Customer Reviews

Batman: Haunted Knight

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This graphic novel is a collection of three Halloween stories involving Batman. In Fears, the Scarecrow returns to Gotham City, and he's turning the lights out for one scary Halloween. In Madness, that arch-villain the Mad Hatter is stealing children, and when he grabs Commissioner Gordon's daughter, it becomes personal. The final story is Ghosts, in which Bruce Wayne is visited by the ghost of his father, who warns him that three spirits will visit him for his own reformation; it's a Halloween version of the Christmas Carol, and Bruce hates seeing someone use his father's image - somebody needs to be taught a lesson, but who?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the artwork was very good, and I certainly enjoyed the stories. What was the meaning of the third story? I guess that it is up to you (and Bruce) to decide. As for me, I highly recommend this book.

This book is a collection of three Batman tales. In the first, Bruce Wayne begins to get serious with a woman while the Scarecrow terrorizes Gotham. In the second, the Mad Hatter is up to his usual schemes. Finally, the third is a Batman version of the Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol."
My favorite is the third story. The tale is woven so that it becomes obvious to Bruce that the Batman can sometimes be his own worse enemy. I just love the way a night of strange visions can change even the most uncompromising character. The thing I always loved about the whole "Scrooge" archetype is that the presence of three spirits, a mystical and supernatural event, takes back seat to an even more incredible event; the redemption of a wayward human heart. So I am a sucker for the whole "Christmas Carol" mentality.
The thing about the Mad Hatter is I believe they've taken the character a bit far; he went from a dreaming schemer to a delusional psychotic. He once was just an eccentric criminal whose sense of reality was a bit distorted; now he is a homocidal maniac. I don't, in general, like the way they write the Jervis Tetch character nowadays.
Nonetheless, the third story is good and the first one is good enough to warrant a good recommendation for this book.

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are a match made in heaven. Any story that they write is bound to be critically acclaimed before it's even published. They create magic. The create entertainment. Batman: Haunted Knight is the series of stories that put their names on the map. While Loeb would later go on to write very well written Superman, Cable and Fantastic Four stories, it is only when he is united with Sale that his creativity and genius moves up a notch.

This book is a collection of three Halloween Specials stories. All three are set in the early days of Batman, where I would believe Loeb finds himself at ease in. Each story holds its own, but deals with a dark side of the Batman, or one might say how the dark side deals with Batman. The three stories are very self insightful where the Dark Knight finds himself contemplating to what has made him the person he is today. How his past shaped his present and what it all means for his past. The most touching of all stories are the ones that deals with his childhood and sights of his parents before their untimely tragedy that helped make the character, the most morose, guilt-stricken characters in all comicdom. You learn that's the only thing that truly makes the character tick. The great love he shared with his parents turned into the great hate he feels towards the criminal underworld. That's what Batman is all about.

Loeb and Sale are truly downright amazing in their depiction of the character. Sale has still to find himself with the character and that can be noticed in some of the awkward art that appears in some pages. His take would masterfully transcend in his next masterwork Batman: The Long Halloween. Loeb and Sale would also go on ahead to make Batman: Dark Victory for DC and the highly acclaimed Daredevil: Yellow for Marvel.

People have caught on that the duo are excellent when solo, but are dynamite when together. With them onto something, there will always be a bang in the horizon. If their magic catches on, they could be the ones reviving the now defunct Batman movie franchise.

This excellent compilation gathers up the three consecutive Halloween specials mastered by the Dynamic Duo, Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale (after these three Legends Of The Dark Knight-specials the two wrote Long Halloween).

First story features Scarecrow and rather unyielding and even too determined Batman, who scarcely sleeps at all. The story features also the possible love interest of Bruce Wayne... but it's eventually up to Alfred to discover the truth.

The second marvellous story tells the modern version of Alice in Wonderland - the teenager Barbara Gordon is kidnapped to play Alice in the monstrous, twisted world of The Mad Hatter. The tale also reveals us some new details about young Bruce Wayne's relationship with her mother. Intense, scary and emotionally touching - this is a Batman story of highest quality!

The third tale is a remake of Dickens' Christmas Carol - feverous Batman sleeps rather badly after a long night in the streets of Gotham. Bruce Wayne is depicted as a grim, joyless hermit - the commitments of Batman do not leave space for anything else. The first ghost, Thomas Wayne, tries to warn his son, but eventually Bruce encounters the three ghosts of Halloween past, present and future. In the end Bruce realizes, that the work of Bruce Wayne is equally important to the work of Batman: Bruce sets up his B.W. Foundation (with mr. Lucius Fox, his old acquintance), and even delivers some Halloween candies to local kids!

Somehow Loeb is able to capture the very essence of both Bruce Wayne and Batman, and the marvellous art of Tim Sale makes this compilation a treat, not a trick!

Set early in Batman's career, these tales show what Gotham's worst criminals do on All Hallow's Eve.

In the first story, entitled 'Fears', Batman confronts the Scarecrow, who's destroying Gotham's power plants, then using the subsequent darkness to commit crimes.
In the second story, entitled 'Madness', Batman battles the Mad Hatter, who has captured children in his perverse version of 'Alice in Wonderland'
And in the third story ('Ghosts'), Batman confronts the ghosts of his past, present, and future. Loosely based on 'A Christmas Carol', Batman has to deal with his inner demons.

As I've said before. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are perfectly suited to bring us tales of the Dark Knight. These stories are very well written by Loeb, whose words mesh well with Sale's dark artwork.

The only reason this book doesnt get 5 stars is for the somewhat linear Mad Hatter story. I may be a bit biased, because the Mad Hatter is my least favorite Batman villain, but I was a little disappointed with it. The other two stories, however, are marvelous.

Overall, this book is well worth owning. I strongly recommend it.

This TPB collects the 3 Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials, and is not a bad compilation at all. The first story appears to be simple Scarecrow tale, but looks are decieving. It's more about the incredible differences between Bruce Wayne and Batman. The second tale, a Mad Hatter story, is pretty basic; nothing special about it. Its average-ness is what caused the book to earn 4 stars rather than 5. But Loeb and Sale make up for it with the 3rd story, a 'Christmas Carol' knock-off that you have to read to believe. Sale's artwork is absolutely gorgeous in all 3 tales. My reccomendation is to buy the 'Batman: Long Halloween' TPB first. If you like it, then buy Haunted Knight, they are by the same people and in the same vein.

All you ever hear about is Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Long Halloween. This collection, TLH's predecessor, is the true essence of what Batman is all about. The visuals are a lot truer to the noir genre than any take I've seen. When you read this book, the point that really comes across is Batman's greatest asset: despite having the scariest villians in comics, Batman himself, the good guy, is the most terrifying man in Gotham City. The storytelling and artwork convey this point to a T. And as for the last story, take it for what it is meant to be, just a fun retelling of the Christmas Carol. The only thing I don't like about Loeb's writing is that it seems like every villian is always running around quoting children's literature...

This here is Loeb and Sale's first batman stories. This book is a collection of three batman halloween specials that were released in the mid 90's. The first story is entitled 'Fears', the second 'Madness', and the third and final story is titled 'Ghosts'.

The stories:
The first story called fears is deffinately the best story in the whole book. The storie's villain is the scarecrow, and him and his goons have been taking out sub stations so parts of gotham is in darkness, stores and places are then looted because of the sudden darkness. Scarecrow also is trying to bring fear to the people of gotham city, by putting the fear pwder into teddy bears and other stuffed toys that children play with. In many ways this story actually inspired the batman begins movie. This is by far the best story in this book, it's very original and keeps you entertained the whole way through.
The next story called madness is the second best story in the book. The villain this time is the absolutely insane mad hatter, who thinks he is the character from the children's book Alice In Wonderland. Jim Gordon's daughter Barbara has a fight with him, because it's halloween night she want's to go out trick or treating, she gets out without jim's approval and is then being threatened by men dressed in outfits. The mad hatter saves her but then kidnaps her for his reinactment of the story he obsessed about, he thinks she's alice, so he tends to keep her and the other kids who have been missing. This story is another story that has a lot of fun reading it, but somehow lacks a bit.
The next story named ghosts is actually the let down of this book. Bruce Wayne is actually a scrooge character in this story, he is visited by hi father telling him that he will be visited by three spirits, warning him about being batman. The first Is Poison Ivy, The second is The Joker, and the third is the grim reaper. This story is very lame and dissapointing, it is not a very exciting read and tends to get pretty cheesy and annoying.
This is a good effort by Tim and Jeph but fails to deliver a knockout read like the long halloween and dark victory. If you own the other two batman books that Loeb And Tim did, buy this if you want to complete their collaberation together doing the year one books then buy this. But the only reason buying this is the fears story. Overall it's an ok book.

Batman Haunted Knight is a 3-part graphic novel that was originally released as a 3-issue Batman halloween special by the great Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.
Part One takes you to a time in Gotham City where once again, the Scarecrow has escaped from Arkham, knocking out power on select sections of Gotham, terrorising them. Part Two shows Jervis Tetch (A.K.A the Mad Hatter) kidnapping Gothams runaways, among them, Jim Gordons daughter.
Part Three Shows Bruce Waynes struggle with himself and the penguin.
Loeb and Sale did an incredible job of fitting classic literature with this Novel, Part One was original, but Part two was inspired by Lewis Carrols`; Alice in Wonderland, and Part Three was inspired by Charles Dickens; A Christmas Carol.
Although this entry in the collection may not be quite as good as Loeb and Sales other works, (The Long Halloween, Dark Victory) it still is very enjoyable.
You can tell that the art is done slightly better then in Long Halloween, with more attention to detail.
Loeb and Sale do a great job of portraying the villains, the Mad Hatter is truly insane, Scarecrow is even MORE insane, the Joker is throwing out his jokes as usual, although you only get to see him in one small part.
Overall it is a short read but very well done.
I highly recommend this to graphic novel readers or any Batman fan.

This is a collection of 3 Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale Halloween tales. Jeph and Tim are known for their magic together, and add Batman and you have instant classics. This is a great book. The 3 stories are different than each other, each tale looks at aspects of Batman's life. The Third story is a Halloween/Batman twist on Dicken's Christmas Carol, worth the book right there.