Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween #7 – Jeph Loeb, Writer; Dave Johnson, Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist; Richard Starkings, Lettering & Design
Ray – 9/10
Ray: While the search for the new Holiday killer has been at the heart of this series, it’s as much about Batman’s adjustment to an equally big challenge – parenthood. Over the course of this issue, he can come off as harsh and demanding as he trains Robin, but it’s very clear that it comes not just out of love, but out of fear. He and Robin share a loss, and he’s not going to allow that to happen again – something that is very clear as he tries to train Dick in the aftermath of the boy’s near-death injury. But as Dick remains on computer duty while healing from his injuries, Bruce pays tribute to the women in both of their lives on Mother’s Day. The cemetery scene of this issue has to be one of the best scenes of the series, and Dave Johnson – an artist you don’t hear too much about in mainstream comic discourse these days – does an amazing job of fusing his normal style with that of Tim Sale.
But this issue definitely isn’t all father-son bonding, as Catwoman is in the wind and Mario Falcone has gone missing. The culprit is none other than Poison Ivy – who is returning to her villainous roots in this issue. This is basic model Ivy, using mind control to manipulate Catwoman and keeping Falcone alive to torture him. There are some pretty intense scenes in this segment, and it’s a little strange to see Ivy in this style when she’s become a much more nuanced character since. From there, we get a huge reveal as a key character from the earlier volumes makes her return, revealing a key detail and potentially being set up as the main villain. It seems like there might not be one new Holiday Killer here – but maybe a game of killers that’s turning deadlier with each issue. Loeb has really pulled out the all-stars for this story, so I’m excited to see how the final act plays out.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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