Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #3

It feels feels so strange to be covering a Halloween piece right as we are preparing for our Christmas features, but this weeks comic book drops left me no choice because today is a special day… The Last Halloween #3 is finally here! This series so far has been incredible, cliff-hanger after cliff-hanger, keeping us clutching at every page not knowing what will happen next. Well, it’s time for answers!

Normally we keep these reviews completely spoiler free, however I will not be sharing any key plot points of issue 3, be prepared for spoilers from the previous instalments of The Last Halloween. With that being said, it’s time for our Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #3 review.

---

The Review

Image by DC Comics

Every issue of The Last Halloween brings in another beloved character and this week is no different with the return of The Riddler – though with the Holiday Killer copycat still on the loose, it’s only matter of time before he is in danger, just like the everyone else.

A key point of this series seems to Batman’s disbelief in Robin. As Robin becomes more tiresome of Batman’s attitude, not understanding it’s all to protect him. Robin seeks out Calendar Man to make him talk after Calendar Man teases that he can help them become ‘equals’. Robin going behind Batman’s back like this just screams Jason Todd which has the Red Hood fanboy in me so invested in this storyline, though this could simply act as a Nightwing origin story. It is strangely pleasing to see Robin recognise that Batman undermines him as this was something that bothered me from the start – honestly though, I am leaning more towards Batman’s side as each issue goes on and think Robin maybe is not as ready as he thinks he is.

As I promised in the introduction, we finally get answers to things that have been bugging me, mainly a certain situation involving Two-Face… kind of. The suspense is killing me with this one and I wish they would get to the bottom of it already but at the same time, the fact it has me het up this much, is proof of how well written this comic is.

Image by DC Comics

As I often like to do, I think it is about time we give a shout out to the art of this comic. Still representing the late, great Tim Sale, The Last Halloween #3 has a very creepy undertone to it, the image above acting as a perfect example of that. Reading this at 1am might have been a terrible idea for my insomnia as the art is creepy enough to induce nightmares but still – what a beautiful piece!

The pacing of this comic is so much better than last issue, and though there are still many questions unanswered, it is starting to seem like it could wrap up nicely in the next 7 issues. With each issue that goes by, The Last Halloween just keeps getting better and better, it’s hard not to think about how proud Tim Sale would have been and how perfectly Jeph Loeb has continued to expand on this iconic world which they built together.

It is amazing to watch such an iconic piece unfurl every month, I honestly cannot wait to read the whole thing back to back.

Image by DC Comics

In summary, The Last Halloween #3 is without a doubt the best comic to be released in the series so far. The haunting art style coupled with the gripping narrative is a great read for all comic book fans, new and old.

Once again, this issue ended on a cliff-hanger. The outcome of this one might seem fairly predictable but it is important to remember that since this is essentially the sequel to end The Long Halloween series, anything can happen and no one is safe – so who knows what next months issue might bring?

What are your thoughts on The Last Halloween so far? Let us know in the comments section!

See also: Must Read Batman Comics

• ShareCopied to clipboard
• X
• Facebook