Jeph Loeb
Batman: The Long Halloween (1999)
Authors: Jeph Loeb (Writer) & Tim Sale (Artist)
Genre: Graphic Novel (Superhero/Mystery)
Plot Summary:
Someone is killing mobsters in Gotham City on major holidays. It's up to Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent to discover the identity of the murderer, dubbed "Holiday", and put an end to the stranglehold placed on the city by mafia boss, Carmine Falcone. This is, of course, not an easy task, as there are so many suspects in a city as corrupt as Gotham. The story focuses on Batman's attempts to capture Holiday and defeat Falcone, but devotes equal attention to the circumstances that lead up to Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face. The story features many of Gotham's most famous characters and villians, and would be an excellent suggestion for anyone interested in testing the waters of the Batman series. SPOILER: Some readers might be surprised to learn that Batman is Bruce Wayne, but the secret identity most central to the story is Holiday's. At the end of the story it is revealed that two people were responsible for the Holiday killings, Alberto Falcone, son of Carmine Falcone, and Gilda Dent, the wife of Harvey Dent. The only character in the story to guess Holiday's true identity was Julian Day, The Calendar Man, who always referred to Holiday as both "he" and "she" when discussing the case with Batman.
Geographical Setting: Gotham City
Time Period: Not qute Batman: Year One, but early in the Caped Crusader's career.
Series: Batman
Appeal Characteristics:
The tone of the story is influenced by both the writing and the artwork. Loeb and Sale are able to evoke the noir style as few other creative teams have managed to do. The artwork is certainly highly stylized, but also highly detailed and more realistic than cartoonish. Sale's drawings are a perfect fit for Batman and Gotham City. Sale does a great job of providing readers with visuals that simultaneously evoke the setting of Gotham City and every noir movie they have ever watched through a heavy use of shadow and contrast. Like so many great noir films, the storyline revolves around mobsters and a mysterious killer. It also features an uncompromising hero who is a bit dark himself. The Long Halloween is, at its core, a great mystery/detective story that will keep readers guessing and reading. The story has a compelling pace because readers are given just enough hints about the identity of the killer that everyone becomes a suspect, but never quite enough to figure out who Holiday really is until the end. Loeb's ability to write believable and engaging dialogue makes the narrative enjoyable, and it comes complete with quips and exchanges one would expect to find in any Bogart film. The artwork accounts for most of the action of the narrative, and the text strikes a good mix between dialogue and Batman's internal monologue. The majority of The Long Halloween is focused on Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent. The motivations of these three characters are central to the story, and a fairly equal amount of attention is given to each. Almost all of the famous Bat-villians make appearances, but none of them play an especially large part in the story. Because it's a murder mystery, the cast of secondary characters is quire large, and most of them are fairly well-developed.
Read-alikes: Batman: Dark Victory, a sort of follow-up to The Long Halloween, is a perfect recommendation for readers who enjoyed Loeb's writing style, Sale's artwork, and a distinctly noir take on the Batman universe. In this story, a new serial killer, dubbed Hangman, is killing members of the police department, and it's up to Batman and Jim Gordon to stop him. Dark Victory takes place in a Gotham City that is largely free of organized crime, ala the events of The Long Halloween, but is instead facing a larger threat from the famous villians of the Batman series. Dark Victory is a perfect match to The Long Halloween in terms of writing style, art, tone, and pace. Oldboy is a manga series by Tsuchiya Garon and Minegishi Nobuaki that was adapted into a movie by Korean director Chan-wook Park. The main character of the manga is a man named Goto who is kidnapped and kept locked in a room for 10 years. After being released, he searches for clues to discover the identity of the man who ordered his capture. When he finally meets his adversary, Goto discovers that his search for answers has only just begun. Oldboy is an eight-part mystery series, and its compelling pace, well-developed characters, and fantastic artwork will make it as hard to put down as The Long Halloween. If for some reason you haven't read Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, it's ok to stop reading this review now and go find a copy. Watchmen is one of the most famous graphic novels of all time, and certainly deserving of its status. The story is far too complex to summarize in a few sentences, but the main story takes place in a world where superheroes have been outlawed, not unlike The Dark Knight Returns. A group of former superheroes reunites to try to figure out who or what is responsible for the deaths of a number of their former comrades but discover that much more is at stake. The narrative is incredibly dense and covers a number of issues. Fans of The Long Halloween will enjoy Watchmen because of it's dark tone, excellent writing, and well-developed cast of characters. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazucchelli is another bat-tale that is sure to please fans of The Long Halloween. As the title suggests, Batman: Year One re-tells the origin story of Batman. Reviewers have praised the book for a number of reasons including: Miller's ability to write tight and exciting dialogue, Mazucchelli's detailed and gritty artwork, and the overall dark/noir tone. A final title for fans of The Long Halloween to consider is Blacksad: Volume One by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido. Blacksad was originally published in French in three volumes, and volumes one and two have been translated into English, with a third on the way. The story follows private detective, John Blacksad, as he attempts to
uncover the identity of his former girlfriend's killer. In the course of his investigation, Blacksad discovers that the case is much more complicated than he had first suspected and involves some of the city's most powerful individuals. Blacksad would be a good follow-up to The Long Halloween because they are both mysteries that feature well-developed characters, a noir tone and setting, and a compelling pace.
Red Flags: Violence
|top|
|
