The Long Halloween is still widely considered one of the greatest Batman stories ever told, and almost 30 years after the seminal comic book first hit shelves, Jeph Loeb will conclude the iconic crime saga with a new 10-issue series.
Announced today at the MCM London convention, Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween will pick up after the events of 2021's The Long Halloween Special one-shot, which was originally intended to be the start of a new story, but was put on hold following the passing of artist Tim Sale in 2022.
The new series won't feature new artwork from Sale beyond the cover for each issue. Instead, a rotating team of illustrators will provide work on the comic in tribute to the late artist, including Eduardo Risso (Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance), Klaus Janson (The Dark Knight Returns) and Mark Chiarello (Batman: Black and White).
“Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween is Tim Sale’s parting gift to me,” said Loeb in DC's press release. “Tim and I had already decided to tell this last chapter following Batman: The Long Halloween Special, which will serve as the prologue to this 10-part action-packed mystery.”
“Tim’s unfortunate passing put our plans for this series on hold,” Loeb added. “About a year later, after speaking with Mark Chiarello and Richard Starkings, my partners on the previous Long Halloween titles, we decided the time was right to move this forward as a tribute to Tim, who continues to be with us in spirit.”
“This story concludes the war between the freaks and the crime families forever, as Batman, Robin, and DC’s most infamous Bat-villains face off against Holiday, and secrets dating back to Batman The Long Halloween Special will be revealed.”
Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween #1 will be released on September 28, 2024.
Check out the main cover for issue #1 along with some variants below.
"Taking place during Batman's early days of crime fighting, The Long Halloween tells the story of a mysterious killer who murders his prey only on holidays. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman races against the calendar as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month. A mystery that has the reader continually guessing the identity of the killer, this story also ties into the events that transform Harvey Dent into Batman's deadly enemy, Two-Face."