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Batman: The Long Halloween was a 13-issue American comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale published in 1996. Itself the follow-up to three Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials by the same creative team, the entire series has been repeated collected in trade paperback, hardcover and oversized hardcover, with the team creating three sequels, Batman: Dark Victory and Catwoman: When in Rome and a recent Batman Long Halloween Special early in the year alongside the release of an animated movie adaptation in two parts. Last year also saw the main mystery of the series revisited in a new one-off special. And according to Robert Pattison, the new movie The Batman is based on this series more than any other, especially in the way it portrays the criminal underworld and organised crime of Gotham City. The first issue is also being given away to IMAX customers, and it is fetching a pretty packet on the aftermarket already.
Taking place during Batman’s early days of crime-fighting, The Long Halloween tells the story of Holiday, who murders people on holidays, one each month. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Captain James Gordon, Batman races against the calendar as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month, while attempting to stop the crime war between two of Gotham City’s most powerful families, Maroni and Falcone. This novel also acted as a re-introduction to the DC Universe for Calendar Man, who knows the true identity of the Holiday killer but refuses to share this with Batman. He instead riddles and gives Batman hints from his Arkham Asylum cell. The story also ties into the events that transform Harvey Dent into Batman’s enemy, Two-Face and revolves around the transition of Batman’s rogues gallery from simple mob goons to full-fledged supervillains.
The series ended with the main mystery of the identity of Holiday frustratingly unresolved. It was revealed there were multiple people behind Holiday, some suspects potentially dead, and who killed who… leaving just enough room for a sequel or three… and as The Batman movie is in cinemas, so Heritage Auctions are selling off three slabbed copies of the first three issues, going under the hammer later today. Let’s keep an eye and see if they go for more…
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