Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Batman: The Last Halloween #1
Batman’s new sequel to The Long Halloween may be looking to flip the history-making events of the original story. Having been released 27 years later, Batman: The Last Halloween continues the dark story involving the Holiday Killer, organized crime in Gotham City, the tragedy of Harvey Dent, and the rise of Batman’s more fantastical rogues. To that end, I’m fairly confident The Last Halloween intends to push back on the massive status quo change that defined the first chapter.
Following the original Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: Dark Victory and Catwoman: When In Rome were created as concurrent sequels. Now, Jeph Loeb has returned for Batman: The Last Halloween with a collection of artists taking over and paying tribute to the late Tim Sale who passed away in 2022. As seen in Batman: The Last Halloween #1, a new copycat killer has emerged in Gotham using the trademarks of Holiday. Likewise, the specific targets and the return of a key character to Gotham have me convinced The Last Halloween is pushing back against the history-making events of the original story.
Having been known as the “good son”, Mario Falcone has returned to Gotham City as one of the former crime family’s last surviving members (which makes me pretty suspicious).
The Last Halloween Already Feels Like Falcone’s Revenge
Holiday, Hangman, Now Mario?
In The Long Halloween, several members of the Falcones were killed by the Holiday Killer, seemingly revealed to have been Carmine Falcone’s own son Alberto. Likewise, Carmine’s daughter Sofia Falcone became The Hangman in Dark Victory, targeting members of the GCPD with ties to Harvey Dent (Carmine’s killer) when he was still the D.A. (before Sal Maroni disfigured him and he became Two-Face). Now, The Last Halloween just so happens to bring Mario Falcone back to Gotham, just as a new copycat Holiday is targeting key people who were integral to the fall of his family.
After this first issue alone, Jim Gordon’s son has been kidnapped and Catwoman has gone missing on Halloween night, leaving only the trademarks of Holiday left behind (a .22 and a pumpkin celebrating the occasion). Likewise, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, and Dent’s wife Gilda were all attacked by a group of thugs wearing clown masks, seemingly as a means to blame the Joker. As such, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mario is the one behind all of these kidnappings and attacks, deciding to make a play at getting some major revenge.
The Original Long Halloween Was All About Gotham’s Shifting Criminal Landscape
The Dawn of the “Freaks” From Batman’s Rogues Gallery
It’s important to note that The Long Halloween is an integral story in the Batman mythos. It not only shows Harvey Dent’s corruption into Two-Face, but also the decline of traditional organized crime in favor of The Dark Knight’s more colorful and fantastic rogues including The Joker, Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, Scarecrow, and more. Collectively known as “freaks” by the Falcones, the efforts of the Holiday Killer over a year cemented this new status quo change for Gotham as both the Falcones and Maroni crime families suffered major losses.
The Long Halloween was the dawn of the “freaks” in Batman’s rogues gallery, and as such it’s one of the most popular Batman series of all time. There’s a reason so much of the 13-issue series has been adapted in various ways for other Batman media, including both Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and Matt Reeves’ The Batman (and now the connected Penguin series currently streaming on Max). However, I do think that this new sequel may be attempting to reverse the outcome regarding the conflict between Gotham organized crime and its “freaks”.
The Last Halloween May Be Trying To Flip The Script
A Return To Organized Crime By Blaming The “Freaks”?
As seen at the end of The Last Halloween #1, the lead clown takes off his mask to ask Gilda Dent about Holiday and her role in the killings. After all, Gilda has long been a primary suspect as The Long Halloween’s Holiday Killer, having confessed in a personal monologue to be the original Holiday before Alberto or Two-Face (though accounts and confessions are intentionally ambiguous). As such, there’s clearly more to these clowns than meets the eye.
The Last Halloween
may finally reveal the full truth about Holiday while also trying to push back against the major status quo change
The Long Halloween
brought to Gotham in Batman’s earliest days.
Although the thug’s identity remains obscured to readers, I’m fairly confident that this is likely Mario who may be looking to pin blame and go to war with “freaks” like Joker. As The Last Halloween continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mario tries to revive the Falcone Crime Family back to its former glory while also trying to take down everyone who hurt his family in the past (heroes and freaks alike). At any rate, The Last Halloween may finally reveal the full truth about Holiday while also trying to push back against the major status quo change The Long Halloween brought to Gotham in Batman’s earliest days.
Batman: The Last Halloween #1 is on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman The Long Halloween
Christmas. St. Patrick’s Day. Easter. As the calendar’s days stack up, so do the bodies littered in the streets of Gotham City. A murderer is loose, killing only on holidays. The only man that can stop this fiend? The Dark Knight. In a mystery taking place during Batman’s early days of crime fighting, Batman: The Long Halloween is one of the greatest Dark Knight stories ever told.
- Writer
- Jeph Loeb
- Penciler
- Tim Sale
- Inker
- Tim Sale
- Colorist
- Gregory Wright
- Letterer
- Richard Starkings, Comicraft
- Publisher
- DC Comics
Summary
Christmas. St. Patrick’s Day. Easter. As the calendar’s days stack up, so do the bodies littered in the streets of Gotham City. A murderer is loose, killing only on holidays. The only man that can stop this fiend? The Dark Knight. In a mystery taking place during Batman’s early days of crime fighting, Batman: The Long Halloween is one of the greatest Dark Knight stories ever told.
