Book Review: Batman - The Long Halloween

The Long Halloween is a infamous story in the Batman mythos I've only heard of up until this point. Despite never reading it before, the legacy of it's story has been constantly touted when discussing the very best aspects of the caped crusader. It's been noted as one of the biggest inspirations behind Christopher Nolan's more realistic interpretation of Batman. After hearing all of the praise behind it, I was happy enough to get an opportunity just recently to read the full collection of The Long Halloween and after reading it I can only concur on the general consensus about this story.

The story of The Long Halloween follows Batman, Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordan and District Attorney Harvey Dent as they seek to put away the Falcone crime family and end their strangle hold on Gotham City for good. Before they can do so however, a new serial killer calling himself the Holiday Killer begins targeting the Maroni and Falcone crime family on public holidays. As the story progresses we see how the heroic trio is constantly challenged by the Holiday Killer's rising body count and the added impact of Gotham's already existing rogues trying to outshine the killer in their own ways. The narrative reflects on the perception of justice through all these murders and the way the trio grapples the never ending struggle to end them in the wake of the mobs ever rising desperation.

As far as narratives go this is a wonderfully structured story with an almost perfect mystery layered across all of it's pages. It's rare you find a Batman story where the great detective isn't able to figure things out in an immediate sense. The change of pace is much appreciated here and I find it doesn't sacrifice Batman's capabilities in light of it. The relationship between Batman, Gordan and Dent is a central heart of the narrative and their struggle to catch the Holiday killer who is taking a more direct approach to handing out justice. The trio's dynamic is one of my favourite aspects of the story because you really feel these guys care for one another and they each reflect a distinct variation of justice in trying to bring the mob and the Holiday killer down. The way the story lays out these murders is very smartly tied to the holiday each volume in the story is based around. It never feels like the story is compromised by these themes either, it's used to compliment it in a really smart fashion. I find the way all these characters are set up and utilised in light of the ongoing narrative just utterly fantastic. Each character feels defined fully within the dark roots of Gotham City and the way they factor into the the wider world of this story is truly impressive, nothing and no one feels wasted here!

I love the illustration style of this comic story too. It's use of dark colouring and sharp, distinct angles helps the gritty fashion of the story come right out of the pages. Each character all feels easily identifiable and there's a lot of unique design choices based on their presence in the story. The use of colouring is easily my favourite aspect of the story though, because it uses it in a way to help further convey the tone and emotions each scene is meant to represent. There's such a clever design philosophy behind this comic's visuals and it helps it stand out quite easily from other Batman stories.

The Long Halloween is worth every bit of praise it get's given. I've heard nothing but good things about this story up to this point and finally setting aside the time to read I truly see what everyone is saying. The Long Halloween feels like a quintessential part of the Batman brand and it's easy to see it's influence embedded in nearly everything we see of Batman in the modern day. It's well worth the time of investment and I couldn't recommend it enough.