Breeeeeathe those inks and colours in! - Rated 
This is exquisite.
I seldom care about plot, and this one is a lame attempt to string the reader along with a murder mystery that is just a prolonged case of name-dropping. The fact that any one of the innumerable suspects could have done it means those that didn't do it this time will be back next time, so, who cares who did it today? A rollover series of twists at the end is one more sign of narrative impotence, as if the storyteller knows the twist hasn't made an impact and so tries another, tries another, tries another, a storyteller who doesn't know when to shut up and let the art close the sequence. And what passes for repartee is crrringeworthy-corny:
BATMAN: Curiosity killed the cat.
CATWOMAN: But satisfaction brought her back.
And there's the customary comic book trap of kitsch sentimentality that better writers learn to avoid - you know, it often comes with the line, "I'm so Very tired," the kind of phoney emoting that Jeph Loeb tries to sell when he depicts Bruce Wayne remembering his father:
WAYNE: I...I just miss him, Alfred. Is that so wrong?
What a dumb use of a question mark. If only Alfred's response could have been...
ALFRED Yes, that's VERY wrong, Master Bruce. [Slap] DON'T do it again.
...then we could move on. Fat chance. Oh Jeph Loeb isn't exceptionally bad as comic book writers go. He's no Brian Michael Bendis, though.
But the Art of this book is beautiful.
Tim Sale's noirish and selectively retro illustrations entice you into their world. O he makes the mistake of most modern illustrators in drawing the superhero so preposterously pumped up that he must be taking injections and far too much Shredded Wheat...but aside from Batman, who isn't nearly as important as he likes to think, and despite the excuse for a plot, Gotham and its characters look vibrant and intriguing. And there's another reason for that, in the greater who-done-it here of which contributor makes the difference between a fine book and a magnificent work of art...
Spoiler: Gregory Wright mixed the colours. The colour scheme is the better part of this book. Many panels take a two tone matte palette and evoke a whole scene that makes you go Wow. Sometimes he casts a powdery pall of midnight blue over dusky grey - or an atmospheric streak of colour in a greyscale backdrop - so how does every panel look so rich in texture and lighting and colouring?
Beats me, but this is the best coloured comic I've ever seen, including 'Marvels'. And when Greg Wright introduces a saturated splash of crimson into the palette, the impact is..well, let's not use a macho comic word, let's not say 'awesome,' let's get used to saying 'exquisite' instead, because these panels are a delight. Some colourists are afraid of the night (is 'Batman' ever the wrong comic for those artists), but Wright knows how to use it to suggest layerings of colour that lurk in the mind of the reader - the palette stays subtle.
One other thing: the smell. The scent of the ink. Ahhh. If the police ever get word of how high you can get sniffing these fragrant pages, we're all in trouble. My edition is the British Titan paperback, and the pages smell of paint as if my copy has been personally hand-painted by Greg Wright. It's the only comic book in my collection that has this powerful paint smell, so if any of you paint afficianados out there know of any other comic books that compare with the glorious olefactory experience that is BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, for pity's sake let me know in the Comments facility below.
All in all, I'm high as a kite over this captivating work of art.
Loved it - Rated
Was really impressed by this. Probably my favourite of all the Batman Graphic novels I've read (in all fairness I've only read 5 or 6 of them, so I'm not the biggest expert on the subject). Thought it moved at a good pace, and was a generally very compelling story. The artwork's excellent, and it's probably got the best looking rendition of Two-Face I've come accross. It's also rather lengthy, which is something I love in a graphic novel. Going to get Dark Victory next (Sale and Loeb's sequal to this), and will be very happy if it's even half as good as this.
Loved every moment, and would recommend to any Graphic novel fan.
A fantastic graphic novel - Rated
As a longtime Marvel fan, I rarely dabble with DC. This was recommended to me and even if I wasn't a comic book fan I'd still recommend this to anyone with a set of eyeballs and a grasp of the English language. It's a great novel and story even if you have never heard of Batman. As a fan of Jim Lee-style artwork, I was a bit dubious about the art at first, but this stuff is so atmospheric and tight that I'm now a convert.
Not sure how it fits into the Batman canon since I'm not a regular reader, but it has prompted me to purchase Dark Victory and Hush, both of which I would again recommend highly to any comic fan or simply someone who likes a good, intelligent story.
Not that special if you aren't a huge fan of crime fiction - Rated 
I have to state that I'm not a great lover of the noir graphic novel, and I sometimes think that Batman's enemies are more interesting than the man himself. I did approach this title with an open mind, though, as I had enjoyed Batman books in the past, such as Alan Moore's superb Batman: The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's take on the Dark Knight.
However, I have two problems with this book. Firstly, I didn't like Tim Sale's artwork very much - so already I'm on to a loser. I found it flat and dark and uninspiring. I much prefer a more detailed and bright artwork, such as that by the likes of Gary Frank, John Cassaday or Frank Quiteley. Secondly, well, the story itself was ever so simplistic and there was little in the way of true introspection from any of the characters, particularly Batman himself. The regular rogues gallery - the likes of The Riddler and The Joker et al. - seemed shoe-horned into the story, and their inclusion didn't quite gel with what was going on. Worst of all was the fact that the fears of the gangsters, who are being picked off on various public holidays, were never shown in anyway, so we had victims who we felt absolutely no connection with; just faceless individuals who became faceless corpses. If Mr Loeb had concentrated more on their plight, picked out a few individuals amongst them, shown their backgrounds and family lives, then allowed us to feel a strong and palpable sense of their dread over what was happening to their peers and what could happen to them, then I would have been far more intrigued.
So, not for me, no, but seeing as, for example, this book has garnered 77 five star reviews on Amazon.com alone, I am obviously the exception which proves the rule.
Batman for the fan who is...slightly older now - Rated
If like me, you have fond memories of being young and pouring over those 70s Batman comics and getting lost in the wonder of them, this book is very good news. Since we're all a bit older now and less easliy drawn into super hero tales, this book was a total delight and surprise. Intelligently written and well drawn, it's a joy to sit and read.
Little homages and references to things we've all seen (e.g. 'the Godfather')plus a cast of the usual baddies but all thoughfully and cleverely written, make it a great read. And something that you can go to as an older reader and not come away nostaglic but disappointed: Batman can be written well for an 'older' readership - it made me feel 11 again, but, kind of in a way that's still OK when you're in your thirties!
Well done Leob and Sale.
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