Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #2

Legends of the Dark Knight (1989)

by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale (Penciller), Gregory Wright (Colorist)

All Hallows Eve has come ’round again...and the Dark Knight of Gotham City has a midnight appointment with terror when he faces the twisted genius of the Mad Hatter!

Genres: Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Fiction, Superheroes

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an Emmy and WGA nominated American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a Co-Executive Producer on the NBC hit show Heroes, and formerly a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost.

A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner (see below), Loeb's comic book career includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Cable, Iron Man, Daredevil, Supergirl, the Avengers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale, who provides the comic art seen on Heroes.

Reviews

[Sean Carlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my review of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1, I noted how if you've read one Scarecrow story, you've read them all. Same goes for the Mad Hatter. And once again, this annual Halloween Special has little if anything to do with Halloween.

We also get the 14,458th retelling of the death of Batman's parents in Crime Alley (albeit this time with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland grafted onto the legend) and a standard-issue woman-in-jeopardy subplot featuring Gordon's daughter, Barbara.

"Madness" isn't a terrible one-shot -- it's certainly a step up from "Choices," and Tim Sale's artwork is suitably spirited -- but there's little in this story (including the whole Leslie Thompkins thing) that hasn't been covered elsewhere. It's the same scenarios, the same conversations, the same stylized violence you've seen in a thousand other Batman stories, both before and since.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story. Although shockingly as mad as Scarecrow and Joker combined, the Hatter is the 2D Batman villain and therefore becomes quite same-y to read his stories.

I loved the 'Through the looking glass' one liner though and the artwork was great, grimy and rough, just like Halloween. :)

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can see the improvement in this volume compared to the one from the prior year. Leph and Sale just keep getting better, and they also appear to be gelling as a creative team in this volume as well. This story features Batman vs. The Mad Hatter, and the art really pops.

RIP Tim Sale. Comics really lost a talented artist when he passed.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

+9 Once again, another knockout standalone Batman story by Loeb and Sale.

The Mad Hatter and his Alice in Wonderland gimmick/obsession is a great way to make the reader uncomfortable - he’s perfectly aware of his actions, but still chooses to speak lines from the classic 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Additionally, the font of his dialogue switches between upper and lower case consistently, making him even more unsettling. I’m really glad the creative team decided on this lettering technique since it really makes the Hatter stand out from other Batman villains.

The plot is entertaining enough, but what really takes the cake here is Bruce reminiscing about memories of his mother through the thought of Alice in Wonderland, and the evolving relationship between James Gordon and his niece, Barbara. Loved seeing both of these play out, change, and affect the characters by the end as they came to an understanding.

The art by Sale is a little closer to his newer work compared to Fears, with a black and white limited colour palette being used several times to convey different emotions and tone. The best pages are those that have several smaller panels on one page, it really broke up the pacing quite well here, allowing for plenty of dialogue and set-up for locations that didn’t need a massive art spread.

A definite recommendation!

Alongside this Batman Halloween special, two others were published in a collected edition called Batman: Haunted Knight, which I've also reviewed.

[Read in February, read and reviewed in May 2023]

[drown_like_its_1999 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman pursues and combats the Mad Hatter across Gotham while Captain Gordon fights a battle of his own with his adopted daughter Barbara, who feels her father allows her no personal freedom. As their relationship strains further, Barbara sneaks out for a night of adventure only to be apprehended by the Mad Hatter's goons looking to supply their boss a new Alice.

This is probably the best narrative entry in the Loeb / Sale "Haunted Knight" LotDK Halloween specials, but oddly has the least satisfying art direction. That being said, being the best narrative in this trilogy isn't exactly a statement of excellence and any story with Tim Sale art is still one with more personality than the vast majority other comics. I did enjoy the father / daughter interplay between James and Barbara but like a lot of Loeb stories, the characterization feels explored only at the surface and usually expresses very tired themes.

[Saphirablue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it!

Batman vs. Scarecrow is fun and I could feel Bruces exhaustion and weariness at the thought of having to go out again and be Batman.

My heart also ached for him re:Jillian. :/

I love Alfred in this one - so snarky. <3

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this to be a bit better than the Scarecrow story. It helped that Leslie Thompkins was involved and that we got to delve into Bruce's childhood, and how Jervis Tetch has perverted his memory of being read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by his mother.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots to appreciate here, especially the art and the Mad Hatter portrayal and the modern day Bruce and Gordon. Didn't find Babs or baby Bruce (and Waynes) as compelling, but the overall mix was quite satisfying.

[Mauro German · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lectura adicional después de ver el film "The Batman".

Muy buen cross-over con "Alicia en el Pais de las Maravillas" , explorando los sentimientos más arraigados del murciélago con sus padres e infancia.

[Ellie Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

56/100

[OinkFish Pigs · Rating 5 out of 5]

High 10

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6

[Rob Vitagliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured I'd give this a read around Halloween and was pleasantly surprised by it. I picked this one up in a bargain bin for about $1.00 and it was well worth that. I'm not a Mad Hatter fan, mostly probably because I've never read "Alice In Wonderland" and don't have any particular desire to, but I enjoyed how it was a central plot point and brought in Bruce's past with it concerning his mother, and showed him moving beyond some trauma about her and his father's death, even if only slightly. There's more depth to this one than most one issue specials, especially in today's world, and I think comics would be in a much better place if that were still the case.

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, Madness gave me a nightmare or two when I was a child. Those criminals with skeleton masks in the park always freak me out, not to mention the Mad Hatter. Holy cow. The Mad Hatter is completely irrational and completely unpredictable. He keeps quoting Alice in Wonderland throughout the whole thing, which somehow manages to make him creepier than if he were speaking normally.

The art and colors are wonderful, definitely brings back that 90s/00s Halloween vibe to the story.

I loved the Batman-Leslie moment, as well as the tender moment of Bruce reading with his mother. They were brief moments though, but they really leave you thinking about the kid Bruce can never be again, that simple happy boy died too alongside his parents.

This is an awesome (somewhat creepy) story that isn't one of the most popular ones but is honestly such a forgotten gem.

[Mariano Lastiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scarecrew es un villano que tiene un potencial enorme para grandes historias. El problema es que aca se siente como un recurso para un conflicto en apariencia más chico. Batman sufre, pero nunca se siente la amenaza de Crane para el encapotado. Es solo una historia de Batman disfrazada como una típica afrenta heroe vs villano de turno. Por el lado positivo, el imaginario visual y ciertos aspectos en la narración, ayudan a que la historia se un producto que logra entretener y tratar de tener pretensiones un poco mayores. Afortunadamente, Sale y Loeb llevarían al poco tiempo su gran epopeya con The long Halloween, pero este especial como antecedente, no esta nada mal.

[Micah Siegmund · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Legends Of The Dark Knight, an Elseworlds tale written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale is a no-brainer. Short tale revolving around Barbara Gordon travelling to Gotham contemplating the city and her adoptive father Jim Gordon. While the action of the story mainly involves Mad Hatter, most of the major rogues and their mental illnesses are touched on (hence the title). Overall a worthwhile entry in the "Haunted Knight" series.

[Brandon Kurtich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice quick read that shows a small glimpse into the psyche of one of Batman's most deranged villains.

[María Paula Castellano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Babs y Bruce al final volviendo a leer el libro y Babs y Alicia y asdhgjagdjha

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Batman, Halloween, Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, a combination that works every time.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and Alice in Wonderland a fantastic book. Love the quotes straight from the book in this story.