Jeph Loeb as writer and Tim Sale as artist make an amazing team. No one can write about the Gotham mob like Loeb, and no one can draw Catwoman like Sale. The Long Halloween spans one year, from Oct. 31st during one of Batman's earlier years fighting crime (although come to think of it he looks older and gritty) to the following Halloween. A killer dubbed "Holiday" by the media is picking off high-ranking members of the Falcone crime family. Batman and Police Commissioner James Gordon (shown here with brown hair, first wife, and baby Barbara) are completely baffled by the killer's ability to get so close to the targets. Could it be someone within the Falcone empire itself? Or could it be Catwoman? Or Harvey Dent, whose wife Gilda was the victim (she survived) of an attack on their home because of Dent's efforts to prosecute the mob? Harvey has been hanging by a thread, lately.

Gotham's supervillians are not pleased by Holiday's appearance, either. Some are frustrated at having attention taken away from them. Others are hired by Falcone for reasons unknown. Some villians featured are the Riddler, Joker, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, and Solomon Grundy.

The art is fantastic. Gotham was never drawn and colored better. Highly, highly, highly recommended as one of the best Batman graphic novels I have ever read.

First of all, i just really couldn't get into art work, i mean the characters heads and facial structures are just so distorted that they almost look as if they have down syndrome. I will admit though that the Joker although looking extremely cartoonish with the oversized teeth, still came off very fresh look, Batman however looked slightly wimpy and not nearly as intimidating or imposing as he usually does when drawn by other artists such as Jim Lee, Norm Breyfogle or Graham Nolan just to name a few.

The story itself though is actually a neat idea, however there are several elements that seem to have just been ripped right out of other films, the obvious influence is the Godfather. But i found a HUGE silence of the lambs influence, they depicted Calandar Man as a creepy inmate in vein of Hannibal Lecter. Yeah, thats right, Calendar Man. There really isn't much fighting in the story but the story never drags.

There are a few important back bone elements that are not only cool but important in Batman continuity, such as the inclusion of Harvey Dent. Throughout the story we get to see Batman get help from Dent himself which is kind of cool to see them working together, and it is also great to have the story involve his origins into becoming Two-Face, and the ending when you see Batman loose a friend to only gain an enemy is easily the best part of the entire story. Bruce's relationship with Selina is very brief in this story but it is nice to have it in there, though this isnt a Batman love story between the two like in Hush.

So overall if you can overlook the art work, or if you enjoy it, you might want to check this book out but i really dont think this story deserves all the hype it has gotten in the past.