Batman: The Long Halloween

映画「ダークナイト」の原作となったとも言われるお話です。 祝日に限ってゴッサムシティのマフィア関係者を次々に殺害していく謎の犯罪者「ホリデイ」を 捕まえるため奔走するバットマン、ゴードン警部、そして地方検事のハーヴィ・デントを描いた作品です。 ホリデイの正体を探るため３人は協力体制を取りながら捜査を進めていきますが、その過程では往年のヴィラン達のみならず 主要な一般の脇役キャラクターにも３人の疑いの目が及んでいきます。 ホリデイの正体とは、”３人”の結末とは、最後まで謎が謎を呼ぶ展開となっています。 バットマンと聞くと、９０年代の映画の影響からか何か格闘アクションといったジャンルに分類されるような 気がしますが、ふたを開けてみればアクションというよりサスペンス！ 多くの登場人物がホリデイたりうる可能性を孕み、一体誰が真犯人なのか、バットマン達と共に 謎解きを体験できるような構成になっていて、読んでいて飽きない作品だと思いました。 また、私自身この作品からアメコミの世界に足を踏み入れましたが、日本の漫画では味わえない絵柄や それほど難解ではないセリフなど、初心者の私でも(辞書を使わざるをえない場面も多々ありましたが(笑))十分 楽しむことができたと感じています。 そして往々にしてアメリカ映画などにありがちなド派手な戦闘シーンがあるわけではありませんが、 何かズーンと心に染みいってくるようなストーリー、ゴッサムシティの汚れ、雰囲気は一度体験してみるべきでしょう。 ストーリーも面白い＋初心者でも読めた＋バットマンならではの雰囲気 これらを評して☆５つにしたいと思います。

Se volete leggere una storia mozzafiato che vede coinvolti un Batman ancora alle prime armi in qualità di detective, il senza macchia capitano della polizia Jim Gordon e l'indecifrabile procuratore distrettuale Harvey Dent, questa graphic novel fa proprio al caso vostro. Seguito praticamente perfetto di Anno Uno di Miller, in questa storia i tre protagonisti si trovano a dare la caccia ad un misterioso serial killer che sembra aver preso di mira le più importanti famiglie mafiose di Gotham City. La trama è magnifica e perfettamente articolata. Si menano le mani solo quando davvero necessario: il fumetto è senz'altro più "psicologico" che "fisico". Dialoghi eccezionali e un carnet di personaggi, tra cui i principali super-criminali della serie, davvero notevole e mai inseriti a caso o solo per apparire. Disegni meravigliosi, tra i più belli che abbia visto in una graphic novel di Batman: l'eroe è fisicamente possente, Gordon e soprattutto Dent sono spettacolari, per non parlare degli antagonisti, che presentano un tratto a dir poco grottesco e quasi spaventoso. I contenuti aggiuntivi non sono niente di che, ma poco importa; è una storia che gli appassionati devono assolutamente leggere, considerando anche i seguiti Dark Victory e Hush.

Le duo Loeb-Sale signe ici un véritable chef-d'œuvre. Ils nous emmènent dans une intrigue passionnante où Batman, Gordon et Dent sont confrontés à un tueur inconnu qui sème la terreur dans Gotham. Un véritable roman policier où l'on cherchera le fin mot de l'histoire jusqu'à la dernière page. L'enquête est très bien rédigée et fait apparaître plusieurs personnages de la saga qui sont là pour aider ou entraver le travail des détectives qui fonctionnent chacun à leur propre manière. On m'avait averti que The Long Halloween était un must-have mais je ne pensais pas que ce serait aussi bon. On sent que cet ouvrage a été source d'inspiration pour Christopher Nolan. Il s'agit indéniablement d'un des premier ouvrages de la collection Batman que les fans doivent se procurer.

It is a very good detective story … in my opinion, this is what Batman stories should be like. Focus on the crime and detective work, and less on long fighting sequences. Batman is, after all, a sleuth and considered to be the world’s greatest detective. It is always good to go back to the fundamentals. One is kept guessing right to the end as to the real identity of the serial killer, Holiday. Chapter 7 —midway through this 13-chapter story — toys with the reader by introducing multiple suspects such as Salvatore Maroni, Carla Viti, Catwoman, and Harvey Dent. And there is a huge twist at the end of the story (I certainly didn't expect it)! There is certainly plenty of character development and depth. We get to see how wedded Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent are to their jobs and responsibilities so much so that they neglect their own families. We also get to see how Harvey Dent unravels and ultimately transforms into Two Face. And there is “something” going on between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The fact that this story influenced Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” should be sufficient reason/enticement for one to pick up this book and read it. Even Matt Reeves’ more recent “The Batman” movie was influenced by “The Long Halloween”! The panels are not text heavy (unlike say, Alan Moore's "Watchmen"), so it is a pretty breezy and brisk read overall. However, just to nitpick, the opening sequence in Chapter 1 copies Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather”. It is cheesy to have Bruce Wayne declare, “I believe in Gotham City” in the style of Amerigo Bonasera. And Carmine Falcone is made out to be like Don Corleone in this sequence. The smelling of a rose, the wedding reception … all these lack originality. Thank goodness the artist, Tim Sale, did not draw in a cat sitting on Falcone’s lap! Well-known Batman villains are gradually introduced as the story progresses (e.g., Catwoman, Solomon Grundy, the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, and the Calendar Man). Most are decently linked to the story but Solomon Grundy and the Mad Hatter are completely superfluous in my view. Batman seeking insights on the killer from the Calendar Man is too similar to Clarice Starling seeking Hannibal Lechter's help in "Silence of the Lambs". Because of these, I contemplated subtracting half a star from the rating but then I decided against it. The art style is nice with clean, crisp lines. It certainly has a distinctive “look and feel” to it. It is stylish. It is the complete opposite of the “rough and ready” style such as that found in Frank Miller’s "Ronin". And then, there is the creative cover art for every chapter, with each related to a specific holiday occasion. I like it.

A must read for any Batman fan

Un cómic que te atrapa. Genial para introducirse en el mundo de Batman, un clasicazo de este superhéroe. El dibujo empezó no gustandome mucho, pero para cuando me acabé el libro me encantaba.