When we think of dark nights, we often think of the Dark Knight. Batman, Scarecrow, Joker, and the rest of cast of characters from the multiple media adaptations of Batman’s stories permeate the culture of Halloween. The concept of the terror that resides in the dark, gloomy, and desperate city of Gotham sets the perfect stage for storytelling to inspire a gothic Halloween. In fact, one of these comics inspired this entire post series- it’s not Halloween until it’s time for:
Batman: The Long Halloween
For some people, it’s not Halloween without watching Charlie Brown and friends wait for the great pumpkin. Or Jack Skellington kidnap Sandy Claws. For me, it’s snuggling in with Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s iconic Batman story, first released in 1996. When I first started really looking to expand my knowledge of comic stories and move past just Nightwing and Runaways, someone told me that Long Halloween was a story that they could see me really sinking my teeth into. The original 13-part series takes place fairly early in Batman’s career and features some of the best of his rouge’s gallery including Joker, Solomon Grundy, Catwoman, the Falcone’s, and my personal favorite origin story for Two-Face. Following Batman’s hunt for Holiday, the story is filled with red herrings, distrust, and suspicion. No one is safe. The killer could be almost anyone Batman knows. And the biggest twist still takes me by surprise, even though I’ve read it dozens of times. Loeb’s just that talented of a storyteller. Sale’s artwork for the story is full of thick bold lines, deep shadows, and color blocking. His full page panels with just a splash of color are still some of the most striking artwork I’ve ever seen. There’s reports that The Batman will be inspired by this storyline, and this past year DC released a two-part animated adaptation with Jensen Ackles voicing Batman. (I haven’t seen it yet… It’s part of my Halloween Festivities!)
Plus, Loeb and Sale reunited this year for Batman: The Long Halloween Special, which just released this Tuesday. It takes place after the events of the original and serves as a follow-up. But the most exciting part? It includes Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson in the world of The Long Halloween.
Batman: Court of Owls
It’s no secret that my favorite character in comics is Dick Grayson. The acrobat-turned-bat who has served as Batman’s original Robin, Batman, and currently Nightwing, features prominently in this story set in the Gotham Elite’s undercurrents of politics. Deeply ingrained into the figureheads and leaders of Gotham, the Court of Owls had been operating secretly for centuries, hidden behind a nursery rhyme all the children of Gotham know.
Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,
Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they’ll send the Talon for your head.
The main Talon turns out to be the reanimated body of William Cobb, Dick’s great-grandfather, who is very disappointed that Dick’s working alongside Batman. The Court has become one of the best villains to face Batman that hasn’t quite gotten the attention they deserve. Their first appearance was in Batman #1, at the start of DC’s New 52 in 2011. The company rebooted all their series in order to give new readers a place to start, making Court of Owls a great arc even if you’re not familiar with Batman comics. They’ve since integrated into the popular mythology of the series, also being featured in the Robin War arc, the animated movie Batman vs. Robin (which combines elements of The Court of Owls and Robin War storylines), the television series Gotham, and are set to be the main enemy in the upcoming Gotham Knights video game. Plus, the original arc has even been adapted into a novel. Meaning if you’re not sure about hoping on the comic book train yet, you can still pick up the book and enjoy the “children slowly singing nursery rhymes” vibes that this storyline completely nails.
Batman: Contagion
If you’d told me when I first pulled up Batman: Contagion that it would become one of the arcs that terrified me the most, I would have laughed at you. However, reading this particular arc in the middle of 2020 has for sure caused long-term psychological damage. Gotham faces an outbreak of “The Clench”, an apocalyptic virus that’s spread with airborne particles. Gotham’s upper crust have locked themselves away in Babylon Towers, an elite apartment building with heavy air filtration. They’re paying for a potential cure, but Batman has to stop the spread of the virus among the people of Gotham and find a cure for those already infected- including Robin, Tim Drake. It features appearances from several of Batman’s rouge gallery trying to find their way into Babylon Towers, and many of Batman’s allies trying to help contain the damage. Published in 1996 as well, it also features use of one of the most technologically advanced machines of the time- a fax machine. While the storyline itself is absolutely not the most frightening on the list, the similarities to life the past year and a half make it a very scary story indeed.
Batman: Damned
The first of the Black Label stories certainly made news when it was released as it went full frontal throttle into the “Adult” warning that defines the imprint. Thanks to the current printing, everything that needed to stay in the shadows is no longer visible, but this three part storyline narrated by John Constantine partners Batman and Constantine up to determine if Batman was responsible for the death of the Joker. With appearances by Swamp Thing, Enchantress, Deadman, The Spectre, Etrigan, and Zatanna, the supernatural aspects of Batman’s story take the spotlight in a dark, but beautifully artistically rendered story. Each page and panel has almost an oil painting type quality to the design, along with lettering the serves to tell the story and left me reeling. I love the Black Label imprint, as I feel that letting many of these writers and artists embrace the more adult and darker aspects of the DC allows for deeper storytelling and more creative freedom, and Batman: Damned is a great example that faced criticism I feel was out of proportion when it was released. It doesn’t get nearly the credit it deserves as an incredible work of artistry in visuals alone, much less the depth of storytelling.
Batman: Fear State
The current Batman story arc in the DC universe is Fear State, meaning this storyline is not currently finished. Which means I have no idea how it’s going to end. Arcs of this size tend to encompass multiple books and multiple titles. That means that part of the story happens in Batman, part happens in Nightwing, part happens in Batgirl… and so on. Scarecrow’s broken out of Arkham and is working with the Unsanity collective to create a fear state in Gotham. The concept of a “Fear State” is the idea that rising above a dramatic experience as a society creates a more utopian society, and Gotham, still reeling from the aftermath of The Joker War, is a prime candidate. (Honestly just the general vibe of Gotham makes it qualify, as it’s like, one of the worst places to live.) While the Fear State arc isn’t yet completed, it’s certainly worth taking a dive into if you’re interested in the current state of Batman comics. Plus, let’s just appreciate the hidden Batman in the logo- it’s an A-plus from me.
Are You Afraid of the Darkseid?
When I went to my comic shop to pick up my Nightwing order, the cover of this one-shot caught my attention purely for the nostalgia aspect. A play on Nickelodeon’s anthology series from the 90’s that traumatized me and a bunch of other millennials, Are You Afraid of the Darkseid? is an anthology of spooky stories the current comic canon Teen Titans, lead by Damian Wayne, current Robin, tell each other while on a camping trip. The eight short stories range from variations of classic campfire stories to stories that are more based in the DC mythos. They’re not long, and offer a variety of art styles as well. It’s a little less trick and a little more treat of a Halloween tale.
For the majority of these comics, they’re digitally available with a subscription to DC Universe Infinite. Currently, The Long Halloween Special, Fear State, and Are You Afraid of the Darkseid? are not on the app, but can be purchased through your local comic shop or digital.
While it may seem like DC sponsors me, they don’t. Batman and the Batfamily are just my favorite grouping of comic characters, and they’re such a perfect fit to Halloween. Because, I mean- it’s always Halloween in my soul.
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