Book of the Month: October, 2025
Batman: The Long Halloween
by Jeph Loeb (Author), Tim Sale (Illustrator)
THE Daily Planet, December 6, 1996 - Special Edition
By Clark Kent, Staff Writer
A City Haunted by Holidays
Gotham City is once again in the headlines, not for its skyscrapers or its industry, but for a wave of violence that has gripped its citizens with fear. A series of brutal murders has followed the calendar’s most familiar holidays, earning the mysterious culprit the name “Holiday.” Each month brings another crime scene, another family left to grieve, and another reminder that Gotham remains a city where even tradition can be twisted into terror.
Though Batman’s presence looms large in any story about Gotham, the so-called “Holiday Killer” has managed to evade even the Dark Knight’s legendary detective skills. Sources say Batman has worked closely with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Commissioner James Gordon in an unprecedented alliance to stop the killings before they escalate further. But as the year marches forward, questions grow louder: can justice triumph in a city where law, order, and morality are constantly tested?
Beyond the murders themselves, the Holiday case has revealed troubling fractures within Gotham’s most powerful crime families. The once-mighty Falcone empire has been shaken, not just by outside interference, but by betrayal from within. Ordinary citizens, meanwhile, have been left to wonder whether their city can ever be free from the grip of organized crime and the fear that comes with it. And yet, amid the shadows, Gotham shows resilience. People still celebrate holidays, still gather with loved ones, and still hope that this year-long nightmare will end.