After the excellent Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #8, where Becky Cloonan’s visuals and the strengthening ties between Wayne and Falcone conspiracies left readers reeling, issue #9 arrives with even more riding on its shoulders. Catwoman takes center stage this issue, and if you’ve been hungering for deeper Falcone lore, you’re in for a treat. As the narrative hurtles toward its climax, the dance between Gotham’s underworld and its dark protector sharpens into something electrifying, though you might get lost in all the family drama.
As penultimate issues go, Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #9 certainly feels impactful not only for this miniseries, but also for the legacy of The Last Halloween. If you’re a fan of this corner of Batman comics, you’ll likely enjoy the recap of old adventures as well as the deep look at the Falcone family. At the center of things is Mario, the sole heir, but at the start of this issue, Batman sees that Catwoman is right there by the side of the family. That, and how everything ties together, becomes clear by the final age.
This issue isn’t one big family-focused issue, however. Batman and Catwoman spar, along with Falcone’s goons, early on, and it’s exciting stuff. Another detective scene with Robin and Batman goes full CSI with some fun revelations. Thrown into the mix are Joker and Two-Face, though it’s unclear how they’ll play into the final issue.
Nice recap page.
Credit: DC Comics
Chris Samnee jumps on board this issue and doesn’t disappoint. There’s an incredible double-page layout of Catwoman diving after Batman as they plunge off a building, with another page stretching double-page layout of Two-Face looking at files in Arkham. The visuals are striking, with Smanee’s iconic shadow work doing a lot of heavy lifting. Dave Stewart’s colors also pop with so much shadowy goodness.
Complicating this issue is how Catwoman fits into the picture. It may be too easy to guess, but a three-page scene fully reveals what you probably already know. A problem I had with the Falcone melodrama is that I’m supposed to care about who had a baby or whose wife is behind things, but I’m not invested in them enough to care one way or the other. Batman and supervillains are tangentially involved, but the mob drama of it all isn’t that interesting. While that element grounds the story realistically, as did the previous Long Halloween stories Tim Sale and Loeb told, it’s more the sort of revelation that’ll make you shrug than one that’ll make you gasp.
The Last Halloween #9 delivers stylish visuals, dynamic action, and a rich Falcone backstory. That said, it leans too heavily into mafia melodrama at the expense of Batman’s larger rogues and leaves Catwoman’s role feeling a touch too obvious.
You must be logged in to post a comment.