DC announced today that writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale are reuniting for “Batman: The Long Halloween Special.” Releasing in a 48-page prestige format and picking up where the acclaimed 1996 maxiseries left off, the special is set to explore unrevealed secrets from the original 13-issue run. “Join the team for the return of the Batman Halloween specials,” the official announcement teases, “And a mystery that could destroy Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Two-Face, and… well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”
“We’re thrilled to be back at DC revisiting some of our favorite characters,” Loeb says of the special. “All the while revealing that you may not know the whole story.”
“As it has always been, working together on Batman has brought out the best of Jeph and myself as Gotham City storytellers,” Tim Sale said of their collaboration. “We have been blessed to have the mighty talents of Comicraft’s [letterer] Richard Starkings with us every step of the way, and are very fortunate to welcome colorist, Brennan Wagner, to help shape our latest venture.”
The announcement comes days after the release of Batman: The Long Halloween – Part One, DC’s latest animated adaptation, and just before Part Two comes to digital (on July 27) and Blu-ray (August 10).
The original “Long Halloween” celebrates its 25th anniversary this December, with its influence felt not just in the comics that followed, but in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and Rocksteady’s Arkham games. Loeb and Sale collaborated on the book after producing an annual series of “Legends of the Dark Knight” Halloween specials (later collected as “Batman: Haunted Knight”) from 1993 to 1995. They would follow it with “Batman: Dark Victory” in 1999, and “Catwoman: When in Rome” in 2005, as well as several non-Batman books like “Superman For All Seasons,” and “Daredevil: Yellow.”
The special marks Loeb’s first comic book project since departing Marvel Television in 2019, where he had served as Executive Vice President for nine years. It is also his first after allegations emerged from Daredevil cast members Peter Shinkoda and Tommy Walker that Loeb had expressed anti-Asian sentiments during the production of the Marvel Netflix shows, claiming he said “nobody gives a shit” about Asian characters, and that he rejected Defenders showrunner Doug Petrie’s pitch for a multiracial Asian American version of Iron Fist. Loeb has never commented on the allegations.
“Batman: The Long Halloween Special” is due to hit shelves on October 12, 2021, with a $7.99 price tag, and two additional covers from Tim Sale.
