Familiar Long Halloween motifs are back, where pages with murderous intent are in black and white, and every once in a while we’re given a striking full-spread page to accent a beat.Ī compositional master, Sale fluidly and powerfully uses worm and bird’s eye views.
Tim Sale’s art does not disappoint with his stunning art deco, chiaroscuro style reminiscent of Batman: The Animated Series. Robin, while a small player, helps bring out the positive, paternal aspects of Bruce, as does Chief Gordon. But there are grace moments that remind us why deep down at the end of the day Bruce is dedicated toward bringing good will to good people. Having grown cynical, especially because of Harvey Dent’s turn, Batman gives no pause before pummeling criminals into submission and making risky deals with devils. What’s almost surprising is how brutal Batman is here. However, there’s plenty of great stuff for fans because this is an excellently written and illustrated work, functioning as both a solid Batman one-shot AND a continuation of an iconic tale.
Granted, I quite enjoy the meandering, shaggy-dog approach to Long Halloween, but if you’ve been kept from enjoying the OG work because of its plotting, this Special is all the more for you. So a huge plus in regards to this special is how lean it is: we’re given a very specific villain who has a specific plan that Batman can hone in on. Just about every Batman villain or anti-hero finds their way into the series and it can be difficult to plow through the 13 issues because the central mystery is so crowded by extraneous scenes and details. However, if one were to make a criticism of Long Halloween, one could say it’s overstuffed.
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