BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Review by Robg.

If your familiar with Batman history and you look at Christopher Nolan’s film, BATMAN BEGINS, you should be able to spot several source references that screenwriter David Goyer drew upon to tell the origin story of Bruce Wayne and his journey to becoming the batman. Portions of the movie’s story come from Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics No. 27. Bruce Wayne’s fear of bats, falling down the cave and beginning his training can be traced back to the story “The Man Who Falls” from a Secret Origins trade paperback. While of course, Frank Miller’s legendary Batman: Year One introduced the characters of Jim Gordon before he was commissioner, his corrupt partner on the force Flass and mob boss Carmine Falcone. So, now with THE DARK KNIGHT fast approaching, one has to wonder what sources they’ll pull from for the sequel.

I’ve heard so much about Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s storyarc titled THE LONG HALLOWEEN, but never got the chance to read it until now. Carmine Falcone returns for this noir-type crime mystery, and I’m willing to bet the portion of this story involving Harvey Dent and his eventual transformation into villain Two-Face will most likely come from this book.

After Frank Miller wrapped up Year One, the Falcone character was never really used again. (At least to the best of my knowledge) So Loeb and Sale took this opportunity to resolve Falcone’s story, create Dent’s descent into a villain and perhaps fill in more of the missing blanks from Batman’s early years becoming the world’s greatest detective.

In THE LONG HALLOWEEN, Lieutenant Gordon, District Attorney Harvey Dent and the Batman make a vow to do whatever it takes to finally take down Falcone and his crime family, within reason to the law, of course. Both Dent and Gordon are so determined in their common goal that their work is consuming them, often leaving their personal lives in jeopardy and leaving little time for their families. Suddenly, a new villain calling himself “Holiday” is murdering members of Falcone’s family on each passing holiday. The trio try to put the pieces together to figure out who’s instigating what could become a mob war. Is it the recently incarcerated Calander Man? Or crime boss and Falcone rival Sal Maroni? Or is it Harvey Dent, so obsessed with bringing down Falcone that he’s now crossing the line of justice?

A complete psychopath like The Joker refuses to allow there to be 2 maniacs terrorizing Gotham. And slowly but surely, Falcone gets desperate and begins helping arrange the escape of several other of Gotham’s notorious villains such as Scarecrow and The Mad Hatter. Appearances by Catwoman, The Riddler and Solumn Grundy are here too.

The interesting thing is that the story is broken up into 13 chapters (or issues as it was released) and the time period covers the span of one full year – from one Halloween to the next, hence the long Halloween. I wouldn’t classify this as one of the best Batman stories ever told, but it really was both a fascinating and interesting read, and I devoured it in one sitting. The highpoint of the book is of course finally getting to know the character of Harvey Dent before he became Two-Face. He’s truly a determined character and it makes it all the more tragic the destiny we watch unfold here. (Look for his campaign poster slogan to show up in the new movie too - "I believe in Harvey Dent") Also, I like the “escalation” debate that’s hinted at in the closing scene of BATMAN BEGINS. Could these bizarre and outrageous new villains in fact be inspired by the batman’s presence?

If you’re a BATMAN fan and curious to see where a lot of the upcoming sequel might come from, then I strongly recommend picking up this book! –Robg.

Buy it on Amazon.com!