The Batmanis set to be a gritty, realistic mystery story about the Caped Crusader hunting an enigmatic serial killer. Among the pantheon of beloved Batman stories, one great source of inspiration for a dark Batman mystery could be the hit 1996 seriesThe Long Halloween.
The Long Halloweenwas written by Jeph Loeb,former head of Marvel Televisionand writer for TV shows likeSmallville,films likeCommando,and author of many classic comic series. The art was done by Tim Sale, who frequently collaborated with Loeb on a wide variety of projects. The 13 issue series won an Eisner Award for Best Limited Series.
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Batman is a character who works in a wide variety of stories, from comedy to gritty crime drama to supernatural horror. That being the case, every story surrounding the character is a new opportunity for experimentation. Matt Reeves’s take on the Batman mythos ison a similar wavelength toThe Long Halloween.The Caped Crusader has tangled with gods, aliens, bank robbers, unethical megacorporations, and much more, but in both the upcoming film andThe Long Halloweenhe tangles with a semi-realistic serial killer.
Fans ofThe Long Halloweenwho have been paying attention to the trailers forThe Batmanmay have noticed some already confirmed details both works share. Both focus on Bruce Wayne fairly early into his career as a crime fighter, both see Batman forging a working relationship with Commissioner James Gordon, both feature Gotham City’s mob underworld, both feature numerous figures of the rogues gallery and both see Batman hunting serial killers. Director Matt Reeves has stated that the plot of the film will not be directly based on a particular comic book storyline, but there are clearly several elements of comparisons between the two works.Jeffery Wright, who will be portraying James Gordon, has even stated publically that he readThe Long Halloweenas research for the role.
The Long Halloweenhas actually been a source of inspiration for multiple other on-screen Batman adaptations. Most obviously, a two-part animated adaptation of the series was released in June and July of this year. The animated film version of the story was the 42nd release ofthe DC Animated universe, which has rarely seen theatrical release. The film was well-received, a direct adaptation of the beloved series was hotly anticipated and this take did not disappoint. Though this is the only direct adaptation ofThe Long Halloween,there are multiple other works inspired by the series.
The fourth season of the TV dramaGothamis the first in which the young Bruce Wayne lays claim to his Batman persona. The season takes place after a hostiletakeover by the Penguinbut takes a horror-themed direction early on. The season is heavily inspired byThe Long Halloweenbut intermixed with Frank Miller’sBatman: Year Oneseries. Much is changed in the adaptation, but at least the first half of the season is heavily inspired by the mob interplay and serial murder aspects ofThe Long Halloween,with the added element of the early-career Batman.
Perhaps the most beloved on-screen Batman story is Christopher Nolan’s2006 opusThe Dark Knight.That classic film, too, was inspired byThe Long Halloween.Its influence can be seen most in the less-discussed aspect of the film, Harvey Dent’s fall from grace. Though Heath Ledger’s Joker certainly stole the spotlight of the film, Dent’s grim descent from moral paragon to violent murderer feels lifted directly from the B-plot ofThe Long Halloween.In both works, the grim turn from Dent to Two-Face occurs while Batman is entangled with the film’s main threat. The film also sees Batman refuse to acknowledge Dent’s involvement until the last moment, much like the comic series.
The Long Halloweenhas already beenthe basis for multiple great adaptations, so why should it be a source of inspiration for the upcoming film? Because Matt Reeves has boldly stated thatThe Batmanwill bring back an element of the character that is too often underused.The Batmanwill be a mystery story, allowing Batman to use his skills as a detective on the big screen again. Modern tales about Bruce Wayne tend to spend more time on his fists than his brain, latching onto martial arts and gadgets rather than creating suspense or doing investigations. These aspects of the character are important, but The World’s Greatest Detective is rarely displayed using those skills.
The Long Halloweenis a great dark mystery series for the Caped Crusader, and whileThe Batmanwill obviously not directly adapt its narrative, it can learn much from its example. The chance to see Batman solve an unsolvable case will bea fun horror directionfor the character not seen on the big screen for several iterations.The Long Halloweenis clearly a great source for Batman stories and the plotline of the detective against a gritty serial killer as multiple criminals turn the city upside down will delight fans.
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