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Jeph LoebandTim Salestand in high regard amongBatmanfans for their workplace onBatman : The Long Halloween . The Long Halloweenoften ranks toward the top of any tilt of the best Batman stories , receiving a 2 - part animated movie adaptation and providing inspiration for elements of Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knightand Matt Reeves’The Batman . WhileThe Long Halloweenand its similarly beloved sequelDark Victoryare both wondrous police detective stories , the iconic duad of Loeb and Sale ’s best Batman collection is one less on a regular basis recognized : Haunted Knight .
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale create a trilogy of Batman - centered stories with Loeb dish out as author and Sale as artist . The debut arc , Batman : Haunted Knightis a trio of Halloween specials from the seriesBatman : Legends of the Dark Knight . The first story , " Fear , " sees Batman fight the Scarecrow as Bruce Wayne coin up a romance with a mysterious figure who enters his life . The 2nd , entitled " Madness , " focuses on a showdown between Batman and the excited Hatter following Hatter ’s abduction of Barbara Gordon . eventually , the series closes with " Ghosts , " a riff on Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carolin which Batman plays the part of Ebenezer Scrooge . The three stories do n’t refer straight , though they divvy up many thematic ties and all take place on disjoined Halloweens . Haunted Knightisfollowed byThe Long HalloweenandDark Victory , two detective tale feature a year of holiday killings from mysterious villains . The duo also createdCatwoman : When in Rome , a companion piece toDark Victory .
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The Long Halloweenhas been back in the conversation for the last hebdomad following thesudden passing of renowned creative person Tim Sale . Due to its much - praised graphics and investigator whodunit , the story often discover itself named one of the best Batman stories of all metre , and deservedly so . The Long Halloween ’s exploration ofBatman , Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent set againstits central mystery and revered artwork get for a spectacular detective comic . Its predecessorHaunted Knight , however , arguably gives lector an even unspoiled object lesson of just how in force Loeb and Sale can be when handle the Dark Knight .
While the 12 - calendar month social structure forThe Long HalloweenandDark Victorymakes for a firm detective story , Haunted Knight ’s triad of contained history allows Loeb to hone in on dissimilar vista of Bruce / Batman as a character with a more personal touch . Bruce ’s ego - make up one’s mind isolation result from lurk demonsof his parents ’ end is a common theme throughout the collection , exhibit how a Batman early in his vocation must overcome these tone of rue . The loose three - fib arc has a powerful content about Bruce tackling his own fears and rage , rendered beautifully by Sale ’s artwork . Because each of the three story has a psychedelic or psychological element , Sale , have a go at it for his distinct style and sometimes exaggerated proportions , feels even more unencumbered by convention than before . His surrealist portrayal throughout Batman ’s genial journeying make for truly noteworthy and unique imagery , visually representing the Dark Knight as both demon and damned while adding a grotesque component to the mediaeval architecture imbues Gotham with .
In a ternion of visually sensational and emotionally sham one - offs , Batman : Haunted Knightexemplifies the unbelievable piece of work Jeph Loeb and Tim Salewould later do withThe Long Halloween . By focalise on baddie and conflicts personal to their admirer , the collection of stories makes Bruce Wayne equally interesting to the Caped Crusader . The Long HalloweenandDark Victorycertainly merit their places amongBatman ’s hall of fame , but one would be hard - pressed to find a skillful run fromLoebandSalethanHaunted Knight .
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