Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman, District Attorney Harvey Dent and Captain Gordon make a pact to bring down crime boss Carmine Falcone without breaking the law. Meanwhile, a killer dubbed Holiday starts murdering mob-connected people on one holiday each month, beginning with Falcone's nephew on Halloween. A war breaks out between the Falcones and the Maronis, and Falcone hires Gotham's costumed villains. In open court, Sal Maroni throws acid in Dent's face, and Dent vanishes. Holiday turns out to be Alberto Falcone, Carmine's son, who had faked his death. The next Halloween, Dent returns as Two-Face, kills Falcone and surrenders, claiming there were two killers. Dent's wife, Gilda, burns the evidence, hinting she was the other one.

1. Behind the scenesOne year, 13 issues

   The structure was writer Mike Friedrich's idea: tell it over 13 issues, from one Halloween to the next. Editor Archie Goodwin named the series after it.

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2. Behind the scenesA Comic-Con pitch

   It started at San Diego Comic-Con, when Archie Goodwin asked Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale if they wanted to do more Batman.

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3. ReferenceThe Dark Knight's pact

   The Batman–Harvey Dent–Gordon alliance against the mob at the heart of The Dark Knight comes from this comic. It also shaped Goyer's Batman Begins script.

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4. ReferenceA pillar of The Batman

   Matt Reeves cited The Long Halloween as one of the main influences on The Batman, along with Year One and Ego.

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5. Behind the scenesA two-part animated film

   In 2021 it became a two-part animated film that closely follows the comic's plot and themes.

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