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.

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS : SONG OF THE SIRENS ISSUES 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

All the covers are by Guillem March

Rating 3.3 out of 5

A decent set of stories about second stringers...but nothing earthshaking to make you go "wow".
The TPB has mostly Poison Ivy getting a job at S.T.A.R. Labs but does have a encounter between Selina/Catwoman and her sister. This encounter is after the Blackest Night storyline where her sister starts hating her. The Riddler makes some cameos appearances. These stories take place after the bomb exploded in Riddler's face in the storyline Life After Death storyline in Batman.  The TPB is NOT a all inclusive storyline, the last issue, #14 is only part one of a storyline and... has "to be continued" at the end.

I think my biggest problem with this series is that there is not enough sex appeal. It's too tame. There's not enough psychotic Charlies Angels storyline. They're too cutesy. I don't think Selina has made one single growl or purr in this series. The individual titles of Catwoman and Harley Quinn were more edgy.  

I don't think I gave any spoilers to the issues in my individual reviews below, just a basic synopsis.

REVIEW Issue 8
Plot &Art: Guillem March, Dialogue: Marc Andreyko, Colors Tomeu Morey, Letters: Travis Lanham, Asst Editor: Janelle siegel, Editor: Mike Marts.

Rating 3.5 out of 5

Posion Ivy is accused of murders that she didn't commit and the story starts out with Ivy left for dead in a pit, and she is having flash backs of her past. It was a decent murder mystery with the other two trying to find her. It was nice stand alone issue diving into Poison Ivy's psychee.

REVIEW Issue 9 and 10
Titles: "Pieces of the Puzzle" and "Taking Sides"

Writer: Paul Dini Artist:Guillem March, Guest Penciller: Andres Guinaldo, Guest Inker: Raul fernandez Colors Tomeu Morey & Ian Hannin, Letters: Steve Wands, Asst Editor: Janelle siegel, Editor: Mike Marts.

RATING 3 out of 5

The three sirens illicit the Riddler's help in solving a murder mystery involving a body that was dropped through their skyline.

It was kinda meh storyline...but gives a reason for Riddler to resent the sirens in future stories. This takes place after he got hit in the face with a bomb blast and started remembering who he was.... and wearing his mask again.

 

REVIEW Issue 11
Title: "On the Job"
Writer: Paul Dini, Penciller: Andres Guinaldo, Inkers: Raul Fernandez Colors: Ian Hannin, Letters: Steve Wands, Asst Editor: Janelle Siegel, Editor: Mike Marts.

RATING 3.5 out of 5
 
This issue was fun but not action packed. The mystery of the missing pets was priceless. There is the added mystery of why Poison Ivy is getting a job at a S.T.A.R. Labs facility located in Gotham. The downside of the issue is that the Poison Ivy's Storyline is to be continued into issue #12, so this isn't stand alone issue. I loved the art and the coloring of the issue... and the re-pore between the girls. I was looking forward to the next issue.

REVIEW  12, 13, 14
Titles:   "Sister Zero" part 1 and 2, "Strange Fruit" part one

Writer: Tony Bedard, Pencillers: Peter Nguyen and Andres Guinaldo, Inker: Jack Purcell, Raul Fernandez and Lorenzo Ruggiero, Colors:  Tony Avina, JD smith and Tomeu Morey, Letters: Steve Wands, Asst Editor: Janelle Siegel, Editor: Mike Marts.

RATING 3.2 out of 5
 
WHAM...a different creative team takes over the series and the ongoing story.  I didn't care for the art in these as well as I did in issue 11. I think it's the coloring.  For all the action involved it kinda seemed like bland set of story lines, again I think it's maybe the art, but I was just turning pages to get to the end of the story.
The storyline involving Catwoman's sister is handled in issues 12-13 with Poison Ivy's storyline at STAR labs being touched on and continued into issue 14.

The Poison Ivy story continues into the next TPB with issue 15.