Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #4
Kevin Rossi
Recap
ROBIN LEAPS INTO ACTION! Jeph Loeb returns to the world of The Long Halloween for its long-anticipated final act — Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween, an all-new 10-part mystery continuing the story from 2021's Batman: The Long Halloween Special. In each issue, Loeb will be joined by one of the top artists in comics, in a beautiful and lovingly crafted tribute to Sale's art and legacy. With a life hanging precariously in the balance, the Boy Wonder decides to take matters into his own hands!
Review
For some, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately for Batman, the Christmas in Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #4 is one of his worst. Picking up right where issue #3 left off, Batman is shot by Alberto Falcone and barely escapes to the Batmobile. Initially, The Last Halloween might have felt like an unnecessary addition to this beloved saga due to the passing of Tim Sale. While Jeph Loeb and Richard Starkings are two-thirds of the original creative team, Sale’s artwork is what comes to mind when discussing The Long Halloween and its sequels. Nonetheless, Sale’s signature style is still present in Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween and has continued to honor his contributions.
Cliff Chiang joins this issue as the artist with Dave Stewart returning on colors. Cliff Chiang is a former assistant editor, writer, and artist who has had his hand in so many wonderful works over the years. In recent years, Chiang has worked on Paper Girls with co-creator Brian K. Vaughan, published by Image Comics. At DC, Chiang worked as the writer, artist, and letterer on Catwoman: Lonely City from DC Black Label. While Lonely City is quite a different story, Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #4 features Catwoman prominently. Spanning from Christmas Day to New Year’s Eve, issue #4 focuses primarily on Robin as he deals with the loss of his parents and the potential loss of all he has left: Bruce Wayne. Jeph Loeb departs the tried and true formula of previous issues and takes the focus away from The Holiday Killer while still keeping the story on track and focused.
This issue is filled with some wonderful moments between Robin and Alfred, as well as Bruce, though he is out of commission for most of this issue. Chiang’s art does an excellent job juggling the montage of days from Christmas to New Year’s by showing things like Dick and Alfred working on the Batmobile and tending to Bruce overlapping with Dick recalling his parents’ deaths. Loeb’s writing is heartfelt and forces the series to slow down and regain focus with the help of Chiang and Stewart. Like the other issues, Sale’s influence is all over this issue without Chiang having to abandon or stray away from their style. Character designs like the Calendar Man and Catwoman feel like they were picked right out of Sale’s work.
Final Thoughts
Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #4 departs the expected formula and slows things down just when the series and reader need it. While focusing mainly on Robin, this issue still moves the main story forward but reminds readers of the human element of this story. As always, the series continues to honor Tim Sale’s contributions and influence while continuing this beloved saga.
Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #4: A Christmas Break
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
