Batman: Dark Victory

The Long Halloween is great, but I actually had more fun reading through Dark Victory. It's a crime mystery that consistently had me guessing through to the conclusion about who The Hangman's true identity was. What I really loved most was the evolution of the characters' personalities--from Jim Gordon to Harvey Dent to Bruce (who really is more in his iconic "Batman" persona here)--that began in Batman: Year One to Batman: The Long Halloween and into Batman: Dark Victory. It really does work like a trilogy. It's also notable to include Gotham city's underworld itself as a character of its own. Batman begins (pardon the pun) in Year One with a quest to sort of rid the city of the mafia, which is and has been the main criminal body up until this point. In The Long Halloween, the mafia begins to lose power because of the rise of the Batman's presence. During that time, some of the most insane and dangerous criminals escape Arkham Asylum and begin quietly terrorizing the city anew, spreading like a virus. Slowly, the "freaks"--as the mafia calls them--start to gain more and more power by simply being a more unorganized crime source (as opposed to organized crime). Characters like Pamela Isley, Solomon Grundy, Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, Scarecrow, the Joker, and others, establish and strengthen their grips on Gotham's criminal underworld.It's nice that these villains--these "freaks"--also aren't the main conflict in Dark Victory (or The Long Halloween or Year One, for that matter); they appear when it is effective for them to appear, slowly taking more prominence in the setting of the story as it progresses. The main conflict has to deal with the solving of the mysteries behind The Hangman killings. The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are, primarily, crime mysteries, which is what makes them interesting. What makes them great literature, however, is the creative team that is Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.Loeb's writing is really well-crafted here: the entire arc unfolds at a consistent pace and he balances out dialogue with Batman's internal narration very smoothly. And, as I mentioned previously, personality and narrative arcs of the main characters (Gordon, Batman, and Dent) have fully matured by this point in the trilogy, leaving the supporting characters a chance to evolve and come into their own.Much of these progressions are not just depicted by the writing, however; Tim Sale (who worked previously with Loeb on The Long Halloween) elevates and perfects his artwork in this story. There's not a change in the look of the characters, so you know it's definitely his style, but you sense immediately (especially if reading Dark Victory right after finishing The Long Halloween) the new level of attention paid to composition of the drawings. Shadows and silhouettes, contrasts between setting and characters, everything adds to the mood and atmosphere of the characters and the scenes they're a part of.In terms of the print itself, the paperback is excellent. This and The Long Halloween have really nice paper, which I'll catch myself sometimes randomly sniffing in the middle of a read to enjoy the new paper smell. The ink is really crisp, the colors pop, and the design of the book itself is laid out very clearly. There aren't page numbers or a contents page, but every issue is separated by chapter pages that include gorgeous, high-contrast artwork to help distinguish which issue you're on. Additionally, the print comes with an introduction by David S. Goyer, who co-wrote the Nolan film trilogy.Overall, I can't stress enough how gorgeous this trade paperback is and how excellent and top-tier this story arc is. I really enjoyed it just as much, if not more so, then The Long Halloween. No other Batman story arc has topped my enjoyment of this particular trilogy. Highly recommended in addition to Batman: Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween.

Truly what can I say? It was perfect. The twist and turns were divine, I loved every second of it.

An amazing continuation from The Long Halloween. Another great crime thriller from Sale and Loeb that introduces another killer and the introduction of Robin.

Coming off from The Long Halloween, Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale give us the sequel to their popular story tale in which we see Batman go at it with another year long mystery, while also giving us an origin story for the first Robin, Dick Grayson. After reading this book, I have come away having with even more love of the Dark Knight's mythology, while coming to see this as my favorite Batman story that I have read, even if it doesn't stand as well on its own.ON the narrative side of things, Loeb delivers a story fairly similar to the one he gave in The Long Halloween, though I feel this one is a bit more polished than Halloween was. Some have said that the retreading of plot structure have limited the way Loeb's later works are read, but I myself have no problem with it (for the most part), Loeb manages to do enough differently that you don't feel like you're reading the exact same story. The real big negative I'd have to give this graphic novel is that it really doesn't stand as well by itself than if you had read The Long Halloween. While I myself read that story before coming in to this one, I did see many connections that I would assume would through off any newcomers who hadn't read the prior story. But I will say that this is the story that had me invested the most emotionally. Without giving away any spoilers, that last page in the novel gave me such a cathartic experience that I really came to appreciate certain aspects of the Dark Knight's mythology, and how themes of loneliness were touched upon in a very genuine way.Looking at the art for the novel, Sale's work has improved much from The Long Halloween. I always mention in reviews concerning Sale that I was originally not a fan of his art, but after going through his work, you can't help but admire the level skill he manages to put in his drawings. There is a very big noir feeling in this novel (a plus for ) that is just delivered so well that any preferences in art I may have against Sale are put away in admiring the way he plays with lighting in the story. My biggest complaint for the art, which is a more of a personal thing really, is that I do not like the "pixie" costume they gave Robin (which is his default costume that many would associate him with). I have never really liked this costume, probably never will, but again, this is just me.Overall, I would say I really enjoyed the novel and would have to recommend it to any fans of the Batman (although I'd make sure you have read The Long Halloween first). This has come to be one of my most favorited Batman stories I've read, and I hope others will receive the same level of satisfaction that I have.

This takes all of the great elements of the Long Halloween and keeps it going. The two of those books together is a great story telling. Ticks all the boxes of a great Batman book. If you like this and Long Halloween check out The Penguin show on HBO Max. and if you like The Penguin but haven't read these two books you should since the show pulls a lot of influence from them.

Read The Long Halloween first or you will have literally no clue what is going on! Dark Victory is a beautiful continuation of the Long Halloween, the writing is truly perfection and the artwork done by Tim Sale is now iconic of the Batman universe. I liked the plot line, it runs a very similar course to the Long Halloween, expect a long detailed investigation lead by the greatest detective the world has ever known. Unfortunately the ending doesn't contain the triple twist Loeb masterfully weaves into the Long Halloween but it is still a very solid conclusion.

A fantastic sequel to Batman The Long Halloween with incredible artwork by Tim Sale.

A great sequel to the long Halloween, Batman must help Commisssioner Gordon catch the person who has been hanging policemen on holidays. And it's made to look like Two-Face is to blame.