Batman: The Long Halloween

A very superior read, this one. It definitely showcases the writing/artistic talents of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, both of whom have created in The Long Halloween an excellent example of the crime noir genre.

Plot Summary:
Set after the events of Batman: Year One, the Long Halloween series is centered around the activities of a mysterious serial killer known only as Holiday, so called due to his habit of killing on important days of the calendar. We follow Batman, Harvey Dent and Commissioner Jim Gordon as they try to unravel Holiday's identity, using another famous villain known as the Calendar Man for help, whilst at the same time bringing to justice the Mob families of Gotham, who too have an interest in Holiday...

Dramatis Personnae:
Batman/Bruce Wayne
District Attourney Harvey Dent
Police Commissioner Jim Gordon
Carmine "The Roman" Falcone
Julian Day (a.k.a The Calendar Man, imprisoned within Arkham)

Verdict:
A very excellent series of comics, if you ask me. The two things that impressed me most were the construction of both the characters of Harvey Dent and Julian Day. Harvey is, of course, better known as the villain Two-Face, but here we see his life and motivations before that fateful court case which scarred him. He comes across very two-sided (of course he does), on the one hand seeming to care greatly about justice in Gotham, and willing to risk his life to make sure it happens, and on the other he is a ruthless hunter of the mob, often displaying a mild approval of Holiday's activities.
Julian Day was the biggest surprise of the series, I felt. The Calendar Man had previously been a "joke" villain, and as such was never taken seriously due to his second-tier standing in the rogue's gallery.  This series completely re-invents him to great effect; far from being a pushover or minor consideration, he is now a main mover in the plot of The Long Halloween, with a new Hannibal Lecter-esque personality. His motivations are made clear from the beginning; he is annoyed at the Holiday killer for apparently stealing his personal modus operandi, and has indeed figured out the identity of the Holiday Killer, but wants to use this as leverage to escape Arkham. I loved this new imagining of Day, as I felt for the first time in a long while that he was a major villain and not a side-piece to amuse the kids.

As to Holiday's identity, well, that would be telling - but it was a wonderful twist at the end, and a credit to the ingenious nature of Loeb that he managed to create such a fantastic ending.

Thus I heartily endorse Batman: The Long Halloween. Give it a go; it's about £12-£14 in bookshops for the entire collection, and is well worth a look for both Batman fans and casual readers alike.

Rating: 9.2/10