Batman: The Long Halloween

Awesome book I see why thus book is a classic. Everything about the book is great the story, the artwork and characters are done incredibly.Gotham City has always been at war. Organised Crime lord Carmine "the Roman" Falcone runs the city. Until a murder of his nephew on Halloween. Subsequently every holiday after another murder is committed on one if his men. A year long chase that will include the costumed rouge gallery. Batman will need every ally he can get but who can he trust.The can't say anyway this book could have been improved. The organised crime was done perfectly, the costumed criminals are spot on and so 8s Batman. Reading this I definitely see how this inspired Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. It is a classic for many reasons.

This is great. I've loved superheros all my life, both in the silver age and now in the modern age. I like Batman, more when he isn't being camp and colourful, and this story is what made the Nolan films so great. Nolan was working from a cheat sheet the whole time.The story looks at Commissioner Gordon's first proper case with Batman that isn't solved in a night. The Joker is behind bars and criminals like Scarecrow and the Mad Hatter are dealt with too. This is about the mob. It dwells on Gordon as much as a Batman and even more on Harvey Dent. Three men all trying to fix Gotham and taking very different approaches. It is entirely around this conflict that everything can be seen. Each character is well fleshed out, their lives are shown at home, on the streets, at work, with their love interests. You don't want for any details except those surrounding the new and interesting killer that strikes every holiday. These of course come as the story unfolds and well I didn't see it coming (which is more than I can say for the new Sherlock series which I figure out twenty minutes into each episode so this has a good plot).I would very much get this, it is exceptional and my family wishes I would stop banging on about it

Excellent graphic novel.

It's been a long time since I read comics and I got back into reading Batman with the New 52 issues. After looking at suggestions for "must have" batman grownup novels I found that "The Long Halloween" was mentioned in everyone's Top 10's on podcasts and YouTube / websites.I wasn't disappointed, in fact this story is amazing. It's a true detective story. A killer is on the loose murdering on holidays (Halloween, Valentine's, New Year etc). Batman has to use all of his detective skills to find out who is responsible. Brilliant story with a twist and a great ending that will keep you entertained.I love that the story involves the original crime bosses of Gotham including the Falcone family. The artwork is much more simple than the New 52 but not as basic as The Frank Miller books and I found it to be visually stunning and perfect for the story.Definitely one of my Top 10 Batman reads now and I will definitely revisit it the same as I would a great Batman movie. Just grab a copy of this one and you won't be disappointed.

If you are looking for a more definitive Batman story you will be looking hard. Strong characterizations throughout. There are no weak characters in this story.Let's cover the story, briefly. Somebody in Gotham is picking off members of the Falcone and Maroni crime families, the caveat. Each murder occurs on the same day as a holiday, beginning on Halloween 🎃 and lasting a full calendar year.Batman, Jim Gordon and Gotham's highly driven DA Harvey Dent make a pact to end the reign of the so called "Holiday" killer.What makes this such an enthralling read is the pace of the story and the depth the characters is perfectly balanced.Firstly, Bruce Wayne/Batman and his (their) relationship with Semina Kyle/Catwoman. The dynamic between the four personas is what we've come to expect. The difference is the juxtaposition between Wayne/Kyle, who at times display unexpected vulnerabilities compared to Batman/Catwoman who are always in control. It's a quite striking thread that runs throughout the story.Harvey Dent's transformation from white knight DA to the conflicted Two-Face is excellently brought to life.Jim Gordon is a continuation of who we meet in Year One.The cameo appearances from Batman's rouge gallery is brilliant as each of their personalities are expressed perfectly.I would have given 5 stars were it not for two aspects.1. The portrayal of the Sullivan gang (who are of Irish extraction) is such an American stereotype of what an Irish person acts and sounds like. As an Irish person I was a little put off by it.2. The ending was a little loose. Not sure what the reason was for it. If it had ended a few pages sooner it would have been perfect.

Being relatively new to comics in general, I wasn't all too sure what to expect when I picked up The Long Halloween. Well, now I can safely say that out of the three batman comics I've read this one is by far the best. The story is gripping and dark with a surprising amount of nods towards The Godfather (compare the opening scene of this comic to the movie-you'll be pleasantly surprised). I would say that it is far more a crime drama than it is a superhero story, which isn't a bad thing. In fact it allows for some very gritty scenes that you wouldn't find in your average hero comic.The art is wonderful. The heavy use of shadow and the limited colour pallet emphasise how dark and foreboding Gotham is. The bat himself is bulky and imposing, the design of his cape almost coming off as unnatural. I liked this; it gave him a very moody and grim quality-you can definitely see why criminals find him so frightening. Other characters were drawn with a certain noir style that makes them very memorable, particularly the Joker.Overall it was a very impressive and well-drawn read. Worth every penny.