Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #3: Snowbody’s Perfect

Just as the holiday season begins for readers, things quickly escalate in Gotham City. It’s Christmas Eve Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #3 and that means the new Holiday Killer will try to kill his next victim: the Riddler. Unsurprisingly, Riddler survives and is transported to Arkham. Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #3 was written by Jeph Loeb and written by Richard Starkings, with the legendary Mark Chiarello handling art duties this time. Chiarello is a former editor and art and design director at DC and has been involved in some of the most popular projects seen on stands. He is also an incredibly talented artist with a distinct style that fits well with the tone and atmosphere of Loeb and Tim Sale. Story-wise, this issue offers nothing notable or exciting and feels like a repeat Batman: The last Halloween And Batman: Dark Victory, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. These aren’t innovations or breaking new ground, but the original series is so popular that it’s always a pleasure to return to it.

What saves this series from seeming like a watered down version of its predecessors are the artists who appear in each issue. It gives so many talented creatives the chance to jump into this saga and contribute while also honoring Sale. Chiarello does this brilliantly in this issue. He does an excellent job of emulating certain character designs like Calendar Man and Alberto Falcone. Chiarello makes some interesting choices in the first half of this issue that feel fresh and stand out from previous issues. The second half of the issue focuses more on Sale’s style and influence through his use of negative space and foreground.

What’s missing from this series is the sense of the holiday associated with it. Aside from mentioning that it is Christmas Eve, the only things that indicate the holiday are a few red and green lights on the streets and a single Christmas tree in a house. However, the focus of this series isn’t on the actual holidays, and at this point, this is the third holiday killer. Another aspect of this edition that should be praised is the lettering and design by Richard Starkings. Starkings ensures that each issue feels like an entry in the same series. Sale’s influence extends to all of these themes, but Starkings designs everything Long Halloween Series have an equally high recognition value. Each guest artist adds their own twists, so solid lettering and design is a huge factor in holding this series together.