The Long Halloween is a classic arc that inspired a powerful legacy of Batman stories. To name a few, The Batman (2022) and The Dark Knight (2008) pull strongly from both the narrative and atmosphere of this comic. Reading the source material that went on to influence so much future work was really interesting, and I liked being able to make connections between the comic in front of me and the other Batman content I've enjoyed over the years.

I like the characterization of Batman as gritty but not without heart (I particularly liked

Batman sharing Thanksgiving dinner with Grundy in the sewer because he feels bad about punching him in the face

). I much prefer this take on the character to iterations that focus on brutality and isolation.

The Long Halloween is a noir detective story- a setup in which both the characters and the city of Gotham shine. I liked the resolution of the mystery overall.

The multiple killers reveal is a cliche, but it works in the story. As in any Two-Face origin story, we see an emphasis on the theme of duality, having "good" killers and "bad" killers conveys this and makes the reader question whether intention actually makes any difference.

This plays into the larger conflict in the Batman story - is Batman making Gotham worse or better? Ultimately this is left as an open question to the reader (teased when Gordon begins to ask Batman this question and is cut off).

I enjoyed the artwork, especially how the panels showing the murders were stylized differently from the rest.

There were a few things I didn't love about the comic that impact my rating:

1. Since the story is so quickly paced and takes place over such a long time, there are things that I wanted more info on that we just don't get to go into. Specifically, deeper exploration of Catwoman’s relationship with the Falcones and how Holiday committed the murders, especially

more insight into how Gilda was able to pull something like this off without her husband or Batman catching on at all

.

2. I know this is early-era Batman so he isn't in beast mode yet, but I'm surprised that his detective skills are that lacking

(+ he gets tricked by Ivy so easily )

3. Because the story is laser-focused on the action, we don't get as many lighthearted character moments (banter, Bruce Wayne antics, Alfred, etc) that I think are fun to have in Batman.

I find it hard to love any Batman adaptation as much as I love Batman the animated series, which so elegantly balances the noir setting of Gotham and the genuine grief of the Batman character with witty one-liners and the inherent fun of the superhero genre.

It would be inaccurate to say that I found The Long Halloween too serious since I enjoyed the high stakes and grit of the story. There were just certain moments that struck me as one note that could’ve been handled in a more nuanced way. Batman can be serious AND funny, and that is the version of the character I like to watch/read best.

Overall, a worthwhile and entertaining read that I'd recommend to any Batman fan.