First Look at Batman: The Long Halloween – Part 5

Daily Ramble 46

Another busy day but I was able to keep up with my reading of The Long Halloween. I know I’m not gonna finish it by November 5th when it falls off DC Limited Universe but I had already purchased the comic on Comixology so I’ll be able to keep reading through the title even after it leaves the service. It’s just sad that I can’t point to it as a recommendation for reading on the paid DC Universe since I have no idea when it’ll be back. According to the mods at DC Universe…

So…they don’t have an answer for us yet and we just get to pay for it and accept whatever they give us. Oh well, I’m on board for at least a year and while I’ll still complain until they make things better.

Part 5 (of 13) of the The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale takes place on Valentine’s Day and things are definitely heating up between Bruce and Selina Kyle but before that, we see that Harvey Dent has coopted Gordon to confront Wayne about the new info Vernon, Dent’s assistant, gave him in the last issue. Harvey is certain there’s some kind of connection between the Falcone family and Bruce’s dead father. Alfred runs interference though since Batman is scouting out the cemetery for The Roman. He finds him as expected but once again, Catwoman shows up to mess with their conversation.

After a tussle in which the Cat scratches the Bat things are left hanging as in the next scene we see Selina and Bruce on a date. She’s in full seduction mode but when she buys a rose, Bruce is pricked by the thorn and it turns out the rose lady was actually Poison Ivy – not good.

In another part of town, Maroni’s men get shot up by the Holiday Killer, so it looks like suspicion is falling away from both he and Falcone since both their gangs have suffered losses but the heart-shaped candy box left at the scene sure looks a lot like the ones given to Barbara and Gilda by their husbands.

The plot is getting considerably thickened, particularly with the fact that we learn that Vernon is working for Maroni. I’m definitely enjoying this title and with that in mind, I’ll give this a First Look Rating of A-.