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Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale #0
Batman: Haunted Knight
This graphic novel includes three dark tales of horror and intrigue featuring Batman facing off against his most demented and wicked foes. Taking place on the most evil of holidays, Halloween, the Darknight Detective confronts his deepest fears as he tries to stop the madness and horror created by Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, the Penguin, Poison Ivy and the Joker.
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
111 people are currently reading
5,549 people want to read
About the author
Jeph Loeb
1,523Ìýbooks1,306ÌýfollowersJoseph "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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 583 reviews
December 9, 2024
i enjoyed this collection immensely.
first story is about the scarecrow and a woman who batman falls in love with but she turns out to be a rich husbands killer, scarecrow kept evading batman many times in this story.
second story was about the mad hatter and it was inspired by alice in wonderland, it was a great story i specially liked the girl that jim gordon has adopted i never knew he had a girl from adoption before, maybe it happens in this story only i am not really sure as i am not an expert on all things batman..
oh and doctor Thompkins makes an appearance i know her from the tv series.
third and last story is inspired by Christmas carol, after batman catches the penguin he goes to sleep and gets visited by three spirits poison ivy, joker, i am not sure whose the third one though is it his father or was there someone else !
anyway the spirits teach batman to have some me time and to try and make a legacy for himself outside of crime fighting.
the art was great the writing was great overall a great experience and its my first time i think to be impressed by jeph loeb, not sure if i seen art by tim sale before but glad i finally did <3.
first story is about the scarecrow and a woman who batman falls in love with but she turns out to be a rich husbands killer, scarecrow kept evading batman many times in this story.
second story was about the mad hatter and it was inspired by alice in wonderland, it was a great story i specially liked the girl that jim gordon has adopted i never knew he had a girl from adoption before, maybe it happens in this story only i am not really sure as i am not an expert on all things batman..
oh and doctor Thompkins makes an appearance i know her from the tv series.
third and last story is inspired by Christmas carol, after batman catches the penguin he goes to sleep and gets visited by three spirits poison ivy, joker, i am not sure whose the third one though is it his father or was there someone else !
anyway the spirits teach batman to have some me time and to try and make a legacy for himself outside of crime fighting.
the art was great the writing was great overall a great experience and its my first time i think to be impressed by jeph loeb, not sure if i seen art by tim sale before but glad i finally did <3.
December 2, 2023
8.7/10
What makes Loeb's Batman great?
Fans of the Caped crusader can find many good stories. Some short, while some take you on a long journey before they finally conclude their run. Many of them i like. There are some stories though, that i don't like..but i love.
These are the ones that remind me why for all those years, Batman stays on the top of the list of my favourite superheroes. At the same time they lit the fuel of my enthusiasm and make sure, he will stay on the top for many years to come.
Such a story was 'The long Halloween' and now so is 'The Haunted Knight'. Which brings us back to the question.
What makes Loeb's Batman great?
To me, it's his portrayal of Bruce.
Seeing Batman solving cases and going against criminals and villains is awesome. What's even better is the reason he does it. Why does this multimillionaire puts on a Bat- suit and fights crime?
It's to make sure that as few people as possible will feel the same pain he does. Despite the many years that have gone by, that little boy who lost everything he loved that night, is still there.
You can feel the vulnerability and sadness in Bruce. You understand why he risks his own happiness and life so others can live in a better world. You have empathy and sympathy for him and you want him to be happy. That also gives a nice contrast between Bruce and Batman.
Another important aspect of the Haunted Knight is Alfred. I do appreciate when writers show the importance of this character, and Loeb definitely delivers here too. Alfred is both a father figure and a friend to Bruce. Without him who knows how Bruce would turn out.
Last thing i'm going to mention is that all of the great writing comes to life by the exceptional art by Tim Sale.
Highly recommended!!
What makes Loeb's Batman great?
Fans of the Caped crusader can find many good stories. Some short, while some take you on a long journey before they finally conclude their run. Many of them i like. There are some stories though, that i don't like..but i love.
These are the ones that remind me why for all those years, Batman stays on the top of the list of my favourite superheroes. At the same time they lit the fuel of my enthusiasm and make sure, he will stay on the top for many years to come.
Such a story was 'The long Halloween' and now so is 'The Haunted Knight'. Which brings us back to the question.
What makes Loeb's Batman great?
To me, it's his portrayal of Bruce.
Seeing Batman solving cases and going against criminals and villains is awesome. What's even better is the reason he does it. Why does this multimillionaire puts on a Bat- suit and fights crime?
It's to make sure that as few people as possible will feel the same pain he does. Despite the many years that have gone by, that little boy who lost everything he loved that night, is still there.
You can feel the vulnerability and sadness in Bruce. You understand why he risks his own happiness and life so others can live in a better world. You have empathy and sympathy for him and you want him to be happy. That also gives a nice contrast between Bruce and Batman.
Another important aspect of the Haunted Knight is Alfred. I do appreciate when writers show the importance of this character, and Loeb definitely delivers here too. Alfred is both a father figure and a friend to Bruce. Without him who knows how Bruce would turn out.
Last thing i'm going to mention is that all of the great writing comes to life by the exceptional art by Tim Sale.
Highly recommended!!
May 17, 2019
Edited@16/05/2019: rating updated to 5 stars!
The artwork is so damn great, Gothic and graceful and moving! Artist Tim Sale, you surely is the man of my dreams!
A gritty mysterious Batman and Halloween, nightmarish maze and Alice in Wonderland, bad dreams and psychological horror, all in one go! What more can I ask for!?
PS: Poison Ivy is so beautifully drawn!
Original review@2017:
So these are the three Halloween special stories which had later been developed into The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. I really do like the artwork, the coloring is gloomy but beautiful. I like the story with Alice in Wonderland in it the best, still the last story about children doing trick or treat in the Wayne Manor is pretty nice too!
The artwork is so damn great, Gothic and graceful and moving! Artist Tim Sale, you surely is the man of my dreams!
A gritty mysterious Batman and Halloween, nightmarish maze and Alice in Wonderland, bad dreams and psychological horror, all in one go! What more can I ask for!?
PS: Poison Ivy is so beautifully drawn!
Original review@2017:
So these are the three Halloween special stories which had later been developed into The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. I really do like the artwork, the coloring is gloomy but beautiful. I like the story with Alice in Wonderland in it the best, still the last story about children doing trick or treat in the Wayne Manor is pretty nice too!
November 21, 2019
If it is not obvious, I am a huge Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale fan. Their combined work on Batman have produced some of the finest Batman stories around (Dark Victory, Long Halloween, etc). This is a superb collection of three individual short stories from the esteemed collaboration of Loeb and Sale.
Originally printed as three Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials, they have been combined into one "halloween" themed collection. It is excellent!
The first story is "Fears" in which Batman fights the Scarecrow and has to travel a maze while poisoned by Crane's fear drug.
The second story is "Madness" and tells the story of how the Mad Hatter kidnapped Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon's daughter.
The third and final story was my personal favorite "Ghosts" as it recreates the Christmas Carol, with Bruce Wayne as Scrooge; Thomas Wayne is the Ghost of Jacob Marley and Poison Ivy as Ghost of Christmas Past, Joker as Christmas Present and finally Batman as Christtmas Future. Well done!
A must have for any Batman fan. Loeb and Sale's Batman works are among my favorite Batman stories. Any reader of good comics and appreciative of good art will love this collection of three spooky stories set in Batman's world.
Originally printed as three Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials, they have been combined into one "halloween" themed collection. It is excellent!
The first story is "Fears" in which Batman fights the Scarecrow and has to travel a maze while poisoned by Crane's fear drug.
The second story is "Madness" and tells the story of how the Mad Hatter kidnapped Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon's daughter.
The third and final story was my personal favorite "Ghosts" as it recreates the Christmas Carol, with Bruce Wayne as Scrooge; Thomas Wayne is the Ghost of Jacob Marley and Poison Ivy as Ghost of Christmas Past, Joker as Christmas Present and finally Batman as Christtmas Future. Well done!
A must have for any Batman fan. Loeb and Sale's Batman works are among my favorite Batman stories. Any reader of good comics and appreciative of good art will love this collection of three spooky stories set in Batman's world.
December 1, 2020
These are short stories by the creative team that brought us The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. These stories focus on the theme of Halloween and the inner life of Bruce Wayne. Overall, the quality of these stories are not as good as the longer works mentioned above. Those longer works are amazing because they craft good mysteries. Since these are really short, there isn't time to develop mysteries, so they focus on introspection. If you like stories that delve into why Batman is Batman, you might enjoy these.
December 8, 2022
Paure ☆☆☆☆�
Follia ☆☆☆☆�
Fantasmi ☆☆☆☆
October 27, 2019
Ah, Batman on Halloween... Seriously what could be better than this?? LOVED the artwork in this one! And with an All-Star cast including Poison Ivy, The Penguin, The Mad Hatter, The Joker and (the master of fears) The Scarecrow this made for a very good read! Would definitely recommend.
July 16, 2012
I began Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Batman trilogy in 2008 when I grabbed . After 4 years, it still remains my favorite Batman graphic novel. It's follow-up (I think - not really sure of the order), , was an excellent sequel.
For whatever reason, I let four years go by without picking up the final book in the series, Haunted Knight. After reading this last night, I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.
Contained within Haunted Knight are 3 separate stories that all take place around Halloween.
Fears centers around Scarecrow and his attempt to frighten Batman down to his core. While the caped crusader comes off as a bit amateurish this time around, it does bring to light his buried quest to find happiness. This desire clouds his judgement when as Bruce Wayne, a love interest enters his life.
Scarecrow has always been one of my favorite Batman villains. Loeb establishes that he isn't to be taken lightly, that he's just as much a threat as anyone else in the rouges gallery of Gotham.
Madness gives us a story involving The Mad Hatter as he forces Batman to confront his unresolved issues surrounding his parents death.
Man oh man, does Batman let his rage shine through in this one. Not only is he royally pissed off at Jervis Tetch but he also has to rescue Commissior Gordon's daughter after she is taken captive. His final fight scene with Hatter is particularly brutal and managed to get an audible "Holy Shit!" out of me.
The third and final story, Ghosts, brings us Batman's own version of the Dicken's classic, A Christmas Carol. Instead of taking place during the holiday season, Batman is visited by 3 ghosts on Halloween.
While I wasn't crazy about this one (supposedly has done it better), I did like the final ghost reveal.
A fitting final chapter of the Loeb/Sale Halloween trilogy, Haunted Knight delivers excellent story telling combined with jaw dropping art that establishes this duo as one of the all time great Batman teams.
For whatever reason, I let four years go by without picking up the final book in the series, Haunted Knight. After reading this last night, I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.
Contained within Haunted Knight are 3 separate stories that all take place around Halloween.
Fears centers around Scarecrow and his attempt to frighten Batman down to his core. While the caped crusader comes off as a bit amateurish this time around, it does bring to light his buried quest to find happiness. This desire clouds his judgement when as Bruce Wayne, a love interest enters his life.
Scarecrow has always been one of my favorite Batman villains. Loeb establishes that he isn't to be taken lightly, that he's just as much a threat as anyone else in the rouges gallery of Gotham.
Madness gives us a story involving The Mad Hatter as he forces Batman to confront his unresolved issues surrounding his parents death.
Man oh man, does Batman let his rage shine through in this one. Not only is he royally pissed off at Jervis Tetch but he also has to rescue Commissior Gordon's daughter after she is taken captive. His final fight scene with Hatter is particularly brutal and managed to get an audible "Holy Shit!" out of me.
The third and final story, Ghosts, brings us Batman's own version of the Dicken's classic, A Christmas Carol. Instead of taking place during the holiday season, Batman is visited by 3 ghosts on Halloween.
While I wasn't crazy about this one (supposedly has done it better), I did like the final ghost reveal.
A fitting final chapter of the Loeb/Sale Halloween trilogy, Haunted Knight delivers excellent story telling combined with jaw dropping art that establishes this duo as one of the all time great Batman teams.
May 1, 2023
A collection of Halloween centered shorts, Sale and Loeb embrace the horror genre, creating an eerie and unsettling compilation that tickles the spine-chilling itch. Despite the focus on spooky, there are a lot of character moments dotted throughout, elevating the stories from being simple scares to deeper, more nuanced experiences. A must read for those who enjoy the other Batman entries by this creative duo, it offers something different from their previous titles whilst maintaining the quality and visual flair.
May 24, 2016
Although bearing little resemblance to the Long Halloween, Batman: Haunted Knight holds its own. Tim Sale's artwork, although more 90s and cartoony than I'm used to, is very good and complements what I thought was a generally lighter tone and a kinder and more reflective than usual Batman. No teeth being knocked out here, Mr. Miller.
A side note: I love playing I Spy The Quote From One of Nolan's Films. From Fears, "Professor Crane isssn't here right now. But, if you'd like to make an appointment--?"
Haunted Knight is split into three short themed tales, Fears, Madness, and Ghosts. While Fears focuses on Scarecrow and is unique to Jeph Loeb, Madness and Ghosts draw from Alice in Wonderland and A Christmas Carol, which I've always thought was applicable to Halloween. The tales are self-contained but all three (if unsurprisingly) deal with Batman's fears: loneliness, loss, failure, and death. Although lighter in tone considering the content and the featured holiday, Haunted Knight still seriously examines Bruce's complex and sometimes romantic psychology. He constantly mourns, and yet yearns for his parents and a woman to give him the love and life he so desperately needs but selflessly refuses himself. Funny this much psychology can be extracted from such a small, fun book about Halloween.
June 6, 2021
Its a story of 3 Halloweens first is about him vs Scarecrow as he is looting people and taking out electric grids and relying on Batman's fears and so its upto Bruce to stop this madman and restore the electric power to the city, the other is vs Mad Hatter and him having Captured Barbara and re-enacting Alice in Wonderland and how Bruce's personal life with Jillian clashes here makes for an interesting story and reaffirms his commitments to being Batman at the sacrifice of Bruce Wayne and then the final story is like "A christmas carol" where 3 spirits visit him telling him of various things and Bruce having realized his responsibilities. Its a good volume and like just shows the craziness he has to deal with and his pains but despite it he thrives to be the protector of Gotham city. Very beautifully written. The art is just gorgeous and makes Gotham City alive almost.
January 19, 2012
Collecting three Halloween specials that feature a very reflective Batman. The first story, Fears, is sort of a Scarecrow story, but is really more about Batman's memory of his father. The second, Madness is (fittingly) more about his relationship with his mother. Hands down my favorite of the collection. The last panel (Bruce reading Alice in Wonderland on a rainy day) will probably remain one of my favorite memories of Bruce Wayne. The last story, Ghosts, is a Christmas Carol with Batvillains as the ghosts. It just didn't work for me. I'll be honest, I do have a bias. If it were up to me, I'd outlaw all new versions of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. That said, something about it just wasn't working. The ending felt particularly false. I think Batman just isn't cut out for A Christmas Carol.
November 29, 2020
A collection of three short tales centered around Hallowe'en in Gotham City.
The one featuring Scarecrow (as a vehicle to explore Bruce's underlying fears) was the best one.
The second was pretty decent as Bats goes up against the madness of Jervis Tetch, and we get a glimpse at why Lewis Carroll's work touches a nerve with the Caped Crusader.
I probably liked the third one, a Hallowe'en rehash of A Christmas Carol, the least but Sale's beautiful art and Loeb's deft exploration of Bruce Wayne's psyche were strong throughout.
The one featuring Scarecrow (as a vehicle to explore Bruce's underlying fears) was the best one.
The second was pretty decent as Bats goes up against the madness of Jervis Tetch, and we get a glimpse at why Lewis Carroll's work touches a nerve with the Caped Crusader.
I probably liked the third one, a Hallowe'en rehash of A Christmas Carol, the least but Sale's beautiful art and Loeb's deft exploration of Bruce Wayne's psyche were strong throughout.
March 15, 2011
This was part of Loeb/Sale's supposed Halloween trilogy, though I don't know what the hell the order is. This volume doesn't really fit with the other two. Their Batman is usually a serious detective and this one makes him seem pretty novice. This Batman doesn't seem to know if he's going for 1950s cheesy pulp Batman, 1980s pissed-off revamp Batman or 1990s balanced-in-every-way Batman.
The art and storyline of these three stories (Fears, Madness, Ghosts) would've made it pioneering if written a few decades ago when comic book writers were still trying to figure out the depths of Batman. But, here, it just seems like all the villains are cliches and everything Batman says to himself is almost a parody of Batman (my parents died, my father's house, no real me, etc). However, the last story is slightly intriguing, as it shows the beginning of The Wayne Foundation. But it's still one long variation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
It gets two stars, but not in a disappointed way. It's more like, "you guys were so close to something, but it just didn't work out." Paaaat on the baaaaaaaack.
The art and storyline of these three stories (Fears, Madness, Ghosts) would've made it pioneering if written a few decades ago when comic book writers were still trying to figure out the depths of Batman. But, here, it just seems like all the villains are cliches and everything Batman says to himself is almost a parody of Batman (my parents died, my father's house, no real me, etc). However, the last story is slightly intriguing, as it shows the beginning of The Wayne Foundation. But it's still one long variation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
It gets two stars, but not in a disappointed way. It's more like, "you guys were so close to something, but it just didn't work out." Paaaat on the baaaaaaaack.
July 25, 2021
Having read "the Shadow" by Patterson and Co, I needed to clean my palate of the filth and I turned to the Batman, whose roots are somehow tangled with the Shadow, as in being borrowing from some of the Shadows early storylines (Yes the Shadow was around a tad earlier than the Batman).
This collections contains three Halloween stories, one based upon Dickens' Christmas carol, and one other based upon Alice in Wonderland and the opening story puts Batman opposite the Scarecrow and a black widow (not the Marvel character).
In all books we feel the desperation of one Bruce Wayne in his quest to keep Gotham safe from criminals. In these three short stories we already come across the notion that Gotham is filled with quite a few psychopaths in a weird outfit, but what is the difference with Gothams' defending Knight who travels by night in Bat outfit.
An excellent collection which is a promise for the upcoming Long Halloween which is considered a classic among the Batman literature.
This collections contains three Halloween stories, one based upon Dickens' Christmas carol, and one other based upon Alice in Wonderland and the opening story puts Batman opposite the Scarecrow and a black widow (not the Marvel character).
In all books we feel the desperation of one Bruce Wayne in his quest to keep Gotham safe from criminals. In these three short stories we already come across the notion that Gotham is filled with quite a few psychopaths in a weird outfit, but what is the difference with Gothams' defending Knight who travels by night in Bat outfit.
An excellent collection which is a promise for the upcoming Long Halloween which is considered a classic among the Batman literature.
February 17, 2022
Three Halloween stories which explore Batman's fears � poorly, I'm afraid.
First story's probably the most decent but it lacks substance. Features Scarecrow.
Second story's about the Mad Hatter, who believes he's living in the world of "Alice in Wonderland." It reads like weedy fanfiction.
Third story's a Batman parody of the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I say parody because "inspired" is not it; it doesn't have any of the heart of Dickens' classic.
None the better for the presence of many iconic villains and apropos art.
First story's probably the most decent but it lacks substance. Features Scarecrow.
Second story's about the Mad Hatter, who believes he's living in the world of "Alice in Wonderland." It reads like weedy fanfiction.
Third story's a Batman parody of the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I say parody because "inspired" is not it; it doesn't have any of the heart of Dickens' classic.
None the better for the presence of many iconic villains and apropos art.
April 17, 2020
Haunted Knight falls short of the standard set by other series by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, but still manages to be a satisfactory read, with an optimistic and heartwarming ending not seen in many Batman stories.
September 18, 2024
Não tem jeito, Loeb com Tim Sale formam uma dupla dinâmica dos quadrinhos que, apesar de as vezes as tramas terem elementos facilitadores por conta da narrativa do Loeb, as coisas funcionam e a leitura flui de maneira bem boa, que certos malabarismos de roteiro passam despercebidos.
Aqui em Batman Dia das Bruxas, temos contos da revista Legends of the Dark Knight, que remetem a tramas que se passam no começo de carreira do Batman, logo ele possui apenas o apoio do então Capitão Gordon e ainda não há membros já Batfamily.
A primeira história é estrelada pelo Espantalho como entagonista, que está causando problemas em Gotham, deixando o Batman dividido entre focar em utilizar sua identidade de Batman ou seguir suas obrigações civis como Bruce Wayne. Tal dualidade é ainda mais aflorada, quando ele fica pensativo sobre deixar de atuar como Morcego e passar um tempo como Bruce ao lado de sua nova "namorada". É uma historia que trabalha os medos e as identidades do Batman, desenvolvendo as camadas de Bruce e Batman.
O segundo conto possui como vilão o Chapeleiro Louco, que como sempre, está viciado na história da Alice no PaÃs das Maravilhas. Isso o leva a sequestrar crianças, o que leva a uma investigação e interação de Gordon e Batman. Essa trama também é legal pois mostra o começo da Bárbara como filha adotiva do Gordon, se mudando para Gotham City e tendo que adaptar a nova cidade. Nessa trama é possÃvel ver a reflexão diante aos sacrifÃcios que o Bruce faz para atuar como Batman, e em paralelo o Gordon pensando em como seria não ter obrigações e ele ser o Batman.
Por fim, temos um conto baseado em uma história famosa de Natal que eu esqueci, em que o Batman prende o Pinguim e posteriormente, ao dormir, ele começa a enxergar espÃritos de outros vilões. Sinceramente, foi a história que menos gostei.
Aqui em Batman Dia das Bruxas, temos contos da revista Legends of the Dark Knight, que remetem a tramas que se passam no começo de carreira do Batman, logo ele possui apenas o apoio do então Capitão Gordon e ainda não há membros já Batfamily.
A primeira história é estrelada pelo Espantalho como entagonista, que está causando problemas em Gotham, deixando o Batman dividido entre focar em utilizar sua identidade de Batman ou seguir suas obrigações civis como Bruce Wayne. Tal dualidade é ainda mais aflorada, quando ele fica pensativo sobre deixar de atuar como Morcego e passar um tempo como Bruce ao lado de sua nova "namorada". É uma historia que trabalha os medos e as identidades do Batman, desenvolvendo as camadas de Bruce e Batman.
O segundo conto possui como vilão o Chapeleiro Louco, que como sempre, está viciado na história da Alice no PaÃs das Maravilhas. Isso o leva a sequestrar crianças, o que leva a uma investigação e interação de Gordon e Batman. Essa trama também é legal pois mostra o começo da Bárbara como filha adotiva do Gordon, se mudando para Gotham City e tendo que adaptar a nova cidade. Nessa trama é possÃvel ver a reflexão diante aos sacrifÃcios que o Bruce faz para atuar como Batman, e em paralelo o Gordon pensando em como seria não ter obrigações e ele ser o Batman.
Por fim, temos um conto baseado em uma história famosa de Natal que eu esqueci, em que o Batman prende o Pinguim e posteriormente, ao dormir, ele começa a enxergar espÃritos de outros vilões. Sinceramente, foi a história que menos gostei.
January 10, 2020
Granny has come out of her hiding place and has finally finished a book again. Like the cheesy, predictable bitch that I am, I chose to order a Batman: Halloween Special collection on October 30, so that it would arrive right on time for Halloween and I could have myself a good ole spooky read.
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are my favorite duo when it comes to writing and drawing Batman comics and sadly, this is the last comic I hadn't had read from them. This collects Choices, Madness and Ghosts, three short stories that were conceptually at different times but all take place on Halloween in Gotham City.
I absolutely adored all three of these stories! During the story "Choices", Batman is hunting down and trying to capture Scarecrow. Fear plays a large part in the story, with Batman nearly dying of fear while trapped in a large, poisonous thorn maze. I really love the way Tim Sale drew Scarecrow. His look was creepy and very detailed!
"Madness" tells the story of Captain James Gordon's daughter, Barbara, being kidnapped by Mad Hatter and forced to participate in a twisted tea party with other kidnapped children. Batman and Gordon finally save Barbara and bring down Mad Hatter. I really loved this story and it actually made me tear up at one point because Gordon was so desperate over the loss of his daughter: "This city never seemed quite as enormous -- before I lost my child in it." On top of that, I liked the interaction between him and Batman, since Gordon cares for Batman so much!
"Ghosts" is a Batman universe version of A Christmas Carol, with Bruce's father Thomas Wayne taking the place of Jacob Marley, and the three spirits being Poison Ivy (the Ghost of Christmas Past), the Joker (the Ghost of Christmas Present), and a Grim Reaper figure (the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) who turns out to be Batman's ghost. The message from the spirits is that Bruce should not let Batman take over his entire life. This was by far my favorite of the three and it also made me tear up a bit (can you tell I'm a sappy bitch). I know we've been the horse of Bruce's parents dying to death (like, literally) but I can never get enough of it. I like that we learn the new information that Bruce was reading A Christmas Carol with his mom on that fatal night they went out to watch Zorro in cinema. Also, Alfred is ma boy! <3
Overall, I fell in love with Batman all over again. I will never tire of reading comics from this universe!
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are my favorite duo when it comes to writing and drawing Batman comics and sadly, this is the last comic I hadn't had read from them. This collects Choices, Madness and Ghosts, three short stories that were conceptually at different times but all take place on Halloween in Gotham City.
I absolutely adored all three of these stories! During the story "Choices", Batman is hunting down and trying to capture Scarecrow. Fear plays a large part in the story, with Batman nearly dying of fear while trapped in a large, poisonous thorn maze. I really love the way Tim Sale drew Scarecrow. His look was creepy and very detailed!
"Madness" tells the story of Captain James Gordon's daughter, Barbara, being kidnapped by Mad Hatter and forced to participate in a twisted tea party with other kidnapped children. Batman and Gordon finally save Barbara and bring down Mad Hatter. I really loved this story and it actually made me tear up at one point because Gordon was so desperate over the loss of his daughter: "This city never seemed quite as enormous -- before I lost my child in it." On top of that, I liked the interaction between him and Batman, since Gordon cares for Batman so much!
"Ghosts" is a Batman universe version of A Christmas Carol, with Bruce's father Thomas Wayne taking the place of Jacob Marley, and the three spirits being Poison Ivy (the Ghost of Christmas Past), the Joker (the Ghost of Christmas Present), and a Grim Reaper figure (the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) who turns out to be Batman's ghost. The message from the spirits is that Bruce should not let Batman take over his entire life. This was by far my favorite of the three and it also made me tear up a bit (can you tell I'm a sappy bitch). I know we've been the horse of Bruce's parents dying to death (like, literally) but I can never get enough of it. I like that we learn the new information that Bruce was reading A Christmas Carol with his mom on that fatal night they went out to watch Zorro in cinema. Also, Alfred is ma boy! <3
Overall, I fell in love with Batman all over again. I will never tire of reading comics from this universe!
January 29, 2020
(I read this comic as content of "Batman by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale omnibus")
"Batman the haunted knight" is a comic written by the legendary Jeph Loeb and drawn by the incredible Tim Sale. This comic is actually separated in three independent chapters that were made for Legend of the dark knight Halloween specials in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
The first chapter is "Fears". In this story Batman fights Scarecrow while he starts having romantic feelings for a woman he met at one of his parties. This story focusses on the relationship between Bruce and Alfred but more importantly focusses on Bruce's fears and what makes him Batman. In this chapter Batman dives deep into his thoughts and he takes us with him.
The second chapter is "Madness". In this chapter Batman fights the Mad Hatter. A short guy who's obsessed with "Alice in wonderland" and kidnaps kids to take then in his crazy tea party. This story focusses on the relationship between commissioner Gordon and his daughter and also the relationship between Bruce and his now dead mom.
Chapter three is "Ghosts". This chapter is heavily based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. In this story Batman is visited by three spirits. The first one is Poison Ivy, the second one is Joker and the third one is himself but dead. This story focusses in the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Batman.
For me this was a great Batman comic that dives deep into the character of Batman like almost no other. Personally I love both the writing of Jeph Loeb and the artwork of Tim Sale and I always enjoy to read any comic by them.
10/10
"Batman the haunted knight" is a comic written by the legendary Jeph Loeb and drawn by the incredible Tim Sale. This comic is actually separated in three independent chapters that were made for Legend of the dark knight Halloween specials in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
The first chapter is "Fears". In this story Batman fights Scarecrow while he starts having romantic feelings for a woman he met at one of his parties. This story focusses on the relationship between Bruce and Alfred but more importantly focusses on Bruce's fears and what makes him Batman. In this chapter Batman dives deep into his thoughts and he takes us with him.
The second chapter is "Madness". In this chapter Batman fights the Mad Hatter. A short guy who's obsessed with "Alice in wonderland" and kidnaps kids to take then in his crazy tea party. This story focusses on the relationship between commissioner Gordon and his daughter and also the relationship between Bruce and his now dead mom.
Chapter three is "Ghosts". This chapter is heavily based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. In this story Batman is visited by three spirits. The first one is Poison Ivy, the second one is Joker and the third one is himself but dead. This story focusses in the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Batman.
For me this was a great Batman comic that dives deep into the character of Batman like almost no other. Personally I love both the writing of Jeph Loeb and the artwork of Tim Sale and I always enjoy to read any comic by them.
10/10
January 21, 2023
A damn near perfect appetizer for the Long Halloween where the best is yet to come!
January 6, 2025
I really liked 80% of this.
The first story is probably my favorite. Having Scarecrow as the main villain usually works for me. He's especially unhinged and a piece of shit here, so was nice to see his craziness on full display. I also loved how Badass Batman came off here, but also losing himself to the city's madness. The Mad Hatter story was also pretty good.
The very last story was decent but I think tried to have too many moving pieces and didn't fully click. Loeb tends to throw a TON of villains into his stories, and the joker segment didn't really work for me in the end.
But overall a very fun collection of older stories where Batman has to use both his brains and brawn, to win his battles. A 4 out of 5.
The first story is probably my favorite. Having Scarecrow as the main villain usually works for me. He's especially unhinged and a piece of shit here, so was nice to see his craziness on full display. I also loved how Badass Batman came off here, but also losing himself to the city's madness. The Mad Hatter story was also pretty good.
The very last story was decent but I think tried to have too many moving pieces and didn't fully click. Loeb tends to throw a TON of villains into his stories, and the joker segment didn't really work for me in the end.
But overall a very fun collection of older stories where Batman has to use both his brains and brawn, to win his battles. A 4 out of 5.
November 26, 2023
3.5 stars
First thoughts:
A collection of three one shots all set during Halloween. I particularly enjoyed the second tale, called Madness where Batman has to face the Mad Hatter, while remembering and grieving for his mother.
They weren't the best stories (I particularly did not care at all for Scarecrow nor the romantic subplot) but it was still fun to read. Loeb and Sale's Batman is just something else.
First thoughts:
A collection of three one shots all set during Halloween. I particularly enjoyed the second tale, called Madness where Batman has to face the Mad Hatter, while remembering and grieving for his mother.
They weren't the best stories (I particularly did not care at all for Scarecrow nor the romantic subplot) but it was still fun to read. Loeb and Sale's Batman is just something else.
September 27, 2023
A relatively quick read, from the stack of graphic novels I recently discovered (after a household move) that I'm assuming my (now adult) elder purchased many moons ago....
Of the three installments in the trilogy, I found the first (featuring the Scarecrow) the most engaging. By the third, it felt rushed or maybe the author was just trying to do too much in too few pages. As for the Alice in Wonderland platform, despite its ultimate poignancy, I thought it had potential to be much more.
Not sorry I read it, but definitely not elevating it to the top of my most recommended graphic novels.
Of the three installments in the trilogy, I found the first (featuring the Scarecrow) the most engaging. By the third, it felt rushed or maybe the author was just trying to do too much in too few pages. As for the Alice in Wonderland platform, despite its ultimate poignancy, I thought it had potential to be much more.
Not sorry I read it, but definitely not elevating it to the top of my most recommended graphic novels.
October 19, 2015
3.5 stars
I am not sure that I know why but Batman Haunted Knight reminded me of Batman the Animated Series!So even if the story was rubbish I would still love it!
I am not sure that I know why but Batman Haunted Knight reminded me of Batman the Animated Series!So even if the story was rubbish I would still love it!
January 20, 2022
This had such a dream-like flow.
November 5, 2019
"But in Gotham City, on Halloween...all hell breaks loose!"
Batman: Haunted Knight was my Halloween read. I'd been holding on to this one for a couple months & looking forward to it. The stories weren't bad, but they weren't anything super memorable, either. My favorite of the three was probably Fears. I loved the idea of this book, but it just didn't really work for me as a collection.
Batman: Haunted Knight was my Halloween read. I'd been holding on to this one for a couple months & looking forward to it. The stories weren't bad, but they weren't anything super memorable, either. My favorite of the three was probably Fears. I loved the idea of this book, but it just didn't really work for me as a collection.
October 6, 2022
Batman: Haunted Knights collects 3 Halloween Specials of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (Fears, Madness, and Ghosts) written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale
In Haunted Knight we get three stand alone comics. In Fears, Batman hunts The Scarecrow who is blowing up power station across Gotham City. In Madness, Batman is in search of the Mad Hatter who has kidnapped a group of children including Barbara Gordon. Finally in Ghosts, Batman is visited by the spirits of the past, present, and future.
I haven’t read these issues since probably 2006 and man were they a great revisit. When I originally read them, I didn’t realize they were part of the fabulous 90s Legends of the Dark Knight series. I remember getting random LotDK issues in middle school and feeling really cool to be able to read this dark and brooding series. That is a series DC desperately needs to reprint.
This series was Loeb and Sale’s first work on Batman which proved so popular that they went on to create the masterpieces that are The Long Halloween (The BEST Batman book. Fight me.), it’s sequel Dark Victory, and spin-off Catwoman: When In Rome. You can tell the early genius that is at work here with the two creators making a unique world for the Dark Knight. Sale’s art is beautiful as always and will always be how I envision Batman. It was such a great pleasure to revisit this series with the rerelease of Haunted Knight in an oversized, hardcover addition. It’s hard to believe Sale’s art could look even better but they did it. These reprinting of Loeb and Sale’s Batman works should be in every Batman fan’s collection.
In Haunted Knight we get three stand alone comics. In Fears, Batman hunts The Scarecrow who is blowing up power station across Gotham City. In Madness, Batman is in search of the Mad Hatter who has kidnapped a group of children including Barbara Gordon. Finally in Ghosts, Batman is visited by the spirits of the past, present, and future.
I haven’t read these issues since probably 2006 and man were they a great revisit. When I originally read them, I didn’t realize they were part of the fabulous 90s Legends of the Dark Knight series. I remember getting random LotDK issues in middle school and feeling really cool to be able to read this dark and brooding series. That is a series DC desperately needs to reprint.
This series was Loeb and Sale’s first work on Batman which proved so popular that they went on to create the masterpieces that are The Long Halloween (The BEST Batman book. Fight me.), it’s sequel Dark Victory, and spin-off Catwoman: When In Rome. You can tell the early genius that is at work here with the two creators making a unique world for the Dark Knight. Sale’s art is beautiful as always and will always be how I envision Batman. It was such a great pleasure to revisit this series with the rerelease of Haunted Knight in an oversized, hardcover addition. It’s hard to believe Sale’s art could look even better but they did it. These reprinting of Loeb and Sale’s Batman works should be in every Batman fan’s collection.
November 5, 2023
3.5
My second Jeph Loeb Tim sale book about Batman, hmmmmm what do we have here. Oh 3 short stories about batsie. Cool.
Batman haunted knight - haunted knight is a collection of 3 short stories you could say, one being about scarecrow, one being about mad hatter and commissioner Gordon and the last being about penguin and batman finding out how in the future when he dies no one will care and the name Batman in the future will be useless to everyone.
My thoughts (the good and bad) - the first story with scarecrow was good, the second one with mad hatter shows you the struggle of being a parent mostly in the eyes of Jim Gordon which I really enjoyed and the last about Bruce Wayne finding out that in the future he will be forgotten. I’m still getting used to Tim sales art but it’s overall pretty good, and the stories in this are pretty good. My problem was that sometimes during the stories I wouldn’t get attached and wouldn’t care. I also thought the scarecrow one was a bit boring but Jillian made it better.
Overall good book
My second Jeph Loeb Tim sale book about Batman, hmmmmm what do we have here. Oh 3 short stories about batsie. Cool.
Batman haunted knight - haunted knight is a collection of 3 short stories you could say, one being about scarecrow, one being about mad hatter and commissioner Gordon and the last being about penguin and batman finding out how in the future when he dies no one will care and the name Batman in the future will be useless to everyone.
My thoughts (the good and bad) - the first story with scarecrow was good, the second one with mad hatter shows you the struggle of being a parent mostly in the eyes of Jim Gordon which I really enjoyed and the last about Bruce Wayne finding out that in the future he will be forgotten. I’m still getting used to Tim sales art but it’s overall pretty good, and the stories in this are pretty good. My problem was that sometimes during the stories I wouldn’t get attached and wouldn’t care. I also thought the scarecrow one was a bit boring but Jillian made it better.
Overall good book
October 8, 2021
This book is a collection of three shorts stories written by the team that wrote The Long Halloween. The first is about Scarecrow, the second about mad hatter and the third is a Christmas carol but on Halloween?
The first two stories I really liked and were enjoyable to read, they were just solid Batman stories and those two I would rate 4 stars. The third one I liked but didn’t really get what they were trying to say about Batman and so I would rate it 3 stars. The artwork wasn’t as good as The Long Halloween and Dark Victory but considering this was written before it’s understandable.
Overall I liked the book and enjoyed reading it but it definitly didn’t feel like anything too important happened. If you’re looking for some quick, enjoyable and short Batman stories this is a good book for you!
The first two stories I really liked and were enjoyable to read, they were just solid Batman stories and those two I would rate 4 stars. The third one I liked but didn’t really get what they were trying to say about Batman and so I would rate it 3 stars. The artwork wasn’t as good as The Long Halloween and Dark Victory but considering this was written before it’s understandable.
Overall I liked the book and enjoyed reading it but it definitly didn’t feel like anything too important happened. If you’re looking for some quick, enjoyable and short Batman stories this is a good book for you!
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