Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (graphic novel review).
I’ve been hearing about ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ a lot recently and how much of an influence it had on Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ films; he even did an introduction to this graphic novel containing all its thirteen issues. Quite where it fits into the ‘Batman’ mythology of whichever reality I was trying to work out as I read. I mean, Bruce Wayne is chairman of the Gotham City Bank, and Lester Dent is still one-faced. Carmine ‘The Roman’ Falcone is head of the local Mafia. Tim Sale’s art is rather stark with a limited colour selection, but it does work.
There is an odd flaw in this book. Although I get the use of significant days of the year to encase the story, using it to jump the plot doesn’t make sense. In December, Lester Denter points out that there is a connection between Bruce Wayne and Carmine Falcone, and yet it isn’t until Valentine’s Day, two months later, that they visit Wayne Manor, and then Alfred tells them Bruce Wayne isn’t at home. Speaking of which, Poison Ivy poisons Wayne, compelling him to succumb to her spell and obey her commands for a month. There is no sign of Alfred at Wayne Manor; if he were present, he would have surely realised that something was wrong, given that both Bruce Wayne and Carmine Falcone dine there.
Throughout all of this, Falcone’s family and gang are being systematically killed by an assassin called Holiday, who seems to have a regular supply of the same gun. Then there is the matter of Harvey Dent. When Harvey Dent has acid thrown in his face during a courtroom session and is hospitalised, he escapes and lives in the sewer, but for how long does he remain there? Writer Jeph Loeb seems to forget basic human norms like sleep, eating and defecation. I understand that some details are often overlooked in storytelling to maintain the plot’s pace, but the significant emphasis on the passage of time in this narrative highlights its superficial elements and presents an unrealistic timeline.
I can’t reveal too many spoilers, but the ending includes all the elements of ‘And Then There Were None,’ featuring distractions regarding the identity of the killer and a multitude of alternative suspects, suggesting that Loeb struggled to settle on one definitive culprit while presenting several candidates who must have had access to the modus operandi to imitate each other.
The title, ‘The Long Halloween’, has more to do with the length of time after the execution of Falcone’s son, but, really, it could have gotten done over a shorter period without any loss of that conception.
GF Willmetts
February 2026
(pub: DC Comics, 2011. 384 page graphic novel softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-4012-3259-7).
check out website: www.dc.com
