
Two Face
The Falcone mobster family

It really is a great read just for the amount of story you get with all these characters.




SOME SPOILERS:

My biggest peeve and the main reason I can't give it a 5 out 5, is that it takes Bruce 13 months to solve the crime.  I mean....come on... this is Batman...it shouldn't have took him but a couple of days... max. I also have a problem with Riddler being portrayed as a deuce. All the other villians came out looking really villianey but Riddler lack any evil sparkle.

Otherwise it's a awesome story.

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