Writer Jeph Loeb returned to the world of Batman: Long Halloween with The Last Halloween. It’s a ten-part series that brings readers back into a darker and more film noir feeling Gotham City with art that pays tribute to the late, great Tim Sale. In Batman: The Last Halloween No. 4, the combination of Loeb’s writing and Cliff Chiang’s art showed just how scary it can be for Alfred Pennyworth and a young Dick Grayson if they had to watch Bruce Wayne die.
Here’s a fun fact for you, Batman is human. I know, shocking right? With all of his death-defying moves and scuffles with gods, it’s easy to forget he’s just a guy in a bat suit. Sometimes a writer will remind comic book fans that Bruce Wayne is mortal. If it’s done right, it’s an unforgettable story. Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween No. 4 is one of those moments and the creative team worked it perfectly.
As Alfred tries to resuscitate his fallen son, Dick Grayson looks on helplessly as his father figure is unconscious without a heartbeat. He thinks to himself that he can’t go through this again. It wasn’t too long ago that his parents died.
While Alfred works on saving Batman's life, Dick can’t help but wonder if his parent's death was his fault. He questioned if he checked the lines the night they died. He doesn't know the answer yet. Even then, the truth of the night the Flying Graysons died won't be revealed until years later during Tom Taylor's Nightwing.
""After my parents were murdered, I never wanted another Christmas ever. Until I met Bruce Wayne. He didn't only save my life...Bruce gave me a life. We are Batman and Robin. " -Dick Grayson"Writer: Jeph Loeb
On the other side of that is Alfred Pennyworth who must remain calm for two reasons. First, a shaky hand and an unclear mind will leave Batman dead. Bruce is bleeding internally and has a bullet inside him. Secondly, Alfred needs Robin's help. To get it, Alfred has to talk to him in a stern tone. If Alfred wasn't direct with his commands, Dick would have lost himself to the fear of his mentor dying.
Dick says that he always hated it when his father talked like that, but it was clearly necessary at the time. He needed to be calmed and that was the only way it would happen. This also helped readers. We were given a glimpse into Dick Grayson’s mind. We got to see how he thought during this situation and how a teenager is forced to grow up faster than he should.
This writer doesn’t like grading comic books, but Batman: The Long Halloween: Batman: The Last Halloween No. 4 gets an A+ and is one of the best Batman comic books of 2024. The funny thing is this wasn’t about The Dark Knight. It was all about a defining moment in Dick Grayson’s life. Instead of crawling inside himself, Robin analyzed the problem, came up with a solution, and followed through. Jeff Loeb gave comic book fans a moment they never knew they needed and we should be thankful.
Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween is written by Jeph Loeb with art by Cliff Chiang.
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