Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph LoebMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you're going into Batman relatively blind, this is a pretty good place to start.
If you've seen Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, many elements of this story will be familiar - in particular, the origins of Two Face.
This story sees our caped crusader team up with detective Jim Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent to catch a killer that's been dubbed Holiday, on account of his habit of killing on specific holidays.
The story works in many familiar Batman villains as well as mobsters Falcone and Maroni, so there's plenty here for even the most ignorant of Batman's followers. I really enjoyed how none were really involved too heavily, meaning this story serves as something of an introduction to the villains for the uninitiated.
There's also the nice juicy story of trying to work out who the killer is, and this would have been painful to read as single issues as there's a persistent need to put the clues together and figure it out for yourself.
I must say, as much as the artwork suits this gritty story, it really didn't work for me. It's all darkness and shadows, with the use of colour intentional and symbolic only. Some of the panels were so abstract I struggled to work them out, and I found it awkward to follow at times. I see the why, it just didn't appeal to me.
All in all, this was a fun story to read and a great starting place for entering the chaotic world of Batman comics. Artwork wasn't for me but will likely appeal to those more appreciative of stylistic tricks.
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