The mystery surrounding the copycat Holiday shootings resumes in The Last Halloween issue #6. Batman and Robin are looking for motivations for these attacks and for potential suspects, and they might have a lead. There are still many unanswered questions, so how will the Dynamic Duo solve the case? Enrico Marini handles the illustrations on this, and these are my thoughts.
My enjoyment of reading this series has been up and down throughout. I really enjoyed the first two issues, but I’ve found that from issue #3 and on that the story has ranged from “fine” to “meh.” I just feel that the story that Jeph Loeb is crafting has been a little convoluted with all the subplots. They have been bogging down the main plot with uninteresting storylines. But I do think that issue #6 is a step in the right direction.
This issue was mostly set up with Batman and Robin doing more detective work. I did appreciate that aspect of the issue, and I feel the dynamic between the two was developed really well. The issue picks up right where the last issue ended, and it involved this interaction between Two-Face and Gilda Dent. As mentioned earlier, this is one subplot that I just don’t find intriguing. That could change in the upcoming issues but as of right now, I just don’t know if I care how their story fits into the larger mystery.
One subplot that I did find somewhat intriguing involved Catwoman and Poison Ivy. It’s been hinted at in previous issues that Selina might know more than what she’s letting on, and her involvement with the Falcone family might be at the root of it. I also liked the callback to the other Loeb/Sale miniseries, Catwoman: When in Rome. We’ll see if any other elements from that series tie into the next few issues because it seems like it’s heading that way based on what happened at the end.
Marini’s artwork was solid. But compared to the artwork that other artists have done in the previous issues, I felt a little underwhelmed. I still appreciated that Marini invoked Tim Sale’s work while making it his own. And that sentiment goes for all of the artists that have worked on this series so far. I especially enjoyed the character design for Poison Ivy. It brought me back to when I first read The Long Halloween and marveled at Tim Sale’s depiction of Ivy.
Recommended if…
- You’re into the detective aspects in Batman stories.
- You’ve been enjoying the mystery so far and want to see how it plays out.
- You want to see Robin make lame cold puns (no one beats the puns from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman & Robin).
Overall
The Last Halloween #6 was just fine. I’m still somewhat intrigued in the main mystery, but some of the subplots are just not that interesting. The rotation of various artists continues to be the best thing about this series as each one of them have bought their own flair and paid respectful homage to the late Tim Sale. Loeb has been going back to his classic runs with this and Hush 2, so we’ll see if he can stick the landing on both titles.
Score: 7/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.
English (US) · 