Batman: The Long Halloween The Sequel: Dark Victory written by Jeph Loeb and art by Tim Sale
Just when you thought the Calendar Murders were solved, a new holiday-themed killing spree erupts in Gotham City. This time, cops are targeted. The hung bodies all have a bloody "hang man" game attached to them, written on files from ex-DA Harvey Dent. Dent was splashed with acid and became Two-Face in the previous story. He was locked up in Arkham Asylum but a break-out happened and a lot of villains, including Harvey, are on the loose. Can Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and new DA Janice Porter, who has her own dark secrets and past with both Dent and the crime families of Gotham, stop the murderer or murderers?
This story is fairly grim as both Gordon and Batman deal with their guilt over what happened to Harvey Dent. Harvey has his own scheme, gathering the freed criminals in the sewers, though his objective is not clear. The Falcone family, now headed by Sofia Falcone, is bent on revenge for her father's death and her own wounding at the hands of Catwoman in the previous story. Catwoman drops out of the story for her Roman adventure (the When in Rome graphic novel) though she returns at the very end of this book. Dick Greyson shows up late the volume and becomes Robin at the very end. He almost seems shoe-horned in but he is yet another character trying to find a place in the world after a traumatic displacement, like Harvey and Gordon and the Falcones and Catwoman and Batman. Bruce Wayne hopes to provide a better opportunity to Dick than he had as a child (oddly enough, so does Alfred the Butler). A redemptive undertone fills the book.
While the plot wasn't as tight and focused as in The Long Halloween, it is exciting enough and has plenty intrigue to keep readers engaged. Sale's art is very particular and fits the dark, odd tone of the story.
Recommended, highly for Batman fans.
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