Comic Book Review – Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus

Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus (2018)
Reprints Batman- Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman- Madness–A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman- Ghosts–A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman- The Long Halloween #1-13, Batman- Dark Victory #0-13, Catwoman- When in Rome #1-6 and a short story from Superman/Batman Secret Files & Origins 2003
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale

There is no dearth of Batman comics at DC these days. Since his debut in Detective Comics #27, followed by a media push with his 1966 TV series and the cultural phenomenon of Batman 1989, the character has only seen his presence grow. It makes sense that DC Comics would publish so many Batman-related books because they ultimately sell. However, with such an increase in quantity comes a lack of quality. The incredible Bat-books are not typical, so when you find them, they shine brighter than the rest. Writer Jeph Loeb & artist Tim Sale not only created one of the best Batman stories of all time (The Long Halloween), but they followed up with two more fantastic mini-series (Dark Victory and Catwoman: When in Rome). This omnibus collection combines those three plus the one-shot Halloween specials that started it all, making for one of the best value oversized collections you could pick up.

The Long Halloween is a direct sequel to Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli’s Batman: Year One. Set a few months after the events of that comic, we’re still focused on a newly debuted Batman. Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent have formed a shaky alliance with Batman as they attempt to rid Gotham of the criminal influence of organized crime. However, Batman’s arrival has been followed by similarly costumed villains, reflecting the city’s descent into madness. The most dangerous foe is still Carmine Falcone, the head of Gotham’s most well-known crime family.

On Halloween Night, Johnny Viti, Carmine’s nephew, is shot & killed. The killer leaves behind their murder weapon, a .22 caliber pistol with the nipple of a baby bottle for a crude silencer. Also found at the crime scene is a jack o’lantern. More killings follow on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, leading this mysterious assailant to be dubbed The Holiday Killer by the police. Every victim is connected to Carmine, and there’s no end to the list of suspects. His family members have motives, but so do Harvey Dent and Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Over a single year, Batman investigates each killing, drawing closer to the identity of Holiday. Meanwhile, Gotham’s villains run amok often in the employ of the Falcone crime family.

While Jeph Loeb’s writing is not always my favorite (see his Ultimates mini-series for Marvel), he is firing on all cylinders here. He picks the story up seamlessly from Miller’s retelling of Batman’s origin but never feels derivative. This is just a logical continuation in the development of Batman as Gotham’s protector. Instead of leaning into capes & tights stories, Loeb makes this a classic noir, a subgenre perfectly fitting for Batman. As fits the Dark Knight Detective, The Long Halloween delivers a mystery with plenty of clues and people with a motive to kill. Tim Sale’s stylized art perfectly matches, with heavy shadows cast over each scene. Sale’s characters are impressionistic in design, a great example of how seeking realism in comic art is never as rewarding as when an artist creates pieces that build mood & match the style of the writing.

Loeb & Sale value nuance in their storytelling, which means much of The Long Halloween, and the solution to its central mystery is done with a deft hand. I was especially pleased with Harvey Dent’s story arc, as it is one of the most central to the overall narrative. We see right away that Dent is no angel. He’s certainly determined to take out Carmine Falcone but makes comments alluding to his willingness to shirk the law to make the “bad guys pay.” He is immediately on the list of potential suspects for Batman, which plays excitingly as the audience would likely know Dent’s fate to become Two-Face. 

Loeb & Sale frame each holiday thematically to Batman’s corner of the world. Thanksgiving becomes the scene of a mass murder of four of Falcone’s men while they sit around the table having a meal. Poison Ivy shows up to put Bruce Wayne under her thrall for St. Patrick’s Day. Fireworks help hide the shots fired on the Fourth of July. The cast is sprawling, and I think that’s one of the potential pitfalls of the series; it’s a lot of plates to keep spinning. You have your expected cast of Batman’s confidantes, plus Falcone and the members of his biological & crime families, with almost every one of Batman’s Rogues showing up along the way. I’m curious how this story would read for someone new to the Batman mythos. Would they keep up or get confused about certain characters who pop in and don’t have a formal introduction?

The Long Halloween was followed by a 14-issue sequel, Dark Victory, a direct continuation of the loose ends left in the previous story. Starting a few months after The Long Halloween, with a serial killer nicknamed the Hangman targeting Gotham City police officers. In the background of this, a territory war has exploded between Two-Face, leading many familiar villainous faces, and Falcone’s gangster army. It’s becoming clear that the age of standard mobsters is fading as the garish & gimmicky criminal has risen to be the standard. In the second half of this sprawling epic, Bruce Wayne witnesses the murder of Dick Grayson’s parents and adopts the boy after seeing a connection between their tragic lives. This leads to the debut of Robin, who will become one of Batman’s closest confidantes & allies. Dark Victory also serves as a finale in the unofficial trilogy that started with Miller’s Year One and continued in The Long Halloween. Together, they serve as a definitive origin for Batman, bringing us to a time when he is established and no longer learning to be the hero; he’s finally become it. 

Batman has taken Dent’s fall from grace personally and becomes even more of a loner, shirking off Gordon’s desire to work together to fight crime. The person hiding behind the Holiday identity is released under house arrest, but Batman watches them closely. Meanwhile, Falcone’s daughter, Sofia Gigante, recovers from the permanent damage done to her by Catwoman in their final fight. Dent has been replaced by Janice Porter as Gotha’s district attorney, and she has built trust with Jim Gordon. However, Porter is having an affair with a shadowy figure interested in disrupting the peace in Gotham.

One of Loeb’s key themes is exploring Batman moving past his brooding loner phase and into an understanding of the strengths of mentorship and partnership. Sale initially didn’t want to do the art for this book, stating that he wasn’t a big fan of the Robin concept and felt it clashed with the noir-ish tone of these stories. Loeb convinced him to continue as his take on Batman was that after a few years of fighting crime in Gotham, he’d begun to lose touch with his humanity. Robin and Catwoman are anchors for Batman, bringing him back from the edge and reminding him of the need for a support network.

One of my favorite things about Dark Victory is how it marks the end of organized crime dominating Gotham and signals that a new era of costumed criminals is now dominant. The introductions of these villains are not told here; it’s implied Batman has faced them for the first time between these stories. Seeing many of the villains working together also reminded me of episodes from Batman: The Animated Series, where we were given classic interpretations against a noir backdrop. I would say that tonally, Loeb & Sale’s work does mesh well with Batman: TAS.

Catwoman: When in Rome was a very unexpected mini-series for me. It takes place parallel to the final issues of Dark Victory, following Catwoman when she leaves that story. There’s a moment in Dark Victory’s epilogue that reveals a bit of what she learned on this journey. Selina Kyle brings Edward Nigma, The Riddler, along as she travels to Rome. Selina has come to learn more about Carmine Falcone’s past. As to why she wants to know this, well, that is revealed throughout the story. She brings Eddie along because of his acumen for puzzling things out. He’s portrayed as an overly horny but ultimately pathetic figure, with most of his attention going to Selina, who makes sure Eddie knows he’s not desired.

When in Rome plays out over a single week. Selina arrives on a Monday, where she meets Christopher “The Blond” Castillo, a hitman employed by local boss Don Verinni. Selina can convince those she meets that she and Catwoman are separate people, which gives her a slight advantage. However, mobsters start dropping dead, and Selina finds it’s from the same venom The Joker uses in his crimes. Eventually, Mr. Freeze’s gun encases her in a block of ice. Finally, Selina finds her way to Louisa, the reclusive first wife who doesn’t want to answer questions about her husband.

All in all, this mini-series isn’t the strongest of Loeb & Sale’s work, but it’s not bad either. Its tone is far lighter than The Long Halloween and Dark Victory while still not feeling like fluff or filler. It’s a stylish, fun, & humorous outing for Catwoman. The story is very straightforward, and the art is absolutely gorgeous. Tim Sale is firing on all cylinders with very kinetic, fluid work. That said, he is clearly super horny for Selina, about as much as Eddie, so there are many shots of Selina lounging around in her underwear or poolside in a two-piece or in nothing at all, the naughty bits cleverly obscured. It’s not just an excuse for pin-up art, though. Selina is very well-written, and her discoveries add a lot to her development as a character.

The Loeb & Sale Batman omnibus is an incredible collection of work, a reminder of how damn good we had it in the 1990s as Batman fans, my personal favorite era for the character. If you have never read any of this duo’s work, I would even recommend this as a blind buy. It typically goes for $125 US, but right now, Amazon has it for $68. Those wanting a great collection of Batman comics would be well advised to pick this one up.