Batman: The Long Halloween turns twenty-five years old this year, which means that the seminal thirteen-issue series written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale is now old enough to rent a car. It also means that DC has a fine excuse to celebrate the occasion with a new one-shot from Loeb, Sale, colorist Brennan Wagner, and letterer Richard Starkings that promises to reveal new secrets about the mystery of the Holiday Killer.
Set during the early days of Batman’s time in Gotham, Batman: The Long Halloween followed the caped crusader as he investigated a series of holiday-themed killings. The thirteen-month window of the Holiday Killer’s murders coincided with the gradual decline of organized crime and the rise of a new, stranger type of criminal in Gotham. It also charted the rise and fall of Harvey Dent, with the relationship between he, Batman, and Jim Gordon — both before and after his transformation into Two-Face — at the center of the series. If the two variant covers by Sale are any indication, it looks like Two-Face will be a key player in the new one-shot.
Batman: The Long Halloween was the fourth Batman-related collaboration between Loeb and Sale, following a trio of Halloween-themed Legends of the Dark Knight one-shots. The 1996-97 series had a sequel, the 14-part Batman: Dark Victory, released in 1999-2000. It’s also been adapted into a two-part animated movie, the first part of which is already out, with the second part due out at the end of this month.
In a statement announcing the one-shot, Loeb and Sale both expressed their enthusiasm at working together again in the world of Batman:
“Twenty-five years ago, Tim Sale and I set out to tell a mystery tale of how Gotham City went from crime to freaks,” said Jeph Loeb. “The result was Batman: The Long Halloween. We’re thrilled to be back at DC revisiting some of our favorite characters all the while revealing that you may not know the whole story…”
“As it has always been, working together on Batman has brought out the best of Jeph and myself as Gotham City storytellers,” added Tim Sale. “We have been blessed to have the mighty talents of Comicraft’s Richard Starkings with us every step of the way, and are very fortunate to welcome colorist, Brennan Wagner, to help shape our latest venture.”
Check out Sale’s variant covers for the 48-page one-shot below. Batman: The Long Halloween Special will arrive in stores on Tuesday, October 12th.
