As a life long fan of all things horror, it seemed right to come up with a mini-column for the month of October, leading up to Halloween, with some of my personal favorites from the world of horror comics. I want to discuss the works through all of their components – the writing, the art, the ideas and themes; to interrogate what makes this particular comic book series or graphic novel a standout in the horror genre. I really want to delve into titles that maybe haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve, or simply have had some years out of the spotlight. For the final entry this month, I decided to go with a book that is Halloween themed with “Batman: Haunted Knight” by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Mild Spoilers Ahead
Cover by Tim SaleWritten by Jeph Loeb
Illustrated by Tim Sale
Colored by Gregory Wright
Lettered by Todd Klein
Chapter Separations Designed by Android Images
The first time Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale teamed up on Batman was for three Halloween specials for “Legends of the Dark Knight.” It was later reprinted as “Haunted Knight” to make for a fun and creepy anthology series inspired by Halloween and classic horror stories. Using some of the key villains from Batman’s Rogues Gallery, Loeb sets them against The Dark Knight in ways meant to excite and terrify. A great read for this time of year, it may not have the recognition of the creative duos other outings, but it is a must for fans of this team, and of this era of “Batman.” It is because of this that fans were graced with “The Long Halloween,” “Dark Victory,” and “Catwoman: When in Rome.”
The first story ‘Fears’ has, you guessed it, Dr. Jonathan Crane – The Scarecrow causing mayhem throughout Gotham City. Over the course of a week, leading up to Halloween, Scarecrow has been blowing up power relays. Allowing pockets of Gotham to go dark, he has used the chaos to commit a slew of crimes. Between his endless hours of his dual life as both the Caped Crusader and as Bruce Wayne, Batman is noticing that he has been over tired lately. Feeling not quite himself, and almost to the point where he isn’t on top of his game as the Batman. However, he quickly dispatches of Scarecrow’s goons and tracks down the madman and puts an end to his crime streak, or so he thinks. Crane sprays Batman with his most recent Fear Toxin and it seemingly has no effect. Scarecrow gets carted away, and Bruce must return to Wayne Manor for the Halloween Costume Ball he is throwing. During the party, the Scarecrow is able to escape by using his toxin on the cops holding him. At the same time Bruce has met a mysterious woman named Jillian who seems just as intrigued by him as he is of her.
‘Fears’ sprints through this possible budding romance between Bruce and Jillian, Batman hunting down the Scarecrow, and facing his own fears that stem from the night of his parents’s murder. The Halloween theme aside, what sets this story firmly into this horror anthology is a nearly pitch perfect use of Scarecrow and the effects of his toxin. It is never over done. We get some great imagery that would go on to inspire future iterations of both the villain and Batman lore as a whole. Loeb really allows us to see Bruce/Batman at his most vulnerable. He also leaves us with a bit of a mystery. What is making Batman deal with these issues at this moment in time? Is it a delayed effect of the Fear Toxin? The possibility of a real relationship with a woman? Guilt over how he must split his life right down the middle? It’s a solid little mystery without over explanation and a satisfying resolution. It even has some old school Alfred quips.
Of the three stories this is the most Gothic Noir and Sale does an excellent job with both the environments and emotional set pieces to differentiate it from the other stories in this volume. His placement of characters within the frames is genius. His work captures both an action epic style with the quiet subtlety of old detective movies. It feels both modern and like something ripped out of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Gregory Wright’s color work is what truly gives this story its gothic tone. Without his stark shadows and high contrast lighting this story would not achieve the level of beauty that is on display throughout. Every page is stunning and his palette choices call back to decades of different styles of Batman. An interesting mystery with exciting action moments make for an excellent “Batman” special and it was a perfect choice for opening up this book.
Continued belowNext up is ‘Madness.’ One of the more unsettling and uncomfortable “Batman” arcs. The story really goes in for a closer look at who Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter really is underneath the silly portrayal and costume. Other the other side of this creepy coin we get a really nice exploration into a pre-Batgirl Barbara Gordon. As some fans may not know, Barbara is actually Jim’s niece who he and his wife, also Barbara, have adopted. We follow young Barbara who is new to Gotham City really getting accustomed to her new surroundings and her new family. Aside from the dialogue the story moves back and forth between narration from both Batman and Barbara as they are dealing with battles of two very different kinds on the night before Halloween.
The moments between Jim and Barbara aren’t always comfortable or happy. As both try to get used to one another their fears and their sensibilities clash. Both are from different worlds and it is going to take some time for them to bond. An argument about going out on Halloween comes to a head and Barbara decides to sneak out. With the Mad Hatter out on the loose things go from bad to worse. The Hatter gets the upperhand on Batman and uses this time to become…acquainted with Barbara. As Batman is out of it we see a bit more into his psyche – ties to his parents throughout. Their deaths, the first time Martha Wayne read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Bruce, and so on. The entire story really captures some deeply unnerving elements of both Gotham on Halloween and the inner workings of Jervis. Loeb’s script really plays around with sexual abuse, pedophilia, and drugging a minor. Overall, probably due to when it was published, it plays it safe more or less, but it’s covers some big concepts that should be tackled. Especially with the character of the Mad Hatter. We have seen him kidnap young women in various stories, attempting to fit them into the role of Alice, but this is possibly the first time we see it used in a much more sinister fashion. It is so much more than just kidnapping someone due to unrequited love/interest.
As for the artwork, it is another slam dunk from Sale & Wright. There isn’t really a push for the Gothic outside of a briefly seen park bridge. The style takes the story to a more traditional cityscape in terms of Gotham and its buildings. We mostly see the inside of the Gordon home and Wayne Manor. Wright’s colors are magnificent. For being so bright and really bringing this world to life, he still goes for more muted tones except for the main sequences with the Hatter. It is all beautiful even when crawling under your skin. LIke ‘Fears’ this is a must read in the grand scheme of “Batman.”
This volume wraps up with ‘Ghosts.’ Probably my least favorite of the bunch, but only because it is a Halloween spin on “A Christmas Carol.” It is still a very well done story and some of the most iconic panels in recent Bat-history – especially of Sale’s take on Poison Ivy. At a Halloween bash, Bruce has to swing into action when the Penguin crashes the party with death and destruction. After that situation is handled Bruce makes his way home, immediately passing out in bed. He is then visited by the ghost of his father a la Jacob Marley, who tells him the burden and obsession of being Batman will cause him to have a terrible afterlife. He is then visited by the Ghosts of Halloween Past, Present & Future in the guises of some of his most famous Rogues. It’s filled with beautiful art and a sad Bruce Wayne. In terms of storytelling it’s nothing too incredibly deep. As I said it is just a Halloween mashup of the famous Dickens story, but the presentation is so nice to look at, it’s hard to bash it too much. It also makes for enjoyable, slightly lighter fare to close this book out with. And again, the art team simply kills it once again.
Like most books with Loeb and Sale at the helm, “Batman: Haunted Knight” feels like a warm blanket on a chilly stormy night. It will wrap you up in its scares, nostalgia, and well told Batman stories. This is a must read this time of year and it makes for one of the best Halloween comics ever produced.
These volumes have been re-released more than once, sometimes alone, sometimes included with “The Long Halloween” and “Dark Victory.” Any are easy to find anywhere you buy comics. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have and let us know what you think. Do you enjoy this October outing, or is the Dark Knight better left to non-holiday tales?
