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 Absolutely perfect! Nov 05, 2009
***It would be a good idea to have read Batman: Year One before reading this graphic novel.***
Batman: The Long Halloween is a master piece of literary and artistic craftsmanship from Jeph Loeb (Batman: Dark Victory, Batman: Hush, Superman/Batman Vol. 1: Public Enemies) and Tim Sale (Batman: Haunted Knight, Catwoman: When in Rome (Batman), Superman for All Seasons) that served as the inspiration for the 2008 billion-dollar-grossing box office blockbuster The Dark Knight.
A conservative estimate places this story about a year after "Batman: Year One"; Batman is an established crime fighter feared by the mob, James Gordon is an honorable GCPD Captain, and Harvey Dent is the crusading district attorney. All three of these men want the same thing: to rid Gotham City of organized crime and its master crime lord Carmine "the Roman" Falcone, and the three decide to form a pact to bring down the "Roman Empire". Caught up in the madness of this seemingly impossible task are a host of what the cops and mob call "freaks" (costumed criminals) including: The Joker, Solomon Grundy, Poison Ivy, The Riddler, The Scarecrow, The Mad Hatter, and Catwoman (who between her double life as Selina Kyle, the on-again-off-again main squeeze of Bruce Wayne, and her nights playing catch-me-if-you-can with Batman, has set her own interests in the "Roman Empire" (for reasons not fully explained until "Catwoman: When in Rome")).
However, in the midst of the good guys versus the bad guys, a new player has arisen. Known only as Holiday (because he strikes on holidays), this serial killer is stalking all persons affiliated with the Roman Empire and Falcone's chief rival Salvatore "Boss" Maroni. The original story took place over 13 issues for 13 months from Halloween to Halloween, during which time both Falcone and Maroni have suffered incalculable losses and a blow is delivered to the three key players that may threaten to destroy them all as the newest as most conflicted of freaks arises to join Batman's Rogues Gallery.
This is a phenomenal story that was originally adapted from "Batman Annual #14: Eye of the Beholder" which cataloged the downfall of Harvey Dent into the villainous Two-Face; TLH simply elaborates upon this same concept in a way that is far more satisfying. The fun of this story is trying to figure out the main mystery: Who is Holiday? There are a row of suspects put forward throughout the story, among whom include: Catwoman, Harvey Dent, even Falcone and Maroni themselves! While the mystery is revealed at the end, there still remains the question as to whether or not they were the only only one acting as Holiday (for more on this go to: <[...]>). Do not miss this masterpiece or its companions "Haunted Knight" and "Dark Victory".
 Wish I could rate at 3.5 stars. Sep 22, 2009
Batman: The Long Halloween is sort of a sequel to Batman: Year One by Frank Miller. It takes place not too long after that story ended. This graphic novel focuses more on Batman's battle with the mob than it does with other super-villains (though pretty much every super villain is in it... But more on that later). There is a killer dubbed the Holiday Killer who kills someone related to the mob boss every holiday. Not only does the Holiday Killer attract a team of Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent, but also gets a big attention from the mob.
This story is definitely a page-turner and a very good Batman tale. The biggest problem I have with is is fairly congruent with most 2-3 star reviews. There is a point where there is just about every super villain (including The Penguin, who has no other place in the story) vs. Batman. Batman then takes them all out in less than 3 pages. Mr. Loeb could have subtracted 3 or 4 of these villains and maybe it would have made more sense. The other problem I have with this story is the ending. There are about 3 twists in the last 10 pages that are unnecessary.
For every con with this book there are many more pros. As stated earlier, the book maintains a very good level of suspense. Another huge pro in this book is Catwoman. Her portrayal here is one of the best I've read. Another excellent thig about this book is the relationship between Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent. All in all I would rate this book at 3.5 stars. Some things could have been worked better in my opinion, but the majority of the book works well on many levels. Do yourself a favor and buy it on Amazon as the $13.59 price is going to be much less expensive than anywhere else.
A true masterpiece Sep 19, 2009
Loved The Long Halloween, wonderful story line, art is simply amazing. A sure buy, worth every penny.
Great Aug 03, 2009
I don't have an expert opinion, but I think if you're just getting into graphic novels (particularly Batman), and liked Christopher Nolan's movie, The Dark Knight, you owe it to yourself to get this and The Killing Joke to find out where the great sanity vs. insanity, crime vs. heroism, Harvey Dent vs. Harvey Dent storylines came from. It's a murder mystery that you want to read again as soon as you finish reading it the first time.
One of the best Graphic Novels of All Time... Jul 31, 2009
This is one of the inspirations for the film "The Dark Knight" and this product is even better than the film. It's so rich and emotional. You really feel for the characters at the end. Bravo to Jeph Loeb for some fine writing!
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