I thought it was pretty good. I guess its hard for me to get into the whole batman vs the mafia(godfather) story in both novels, but it was written so well I was addicted and flew through them.

The only complaint I could have would be that the "freaks" parts fell short. I know that we all know about their back stories and if they went deeper into the freaks it would be like retelling what we all know already, but isn't that what we all love?

I mean for me there just wasn't enough depth to the Joker, or Freeze, who both have great back stories and personality. Characters like Poison Ivy, Penguin, and Scarecrow barely had any lines. They felt more like small parts and I thought they were taken out and down way too easily. They hardly had a deep plan or sinister actions that we are used to.

With a title like Dark Victory, I guess I expected a little more darkness from the freaks, at one point Joker comes close, but falls short.

Paired with "The Long Halloween" this is one of the best graphic novel series I've read. The illustrations are phenominal and the story works very well introducing Batmans greatest foes in with the realistic mob villians.

It was just what my husband wanted, in perfect condition and half the price of the trendy comic stores! I am extremely happy!

Dark Victory expands upon The Long Halloween, and has a story interesting enough to please fans of Loeb's original Batman-mob story. Robin isn't played heavily, which is a good thing for me, but any Batman fans should pick this up.

I enjoy this book more than The Long Halloween which where this book picks off. It is really not a continuation per-se but another murder mystery very similar to Holiday killer in The Long Halloween but just picks up the story where it left off. What made this book more interesting was the origin of Robin which is a lot more interesting than Harvey Dent's backstory and arguably more interesting than Bruce Wayne's history! In this book, Robin actually makes himself useful as he would have to in order to convince Batman to take him in as a partner. There are some new, refreshing villains in this book such as Penguin and Mr Freeze! A better read than the previous book in my opinion.

Batman: Dark Victory, written by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, was originally published as a miniseries in 1999 and 2000. It is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween. It takes place early in Batman's career, and focuses on a serial cop killer, the Hangman, who murders on holidays. Meanwhile Harvey Dent has escaped from Arkham and is waging war on Gotham's organized crime families. This story also retells the origin of Robin.

Loeb, as usual, tells an engaging story. He does a good job balancing a fairly large cast of characters, although he waters down Batman's rogues gallery by cramming virtually all of them into this story, then making them incredibly easy to defeat.

Sale's art is stylized and exaggerated. There's often vast differences in the sizes of characters, and his sewers are like cathedrals. But overall, the art works.

There are a few grievous plot holes here. The Hangman is killing cops on holidays, and the cops know this, yet most every protagonist in the book has trouble keeping abreast of upcoming holidays. Batman knows that Harvey Dent and his minions are using the sewers to hide out and move around, yet he can never find them. Nor is he aware that the sewers conveniently lead right into the Batcave. The mind fairly boggles.

Overall, though, Batman: Dark Victory is interesting enough to overcome its flaws, and, while not as good as The Long Halloween, is entertaining enough. Read The Long Halloween first, as Dark Victory relies heavily on it.

This sequel to "The Long Halloween" delves into the war between Gotham's organized crime families and the chaotic team of "freaks" that have escaped from Gotham. Batman is aided (and sometimes hindered) by Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD, new D.A. Janice Porter, Catwoman, and Robin. There's a new serial killer on the loose, the Hang Man, who kills a cop on each holiday, placing a game of hang-man on the victim.

If you like your Gotham villains, then you're in for a treat. You get to see a bit of each villain, though Two-Face plays a larger part. This is also an excellent introduction to Robin... he's only a tad cheesy (doesn't he have to be?). Loeb/Sale contrast the Graysons' deaths with those of the Waynes', as well as how both orphans dealt with the tragedy. Robin's a much more hopeful character.

The artwork is incredible. I loved it! My only complaint is that the story can get somewhat repetitive... if you've read "The Long Halloween," you feel like you're following the same path, using the same pacing. Also, there's a narrative at the start of each chapter reiterating the loss of Harvey Dent... seriously, I get it after the first chapters. I don't know if the chapters were released individually, but in a bound format, it can get a bit annoying.

All in all, this is a great Batman story, and a nice followup to "The Long Halloween." You just might want to give yourself a little time inbetween readings.

Whenever Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale collaborate on a Batman title, magic just seems to happen. Dark Victory, a direct sequel to the brilliant The Long Halloween, is no different. Picking up right where The Long Halloween left off, Batman has a new string of strangely connected murders to deal with amongst the usual chaos that happens to ensue Gotham City. To make matters worse, a breakout at Arkham Asylum springs everyone from The Joker, to the Scarecrow, to Harvey Dent AKA Two-Face, who himself may or may not be connected to the murders. Also going on in Dark Victory is the picking up the pieces by the Falcone crime family, and in the later stages of the book, Loeb and Sale also re-invigorate the origin of Batman's boy-wonder sidekick Robin. While Dark Victory isn't as overly satisfying as The Long Halloween was, it is still a spectacular gem that features some dynamite twists and more great use of Batman's rogues gallery by Jeph Loeb, and more gorgeous artwork from Tim Sale. Needless to say, if you loved The Long Halloween, there's no way you won't enjoy what you find in Dark Victory. Consider this another essential read in the Batman library.

I was afraid to get this book because of the introduction of Robin, but The Long Halloween was so good that I had to pick up Dark Victory. I have to say, Robin didn't ruin the story for me at all. Dark Victory is just really good. Even if you don't like Robin, you will still find this book to be very entertaining.

I have always loved Batman and always will. There is a catch though instead of Batman going solo again Robin shows up. I have never liked Robin. I think he is just someone Batman has to save all the time. That is just my image of Robin. Robin is much better as Nightwing though. Anyway this Batman story is another mystery that you will probaly figure out faster then the Long Halloween. If you have read it of course. Batman's same old pyschos are all in it again. I have always been a fan of the Penguin. He is in it and so is Scarecrow, MR. Freeze, Two-Face, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, and yours truly Joker. They all make an appearance. Batman was very cool in this story the way he is in every comic. So it was good until Robin came. At least for me.

A great sequel to the Long Halloween, this book is just as intriguing as the first and is a damn fun read

This Comic is very good, but before you buy "Dark Victory" do you need buy "The helloween". It's a serie, the fisrt one is "The helloween" and the second is "Dark Victory".
The quality of the product is good, the paperback is like a plastic paper, the pictures are amazing, I love the style of the pictures.
You should not miss to buy the "Dark Victory".

I'll admit, at first, I was hesitant to pick up "Dark Victory." Its predeccesor, Loeb and Sale's classic "The Long Halloween" was such an awesome, page-turning whodunnit that utilized all of its characters so well, that I thought this would fall prey to the usual curse that befalls sequels and come up short of capturing what made the original so great. But I was wrong. This tale IS great, deserving of being placed on the same level of "The Long Halloween."

The tale picks up right where the original left off. Batman, along with his ally Commissioner Jim Gordan, is still devastated by the loss of one of the few people in his life he had come to trust: the former District Attorney Harvey Dent (whose origins as Two-Face were spectacularly retold in "Long Halloween"). Meanwhile, Gotham City's various Mafia families, particularly the Falcone Family around which the previous story centered, are regrouping following the death of so many of their members at the hands of the Holiday Killer, and their grip on the city continues. Standing in their way, however, is the rise of the "Freaks," the familiar members of Batman's rogue's gallery (The Joker, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, The Scarecrow, etc.). Led by Two-Face, they intend to drive the Mobsters out of existence and sieze the city for themselves. The city is once again a battlefield against crime.

Enter the Hangman Killer. Echoing the Holiday Killer's method of attacking on holidays, the Hangman goes after former and current police members, hanging them by nooses while leaving crude renditions of the children's game "Hangman" pinned to their bodies (all of which are mysteriously written on materials closely associated with Harvey Dent). And thus begins another page-turning round of Whodunnit, as Batman must once again put his master detective skills to work, deducing the killer's identity in the midst of his battles against Mobsters and Freaks alike.

The tale is amazingly coherent, keeping you at the edge of your seat from the start to finish as you yourself try to deduce who the Hangman may be. And let me tell you: it's a shocker. I sure didn't see the revelation coming, and I doubt many others did. It was all a great payoff to all the build taking up most of the tale. And to top it all off, this story also contains a retelling of the origins of Robin, as Bruce Wayne takes in an orphaned Dick Grayson (whose parents' death is loosely tied into the main plot of the story) and finds in him an unexpected partner in his war on crime.

There's also the usual quality from the Loeb/Sale team that we saw in "The Long Halloween." Sale's art is just as good as ever. The gangster drama and action plays a great part in the story alongside the murder mystery, and, like the previous story, is accompanied by more references and nods to film noir and Mob movies, particularly "The Godfather" (there's even a scene in the book that is taken directly from the famous horse-head-in-the-bed scene!). Basically, all the magic of "Dark Victory's" predecessor is intact, still as fresh and as amazing as ever. It truly is a testament to the skills of both creators that they were able to make such a high-quality sequel.

In short, "Dark Victory" is a most excellent tale, a worthy follow-up to "The Long Halloween" in every way, and should be an essential part of every Batman fan's graphic novel collection. Enjoy the action, enjoy the drama, enjoy the mystery, because I promise, none of it dissapoints.

Dark Victory picks up after the events of The Long Halloween, and it has been a dark victory for Batman and Jim Gordon. With the capture of the serial killer known as "Holiday" and the death of some mob bosses they have a small victory, but with the loss of their friend and colleague, Harvey Dent to his new identity, "Two-Face", the rise of other members of the mob families, and a new D.A. that is making things difficult for our hero there isn't any time for celebration.
There is also a new serial killer in town, only known as the "Hang-Man". As the body count grows the Batman and Jim Gordon try to solve this new puzzle while Bruce Wayne tries to woo Selina Kyle, still unaware that she is Catwoman. Just as things start to come together, a certain future Boy-Wonder comes into the mix.
With a fantastic noir-detective story, details that will make any fan of BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT smile, and an ending that will make any Batman fan very happy and make you think about the first time you saw Batman and Robin fighting side by side, this book is a must for any Batman fan. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale at their best!!! I loved the Long Halloween, but I think this book may actually beat it.



If you ever see a Batman or Superman book by Jeph Loeb, pick it up, he is one the best and most influential comic book writers around. Accompanying the fantastic writing with Sale's moody and noir artwork this is an amazing Batman story.


*It is highly recommended that you read The Long Halloween first*

"Dark Victory" is the follow up to Loeb and Sale's "The Long Halloween". The story picks up where "The Long Halloween" left off. Holiday has been arrested, and the crime families of Gotham attempt to use this time of calm to rebuild. However, a breakout of the inmates of Arkham Asylum fills the streaks with "freaks", as the mafia put it, throwing the world of Gotham crime into chaos. To make matters worse, a new killer is on the loose, Hangman. Every holiday, a police officer connected with the rise of Harvey Dent is murdered, and pinned to their bodies are cryptic messages encoded in games of hangman which are drawn on the old files of Harvey Dent. All fingers point to Two-face as the culprit, but some people have their doubts.

Dark Victory is a great book, and if you enjoyed "The Long Halloween", this is just as good as that book. You'll get to see Batman as a detective, which is when Batman really shines. Don't miss reading this book. I recommend it highly.

Depth of character drives this story. See Batman dealing with loss of his friend Harvey Dent. A young Dick Grayson dealing with the loss of his parents and seeking strength.
Jeff Loeb's storytelling is as good as ever, and Tim Sale's Artwork is unique and engaging as ever. The Heavy dark shading and washed colors convey the grit and gloom of Gotham perfectly.

Batman: Long Halloween was one of the best Batman stories I've ever read. When I saw Dark Victory was the sequel, I bought it out of curiosity, but didn't expect much. Was I ever wrong! Dark Victory perfectly picks up where Long Halloween left off, giving us yet another mystery serial killer (this time named The Hangman, for obvious reasons) that strikes on holidays. As in the first story, all signs point to Harvey Dent as the killer, but is he really? The introduction of Robin is a nice touch, but he really doesn't show up until the story's almost over.

The final reveal of the Hangman's identity really caught me off guard. While I guessed who Holiday was early into Long Halloween, I was never certain about the Hangman (and in the end, my guess was wrong). The buildup throws so many red herrings at you it keeps you reeling.

I loved this story and would love to see the next chapter in this storyline. Hopefully someday Jeph Loeb will give us another maxi-series like this.

Batman: Long Halloween was one of the best Batman stories I've ever read. When I saw Dark Victory was the sequel, I bought it out of curiosity, but didn't expect much. Was I ever wrong! Dark Victory perfectly picks up where Long Halloween left off, giving us yet another mystery serial killer (this time named The Hangman, for obvious reasons) that strikes on holidays. As in the first story, all signs point to Harvey Dent as the killer, but is he really? The introduction of Robin is a nice touch, but he really doesn't show up until the story's almost over.

The final reveal of the Hangman's identity really caught me off guard. While I guessed who Holiday was early into Long Halloween, I was never certain about the Hangman (and in the end, my guess was wrong). The buildup throws so many red herrings at you it keeps you reeling.

I loved this story and would love to see the next chapter in this storyline. Hopefully someday Jeph Loeb will give us another maxi-series like this.

I loved long halloween and i was very interested to pick up where the story left off, but this was pretty much a lame version of the long halloween. i definitely do not think this was worth any hype. if you enjoyed long halloween, read this, its a nice continuation, but remember where you came from.

Dark Victory is basically Jeph Loeb's sequel to The Long Halloween. The tone and artwork are the same. THe story is close, really more of a continuation of the Harvey Dent story and Batman's early years. And, Loeb (re)introduces Robin.

This story is even better than its predecessor. I have never seen a book that presents such a great Boy Wonder and there will probably be a better Boy Wonder.

Recommended for all comic fans great or small.

This was a great follow up, and quite possibly the 2nd best read for all batman readers

More post Year One Batman, as the Dark Knight and Commissioner Gordon struggle to solve the mystery of another bout of Holiday killings, this time of police personnel that used to be associated with Harvey Dent.

These killings spark off a battle between the supervillains of Gotham and the mob bosses, with Batman, the police, and a bent District Attorney in the middle.

When Batman takes in a young orphan boy, his skills start to help with the case, and the mystery that Loeb has skillfully created begins to be uncovered.

Like THE LONG HALLOWEEN before it, DARK VICTORY is a thoroughly enjoyable tale about the Dark Knight. A kind of "Year Two" story, Batman dives into the remnants of the Falcone crime organization and into the criminal activities of Harvey Dent, now the disfigured Two-Face. This has it all...great character development, lots of action, mystery, and beautiful art. Loeb is a master storyteller. If you like Batman, you'll love this book.

This is definately a must have for any bat-fan bar none. This one has it all. Rich storyline, great art, and most of all a great Batman. This novel continues the epic stories of "Batman:Year One" and the follow-up "Batman:The Long Halloween." If you Haven't read Long Halloween, you should read that first or else you won't get the same excitement plus you'll be a little confused as to what in the world is going on. Anyway, here's my critique for some of the main characters.
Batman: Great. He is definately all the Dark Knight you want him to be. Skilled, Emotional yet Disciplined, while throwing some nasty punches. Gordon couldn't make it without him.
Robin: His story is told perfectly here. But I warn any robin fans (which are probably few) don't expect to see him in costume till near the very end.
Jim Gordon: Keeps the fantastic story of the Commissioners life in Gotham City that was started in Batman Year one. He knows that to get anything done, he's gonna need some help.
Harvey Dent/Two-Face: His story, also started in year one and mainly in Long Halloween, is excellent. It's the story of a District Attorney's fall from grace, and the roller-coaster-ride of an impact it has had between the relationships of Harvey, Gordon, and Batman. A valued friend has now become a dangerous and deadly enemy.
Catwoman: She plays a major role in this. Her relationship with Bruce/Batman is shaky for both of them in and out of costume. I love the surprise finding at the end where you finally see why she's been hanging around the Falcone family since Year One.
Overall, this is one great story and like I said in the title, If you don't got it...Get It!!!

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have done it again. "Dark Victory" begins where "The Long Halloween" ended and creates a new intriguing murder mystery where once again, the obvious answers are the most unlikely and no one can be trusted. It continues to pay homage to the late 30's/early 40's noir style and madness that lurks on (and beneath) the streets of Gotham City.

The Gotham police force is slowly being annihilated by a killer known as "The Hangman" while the mafia families have united in a war against the crazed rogues of Arkham. Unfortunately, they've all escaped and established Two Face as their leader to control the city. Commissioner Gordon's security efforts are strained by the new no-nonsense district attorney, Janice Porter. Despite her prim and firm manners, her intentions are just as vague as the other "Dark Victory" characters.

Batman toils to discover the Hangman's identity but the memory of Harvey's demise still haunts him. Blaming himself for his friend's tragedy, Batman distances himself from close allies and gradually loses his identity as a human being. His relationship with Selina Kyle and Catwoman is a strained romance while his work life becomes a heavy toll worn on by Gordon's frustrations. "The only problem with being alone, Master Bruce, is being alone," Alfred notes.

As the Hangman's noose tightens around Gotham's finest, as the criminal war continues to devour sane and insane men alike, as both Bruce Wayne and Batman slip down the void of despair, he finds himself akin to a feisty but extraordinary person: Dick Grayson. A tiny but determined boy with piercing blue eyes and an adorable pout, Dick is tragically orphaned and finds his destiny interwtined with the Dark Knight. The origins of Robin make this story enticing for any big Bat-fan.

This story isn't about the transition from darkness to light as much as it is about finding inner strength and comfort by finding (and trusting) a friend. There are terrible loses and sacrifices for both Batman and Commissioner Gordon but they find respect for one another. Gordon is reunited with his family just as Batman constructs a surrogate family, a comfort to ease his troubled mind. The Hangman's reign terror cannot stop Dick from his want of justice and opportunity to become a better person. When he chooses to ally himself with Batman, both orphans emerge from the darkness wiser, determined, and no longer alone.

Dark Victory is an awesome sequel to Long Halloween. The introduction to Robin is absolutely MINT! The story itself is enetertaining in the style of 1940s ganster noir. Jeph Loeb definitely delivers in his writing styel and Tim Sale is one of the best artist around (Of course, I always feel that way about their work). Definitely reccomended to any fan of Batman or just mystery stories.

According to my 17-year old son who has been a Batman fan since he was 2, these books are great. He especially enjoys the illustrations and the stories are very good, too. He says anyone who loves Batman will like these books.

Dark Victory takes place in the aftermath of the Holiday killings that ravaged Gotham City in The Long Halloween. The triumvirate of crime fighting from the previous book has been deeply changed with an overwhelmed Jim Gordon as the newly appointed Comissioner of Police, Harvey Dent turned into the psychotic Two-Face, and Batman darker, lonelier, and more violent than ever. As Batman's influence on Gotham continues to increase, so do the number of "freaks" that infest Gotham and its insane asylum, Arkham. After a prison break from Arkham, the "freaks" start wreaking havoc on the organized crime families which are quickly losing their grip on the city. Batman is struggling to fight villain after villain while juggling the newly orphaned Dick Grayson and trying to solve the case that could break his crime-fighting career. Dark Victory gives another twisted crime mystery for its readers to unravel with all the darkness and drama they've come to expect from a Loeb/Sale book. The twist in Dark Victory is just as good as The Long Halloween's but takes a backseat to the changes befalling Gotham City which are brilliantly and subtly written by Jeph Loeb. The slow overtaking of Gotham City by such villains as Two-Face, The Joker, and Penguin by having them duke it out with traditional organized crime is a stroke of genius that has been creeping its way through this story since the last page of Year One. Dark Victory is almost as classic as The Long Halloween but since the story is slightly recycled and the art a bit more rushed, it isn't flat-out amazing as consistently as its predecessor. Even despite those minor flaws, Dark Victory is a fantastic book and a perfect way to wrap up the mythos of Batman's early career and segue into classic Batman universe.

Loeb and Sale improve upon the Long Halloween with a gripping mystery that succeeds in tension and suspense where I felt the long Halloween failed. More important than the mystery is the continued look at the relationships of the characters in Gotham City. Jim Gordon and Batman, Jim Gordon and his wife. Batman and Selina Kyle in their heart-breakingly unconsummated relationship and Batman and Robin.

We also get to see the interactions of the remnants of the crime families, the new super-villains under Two-Face's lead and a new D.A., Harvey Dent's replacement getting her fingers dirty interacting with both sides. More than the mystery of who Hangman is, it is the characterization of Batman, the D.A., Jim Gordon and Two Face that make this a superior work. Dualism abounds in this work as you would expect in a story about Two Face and Batman. We get to see the two sides of many characters as well as their dramatic foils. I speak not just of the two sides as in alter-egos, but the emotional dualism of each character as well as contrasting and comparing each character such as the quartet of Selina/Bruce/Catwoman/Batman. That's one complex relationship.

The art...well it ranged from good to serviceably abstract. I prefer realism though I understand what Sale was going for. However it wasn't distracting to me so it worked for the story.

In the sequel to the amazing The Long Halloween, Batman/Bruce Wayne and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon are out to catch a cop-killer who hangs both current and ex cops on holidays, very similar to the exploits of Holiday, AKA Alberto Falcone. The difference is that Holiday always struck at members of the Falcone crime family. Complicating the investigation is the fact that, with the Falcone family in ruins, the streets of Gotham City have become infested with "freaks", the supervillains who comprise Batman's Rogues Gallery. Chief among them are Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, the ex-District Attorney whose face was half burned off by acid. Furthermore, the Joker, Batman's chief nemesis, the Scarecrow, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, and Catwoman are making things very hard for Batman.
Meanwhile a new D.A. named Janice Porter has taken over for Dent, and her misguided idealism causes problems for Gordon and Batman. Furthermore, when Harvey Dent's files are stolen out of her archives, his old documents begin appearing on the victims. These, along with intricate knowledge of the dead cops suggests that Dent is the Hangman, as the killer is called, but Batman thinks that they are merely being misdirected (although, it is strange that one of the notes implies that the killer knows something only the true Holiday would know).
Dark Victory shows the final attempts of the Falcone and Maroni crime families to regain power in Gotham. When one of the plans involves using a circus as a front for their illegal activity, a young Dick Grayson witnesses the death of his parents, very similar to Bruce Wayne.
Overall, this is a great story and worthy follow-up to The Long Halloween. While it isn't as good as its predecessor (it's a hard story to top) and it does somewhat follow the same formula (holiday killings), it is still a great read.

Another instant classic in the Long Halloween tradition, Loeb and Sale deliver on all counts. This time, adding Robin's origin story to another mobster-and-super-villain-filled romp through Gotham City. If you like Batman, and enjoy different art styles, you'll love this masterly crafted work.

"Batman: Dark Victory" really puts the nail in the coffin for the gangster type villians in Gotham City and is really the end of the Batman's early years. The remnenets of the five familys, especially the Falcones, are now at the end of their influence as their war with the 'freaks' (Batman's Rouge's Gallery) takes a fatal toll on the mafia. And what makes it worst is that it is actually the unintended result of Sofia Falcone. There is a new serial killer on the loose named Hangman. Like The Holiday Killer just a year before, Hangman is striking on holidays. But his new target are cops. Batman and newly appointed Commissioner Jim Gordon are at their wits end trying to stop these new murders. Two-Face is the obvious suspect, but Batman thinks too obvious. In the middle of the war between freaks and gangsters a young boy named Dick Greyson gets caught in the middle.

The charactorizations of the leads are pretty grim, just the way I like it. As I said before this is actually the end of Batman's unofficial training period, and now he enters his so-called golden age. Now the freaks are taking over, and have won their war with orinized crime. The illistrations are very abstract, and represent graphiclly the atributes of the charactors, for example, The Joker's grin is way out of proportion for his head, and Scarecrow's head is just not right at all. The major 'freak' is Two-Face, as Falcone's war is revenge against him murdering Carmine Falcone. The villians are now much less sypathetic; now settleing into their role as the terrors of the city. Robin is kind of left to the end, and I didn't think that his inroduction was really as emphasised as it should have been. But that is only a small compliant.

Here we have a direct follow up to one of the most acclaimed batman stories of all time. But does it live up to the quality of the previous book that had sweet art and great story? The Answer is a deffinite YES.

What can I say? I don't want to spoil the story for you, or anyone else. But I'm gonna have to feed you on what the story is about and yada, yada, yada. So I'm goonna jump to it!

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale return to give you another mind boggiling murder mystery set in batman's third year of kickin' a** and takin' names. This time round there is a new case that Jim Gordon , Batman, Catwoman, and the most gotham police department have to bury through. A new killer is on the loose in gotham, but it's not the old 'holiday' killer, but a new one who murders police officers and former police officers. This killer is later dubbed as the hangman killer, due to the victims being hung, with a hangman game pinned on to the victim's body. So it looks like batman and all his little friends are gonna have to bash some skulls and kick some a** in order to stop this new killer who also strikes on holidays. But there is more trouble thrown into this massive story 13 issue story line. Arkham Asylum's most notorius and dangerous madmen have escaped into the streets of gotham. These classic villains are Two Face, The Joker, Poisin Ivy, Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, Mr Freeze, The Riddler, and The Calander Man. We also encouter alot of familliar faces from Frank Miller's Year One title, this is set two years later.

This follow-up is even thicker than it's predecesor and has smooth beter quality paper, so it will last longer. The art in this book is Tim Sale's best, it looks much neater and much clearer than his previous projects, it also has a more powerful look to the drawings, so you immediatly get grasped by his gorgeous art work. The story isn't as good as the previous title but still is very creative and unique, what put the story down was Robin, it was good that they introduced him back to the batman story, but he got kind of annoying towards the end.
All in all it's a really great read. If you haven't read or got Year One and The Long Halloween, I suggest reading year one first then the long halloween, every batman fan or comic book wierdo should own this fantastic title. Thank you and good night!

A direct follow-up from "The Long Halloween," Batman and newly appointed polce commissioner James Gordon, along with Gotham's new D. A. replacing Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, Janice Porter, find themselves trapped in another yearlong, mind-teasing "who dunnit?" mystery. The new "Holiday" serial killer not only marks his/her murders with items that relate to that particular holiday's theme, but he/she is targeting police officers. It is up to the Dark Knight Detective to end this new wave of madness before Gordon, Porter, or himself become the next victims, find Two-Face, and a bunch of other costumed wackos, whom have escaped during a major Arkham Asylum breakout, and look after Dick Grayson, a young, orphaned circus acrobat who witnessed his parents murders much like Bruce Wayne (Batman) did when he was around Dick's age. But what Batman also doesn't know is Dick would be destined for greater things than just an adopted ward...

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are my new best friends! This time, the real "dynamic duo" first begin the story by showing how badly Batman and Commissioner Gordon have been affected by former D. A. Harvey Dent's traumatic accident, and transition to the schizophrenic villain "Two-Face." They also add to this by giving Two-Face himself the spotlight he truly deserves as the central antagonist. Two-Face is amazing villain because of his personal connection to Batman and Gordon. He, too, was once a crusader for justice, and a close friend to the two, which makes the hunt personal for the Batman. This, naturally, makes for a truly potent adversary. I also like the unexpected addition of Dick Grayson (Robin). Because Dick also witnessed his parents' murders much like Bruce did when he was Dick's age, this provides a short, but meaningful, side story describing exactly how similar Batman and Robin really are, and the best part is Loeb manages to flesh this out without turning it into 60s Adam West-style camp! In addition, just like last time, Loeb's crime-drama/detective-style writing keeps you reading on and on until everything falls into place and the true villain is finally caught. Oh, and there's also an interesting bit, somewhere in the middle, involving Catwoman and the Falcones.

Dark Victory is a direct sequel to The Long Halloween, picking up on many of the story elements laid down in that amazingh book, as well as giving us a post crisis origin story of Robin. While this story is great, and it, along with Long Halloween, establish the brillaince of the creative force that is Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, it does lack a bit in one area; Robins role seems almost superfluous in the story. It's only tenuously connected to the larger narrative, and it seems almost as if he was only put in as an afterthought. They were working on a Long Halloween sequel, and people wanted a post-crisis origin for the original Robin, so he was thrown in to the mix because it was conveinient.

I also found it questionable that the Gotham Sewers would elad directly in to the Batcave, but thats just fanboyish nitpicking. ^_~

'Dark Victory' is Jeph Loeb's and Tim Sale's followup to their lengthy masterpiece 'Long Halloween.' The two graphic novels share many common themes, writing styles, characters, and artwork, and indeed the story in 'Dark Victory' is a direct continuation on the one begun (and seemingly resolved) in 'Long Halloween.' As such 'Victory' is best appreciated after reading 'Long Halloween;' since 'Halloween' was so good, and gives so much content for a relatively low price, this doesn't seem like too big a deal to me. Just buy both.
'Dark Victory' is a dark noir mystery exploring the after effects of the events of 'Long Halloween,' including the slow unraveling of the major crime families in Gotham, Harvey Dent's decline into Two-Face, Catwoman's role in everything, and more, all tied together by the new series of brutal and intriguing Hangman murders of cops. Like 'Long Halloween,' Batman's classic foes do make appearances throughout (Poison Ivy, Penguin, Joker, Scarecrow, etc), but the real focus is on a more 'realistic' murder mystery and crime-family story that feels (deliberately) like a clever mix of Godfather and a good hardboiled detective film.
So with all this excellence, why not 5 stars? Unlike 'Long Halloween,' which I felt was a little above 4.5 but not quite 5 (but thus worth a 5 on Amazon's limited review system), 'Victory' misses the mark in just a few areas, putting it right below 4.5 in my mind. Sale's artwork is still good, but not quite up to the greatness he achieved with 'Halloween' (I'm not sure if this is exclusively due to the different paper used between the two volumes or not, but I get the sense that his work in 'Victory' is slightly less detailed, more hurried perhaps). Also, the story, while quite good, isn't quite as original and engaging as 'Long Halloween.'
Still, this is a very good graphic novel, and the price is certainly right: for less than $15 you get close to 400 pages of well drawn and well written entertainment with Batman (still the greatest superhero). Recommended especially for those who read and liked 'Long Halloween,' but also recommended for anyone who likes graphic novels, Batman, Godfather-esque crime families, or intriguing mysteries.
We need more long and engaging works like 'Long Halloween' and 'Dark Victory' from the comic book world.

One of the best Batman story ever told. Great plot, solid dialoge and beautifull art.
Worth every cent.

EDUARDO ESCOVAR CUERVO

To fully understand this storyline, you need to read "The Long Halloween." "Dark Victory" picks up where the former left off. In "Dark Victory," Gotham is once again plagued by a serial killer, named "The Hangman," whose method of murder is exactly what you'd think. Only this murderer is more deplorable, because the victims are cops.

Batman begins to investigate while trying to keep a full-blown war from escalating between the organized crime succeeding Falcone and the super-villains (Joker, Freeze, and perhaps my favorite, Two-Face).

In the first novel, a more in-depth origin of Two-Face enthralls the reader. In the second, Dick Grayson is introduced into the life of Bruce Wayne and it is interesting to watch how Grayson slowly gains the respect of Batman through aiding him in his detective work. While I don't necessarily agree that "Batman needs a Robin," I think Loeb and crew put an interesting spin on the "Dynamic Duo."

"Dark Victory" is a good followup to "The Long Halloween." I recommend both as a package deal.

This has to be the best graphic novel I ever read. In this graphic novel Two Face finally gets the spotlight he deserves. In this book there are actually three mysteries. The first mystery is who is "hang man", the secound is who is trying to make Alberto go insane, and third wich isn't a very big one is where is Carmine Falcone's body.

I think this goes for Long Halloween and Dark Victory: Cool, but characters not well enough developed. The whole mystery thing is cool because that is what Batman is really about, man. It would have been nice to not see the mob families again, though. After like 300 pages of them in the last book, I got bored with them. They're not even likeable! I mean, they're bad guys, I get it, but Joker could be even cooler than Batman himself. Plus, Robin sucks plenty in this book. He's on the cover and junk but he's only in the last two issues. Loeb tries to reinvent the Robin story, but fails miserably. He tried to make Robin mad about his parents but I just don't feel bad for Dick Grayson like I should. Someone in the reviews said that this was better than anything Frank Miller has done. Don't believe it! Batman Dark Victory: Don't believe the hype. It is page turning, hence at least three stars, but that could just be denial from paying 20 bucks talking.

This is the fantasic sequel to the "The Long Halloween." Another murder mystery, this time the victims are Cops. It's a bit weaker than the "Halloween" but it's still pretty damn good cause it still keeps you guessing. Robin is introduced, linking him to Batman in the classic way. Robin is the ONLY sidekick that ever worked because he is independent from Batman. He doesn't share the costume, his wealthy upbringing, or even his psychologic need!

The art is similar, but a bit darker than "Halloween." It brings everything to a satisfying end.