Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween #1 Review: A Chilling Next Chapter

The Last Halloween #1 is a worthy successor to one of the most iconic Batman stories ever written.

By Nicole Drum

Back in May, DC shook up the comics world when it was announced that Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Batman: The Long Halloween was getting a sequel series, Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween. The new, ten-part mystery was announced to spin out of the events of 2021's Batman The Long Halloween Special which was itself connected to the iconic original. That book, however, did have its critics that felt like the special was a little bit disconnected from the beloved, game-changing The Long Halloween. Now, however, The Last Halloween is finally here and whatever minor weaknesses its immediate predecessor have are quickly forgotten. The Last Halloween #1 is a well-crafted and worthy next chapter to the story that not only deftly matches the original's tone but sets the stage for an intriguing, sure to be classic Batman story.

The Last Halloween #1 sees Gotham embarking on Halloween again after the horrific events of the Long Halloween and the Holliday murders but soon Batman and Jim Gordon — and by extension Gotham — has reason to bear the holiday once again when Gordon's young son goes missing while trick or treating. Not only that but there appears to be a copycat Holliday killer out in the streets again as well. From a narrative perspective, this is a banger of an issue. It is no exaggeration to say that everything in the writing just works. Loeb slips back into writing this story as though it's a comfortable pair of shoes and walks the reader back into Gotham's dark and frightened heart. Batman's overview narration of what is happening definitely does a lot of telling, but doesn't distract from the pieces of dialogue that we get on the pages nor does it take from the art. It's just the right balance and it very much serves to set an atmosphere of both dread and anticipation, that just under the surface anxiety that something is about to go very wrong.

Art wise, things get a little trickier. Sadly, Sale passed away in 2022 so his incredible work isn't here but this issue sees 100 Bullets' Eduardo Risso take up the challenge. To be clear, Risso is not Sale and there is definitely a shift in the overall look and feel of the issue. That said, Risso's work is a fine complement to Loeb's story and there are some specific visual moments that are, perhaps, more chilling and unsettling than any word on the page — the use of the pumpkin both as a children's candy bucket and as a key part of Holliday's M.O., as drawn by Risso drives home the urgency of what is happening this raining Halloween night in Gotham almost more than anything else. While Sale's immense gift is going to be missed by fans as they read this issue, Risso does a fantastic job in their own right, which is good because it also helps the issue exist almost as its own entity rather than a chapter in a much larger story. While knowing The Long Halloween is a massive benefit here, readers who have somehow not yet experienced the iconic story will be able to step into this one and feel right at home and then be able to go back to the original without feeling like they're wandering between worlds.

Revisiting or adding to any beloved story can be a challenge. It is a challenge that is compounded when that original story is so beloved and iconic, but Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween #1 manages to pull of something that feels almost like a miracle that Gotham would barely believe it deserves. The issue is a fitting complement to the original while also functioning as a solid kick off to its own story. While Sale is no longer with us to provide the art, the art here still honors and furthers the visual storytelling legacy and supports everything in a way that leaves readers wanting more. While it will be interesting to see how the rest of the parts play off, this issue is off to an incredible start just in time for the spookiest season of them all.

Published by DC

On September 25, 2024

Written by Jeph Loeb

Art by Eduardo Risso

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Colors by David Stewart

Letters by Richard Starkings

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