Earlier this year, DC Comics announced plans to release Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween. Now, with just a couple of days to go before the first issue hits stands, we have a sneak peek inside the opening chapter of the sequel series.
In 1996, writer Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale created the original Batman The Long Halloween, an award-winning 13-chapter saga that spawned multiple sequels and stands among the most influential Batman stories of its time.
Sale sadly passed away in 2022, but Loeb will be joined by an all-star lineup of talent, with Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets) providing artwork for Batman: The Last Halloween #1. Future issues will see Klaus Janson, Mark Chiarello, and more join the series.
As you'll see below, the comic opens with Two-Face in hiding alongside his wife Gilda Dent. Jim Gordon, meanwhile, is trick-or-treating with his family but is left reeling when his son, James, disappears.
Here's the official description for Batman: The Last Halloween #1:
In the debut issue, Gotham City learns to fear Halloween once more as a terrible event threatens to destroy Jim Gordon’s life and puts Batman and Robin’s teamwork to the test more than ever before. In a city of liars, masked vigilantes, and criminals…can anyone be trusted?
"Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween is Tim Sale’s parting gift to me," Loeb said back in May. "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. 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."
The writer added, "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."
Make sure to check back here on Wednesday for our spoiler-filled breakdown of the issue. In the meantime, you can see the first five pages of Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween #1 below.
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN: THE LAST HALLOWEEN #1
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art by EDUARDO RISSO
Cover by TIM SALE
On Sale September 25