The timing of The Last Halloween #2 couldn’t have been more perfect with the release falling on the day before Halloween (day of for this review). Oh the synergy! Issue #1 brought us back to the Gotham that Jeph Loeb and the late Tim Sale created decades ago, and it was an excellent start and laid the groundwork for what’s to come. Klaus Janson takes the reins for the art in this issue, so let’s see if it continues the momentum.
The issue begins with two goons (presumably some of the men that attacked Two-Face at the end of the first issue) dumping Solomon Grundy in the middle of an ocean, and he’s chained up and tied to some cinder blocks. It then jumps to Arkham Asylum, and Batman and Robin are investigating James Gordon Jr.’s disappearance. While Robin gets sidetracked and starts having a conversation with Calendar Man, Batman aggressively interrogates The Mad Hatter because he thinks that Hatter might have some information on the missing boy. Robin eventually interrupts the interrogation and leads Batman to another room where Catwoman is getting her leg treated by a doctor.
Batman asks Selina what happened to her, and she reveals that she was indeed shot and tried dealing with it herself but the wound got infected. Hence why she’s with the doctor in Arkham. Batman offers to get Selina better medical care, but she declines and wants to stay in Arkham because it’s safer there. Since Thanksgiving is coming up, she thinks that another Holiday killer will try to make a move. We then catch up with Commissioner Gordon at the police station, and he receives a strange package that Batman thinks has ties with Mario Falcone. Then they see that someone turned the Bat signal on, and Gordon and Batman meet up on the roof of the station with a couple of F.B.I. agents.
One of the agents gives Batman an umbrella that was at the crime scene where James Gordon Jr. was kidnapped. The agents leave, and Batman discovers that someone put a plastic handle over the real handle of the umbrella. The real handle is in the shape of a penguin. Batman then confronts Penguin on the eve of Thanksgiving, and Penguin tries to flee the scene. I won’t spoil the ending of the issue but something happens to Penguin, and it puts Batman in a precarious situation.
I thought this was another solid issue. It wasn’t as good as the first issue, but there was a lot to appreciate about it. The artwork was the standout of the issue for me. Klaus Janson’s illustrations paid a respectful homage to Tim Sale, and I thought his use of shadows was really captivating. I also liked how he included minuscule details in the background, specifically in Arkham Asylum, that gave easter eggs to other villains in Batman’s rogue gallery. Details like that just transport me into the deranged world of Gotham. The pacing in the issue was very fast as a lot happened, and it left me with a lot of questions. There were some story beats early in the issue that involved Robin that I thought were kind of odd, but I will wait to see how the story plays out before I jump into any conclusions. Even though there were some story choices that left me scratching my head, there were a couple of instances that were pretty humorous. The playful dynamic between Batman and Catwoman was classic, and Robin had a couple of funny one-liners.
Recommended if…
- You like “whodunnit” mystery thrillers.
- You are a fan of Klaus Janson’s artwork.
- You want to see Batman throw Mad Hatter around like a rag doll.
Overall
Issue #2 of The Last Halloween was another solid read. It might not have reached the highs of issue #1, but I’m still intrigued to find out what happens next. Klaus Janson was the MVP, and Jeph Loeb is crafting a mystery that leaves me wanting more and that’s still worth of The Long Halloween’s legacy. Onto issue #3 and happy Halloween to all the ghouls out there.
Score: 8/10
English (US) · 