Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween #5 – Jeph Loeb, Writer; Bill Sienkiewicz, Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist; Richard Starkings, Lettering & Design
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The first four issues of this series were devoted to the search for Jim Gordon’s kidnapped son. The boy has been found – but things aren’t any less messy now. Gordon and his wife may have formed an irreconcilable rift between them, driven by the trauma of the kidnapping. She’s leaving – but Gordon’s infidelity doesn’t seem to play a role like it did in the previous origin. Meanwhile, all the Gotham rogues are loose, the consequence of Robin’s inadvertent decisions when visiting Arkham for information to help a wounded Batman. That might have driven a wedge between Batman and his new protege, and it’s running the wounded vigilante ragged. Complicating things, Joker is on the loose too – and he’s outraged that someone came very close to killing Batman and it wasn’t him. This is peak Joker characterization, with an inscrutable motivation that really only makes sense to him.
Bill Sienkiewicz is an interesting choice for art on this issue, as it’s pretty rare to see the old master do solo work. He’s most often paired with Denys Cowan, and while there’s a similarity between their styles in places, Sienkiewicz has his own flourishes that make him a very good choice for this story. His art is a little surreal in places, particularly when dealing with the Joker. The other Bat-villains, particularly Scarecrow, have very unique styles as well. And then, of course, there’s the other major factor in this issue – the feds. The FBI has essentially invaded Gotham, taking over the case and pushing Gordon to the side. The result is a crimefighting operation that’s more fractured than ever, with Batman far from his peak. This is probably the darkest issue of the series yet, and it shows how when he’s at the top of his game, Loeb really understands what makes Gotham tick.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
