Batman: The Long Halloween
Written by Jeph Loeb, artwork by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Richard Starkings

"Trust. Temptation. Murder. Secrets. And The Batman."

Someone finally did a Batman movie right. Well, not completely right, since it's not a movie, but Batman: The Long Halloween is certainly the prime example of how a storyline should treat Batman... by putting him in his natural element: a mystery. He is, after all, the Dark Knight Detective (although the movies tend to paint a different picture). In The Long Halloween, writer Jeph Loeb and illustrator Tim Sale place Batman firmly in a film-noir suspense tale, a story where the emphasis is on a murder mystery that is ripping Gotham City apart while everyone scrambles to figure out the identity of the culprit and just who might be next?

The story takes place not long after the Batman: Year One, the Frank Miller miniseries that detailed the character's modern origin. Gotham City is controlled by rival Mafia families, but a new breed of criminals, the dangerous "Freaks," are on the rise. Bruce Wayne hasn't been the Batman for long, James Gordon isn't Commissioner yet, and District Attorney Harvey Dent has only one face. Johnny Viti, the nephew of Carmine "The Roman" Falcone (the untouchable crime lord of Gotham), is found murdered on Halloween, in what appears to be the beginning of a war between crime families. But it's also the inception of a killing spree committed by a murderer, known as "Holiday", who kills on separate holidays each and every month. Soon, loyalties and trust are tested, everyone suspects everyone else -- Dent suspects Bruce Wayne; Batman wonders if he can trust Catwoman; Jim Gordon suspects Harvey Dent; The Falcone family, when not doubting its own ranks, suspects the Maroni family, and on and on. In the mist of all this mayhem, a legion of Freaks, including the Joker, Poison Ivy, and the Riddler, is on the rise.

Writer Jeph Loeb has crafted a story that is unique to the characters. It's a complex murder mystery, but its also a Batman story. It couldn't have been done with another character or setting -- it belongs solely to the Caped Crusader. The narration is provided by the Batman, but its not told from his point of view; the story also focuses on the lives and relationships of other characters. As complex as the ongoing plot may be, it's not at all confusing. Rather, it's presented in a neat package, all elements fitting together as puzzle pieces. An interesting thing here is Loeb's introduction of Gotham City's contingent of freaks. Batman probably has the coolest rogue's gallery in comics, and the villains are used in the story in a very credible way, something the film versions don't seem to have down just yet. A nice example of this occurs is Chapter 7, when the Falcone family hires, of course, the Riddler, to uncover the identity of Holiday. Gangsters and Freaks are very well mixed in this Gotham City, which is quite a feat indeed. A special mention goes to Loeb's vision of Catwoman, a unique take that brings her to levels heretofore reached only by producer Paul Dini (of Batman: The Animated Series fame).

The narration by Batman/Bruce Wayne here is very nicely used, serving both as a device for plot exposition and as a reminder of who's who (necessary at the time of the original publication of the monthly series), but it's also a personal view into the mind of Batman, which is similar to the technique Loeb uses in Superman For All Seasons and his recent Superman monthly work. We're not often treated to the emotional side of Batman, other than the personal tragedy that took his parents away, but this story reveals his feelings about his city and the people that surround him.

Tim Sale illustrates this tale marvelously. His pages, character designs, settings, and backgrounds all have one thing that makes him one of the best artists today: character. There's nothing bland in this story. Sale does big panels, but not as an attempt to sneak in pin-up shots. His backgrounds set the mood beautifully. He puts his own twists on Batman's villains, already very colorful characters, and makes them look wonderfully weird. His Joker looks as mad as March hare. Poison Ivy comes off as a sultry enchantress, her hair formed with thousands of tiny leaves and weeds. The "normal" men and women of Gotham all look fine here as well, varying shapes, sizes, facial types behind 40's fashions. His dark version of Gotham looks like no other city in comics. It, too, has character. Gregory Wright gives just the right color touches to Sale's art. His hues, muted, dull, and dark, help to give us the feel of Gotham City. He makes his colors work with Sale's rendering, using a lot of pure, solid blacks.

We won't get a new Batman movie for a while yet, and when you think about it (or more especially about the rubber costumes with nipples and that absence of a good plot), that's probably for the best. But a trip to your local comic shop can get you the next best (or actually better) thing: Batman: The Long Halloween. Buoyed by a film noir-ish plot that features a gothic twist on the gangster/murder mystery plot, terrific character-based subplots, and beautiful, cinematic art, it's an addition to your collection that you won't regret. Pick it up, and see the possibilities of what Batman could be on the big screen.

-- Yannick Belzil

Batman: The Long Halloween, originally published as a 13-issue miniseries by DC Comics, is currently available in trade paperback.

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