Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus

Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale #0-3

by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale (Illustrator)

The Eisner Award-winning team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale created some of the most memorable and important Batman stories of all time. Now, for the first time ever, their complete works on the Dark Knight are collected together in one definitive omnibus edition.

Haunted Knight
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
Catwoman: When in Rome

With an introduction by creators Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, a conversation between Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer about The Long Halloween and a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes material, Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus collects the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman: Madness--A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman: Ghosts--A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13, Batman: Dark Victory #0-13, Catwoman: When in Rome #1-6 and a short story from Superman/Batman Secret Files & Origins 2003.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Comics Manga

1176 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Joseph "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.

Reviews

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loeb and Sale’s Batman run deserves its hype—classic Batman stories that belong among the greatest ever told. The writing is a blend of noir, crime drama, and horror. The artwork is dark, gritty, dramatic, and uses light incredibly. If you're new to Batman or a longtime fan, you have to check this out.

[Peter Looles · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Batman by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale omnibus" is a really great book that every fan of Batman should own. Jeph and Tim are an amazing duo. All the works those two have done together are remarkable. The chemistry between them is great. This omnibus contain's "Batman: haunted knight", "Batman: the long Halloween", "Batman: Dark victory" and "Catwoman when in Rome". The long Halloween and Dark victory are Batman classics and are considered as two of the best DC comics of all time. Also the long Halloween was the biggest inspiration for Christopher Nolan's second Batman movie.
Now, as far as it goes for the omnibus, Sale's artwork really works amazing in this oversized format, but the binding isn't great. It has no gutter lose, but there are some quite big problems with the spine of the book.
10/10 for the contents
6.5/10 for the binding

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monumental tomo que incluye las cuatro obras ya clásicas del cannon batman realizadas por Loeb y Sale:

Batman: Caballero Maldito(***): Tres historias ocuras que suceden durante diferentes años en el dia de Halloween. Tres pequeñas historias de tono oscuro donde Batman se enfrentará al espantapajaros, protagonizará el cuento de Alicia en sus carnes contra el sombrerero loco y vivirá una parodía del cuento de navidad de dickens. Entretenido.

Batman: El largo Halloween(****): Aquí llega lo gordo del tomo con una de las mejores historias de Batman. Un asesino apodado el festivo porque solo actua en dias de fiesta está atemorizando Gotham y las familias mafiosas de Gotham están enfrentadas a tiro limpio. Batman, Gordon y Harvey Dent intentarán manejar el caso,cada uno a su propia manera y con funestas consequencias para algunos.
Una obra clásica que ha influenciado a las adaptaciones del murciélago en el cine, se ve que El caballero oscuro y The batman maman bastante de estos cómics.

Batman: Victoria oscura(****): Unos años después de haber atrapado a festivo, un asesino similar apodado el ahorcado entra en escena y vuelven los asesinatos. Batman se vuelve a poner en marcha pero en esta aventura a parte de los mafiosos se las tendrá que ver con todos sus enemigos habituales: Espantapajaros, Joker, Dos caras, el sombrerero. Diría que es un poquito inferior a la previa pero ese batman detective ligando pistas y la aprición de Robin me han ganado.

Catwoman: Si vas a Roma...(**): Una pequeña coda al resto que no es gran cosa. tiene sus momentos de humor y posiblemente el mejor dibujo del tomo pero se queda muy atrás del resto. Para completistas.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gets a STRONG 4.5 stars from me.

I’m going to have a hard time rating comics now that I’ve gotten into them. This was an absolutely phenomenal collection. Part of me wants to jump right back to page 1 and do it all over again right now. The story and the art were equally brilliant and the overall tone is like nothing else. It’s addictive — the more I got the more I wanted.

Can I justify giving this 5 stars though? Does this deserve to be in the same tier as Moby-Dick, 1984, East of Eden, and the like? Even now I’m tempted to say YES — for what it is. I can’t imagine a few comic runs being any better than this, so if this isn’t 5 then maybe I’ll never give comics a 5 and that’s just how it is.

Even the Catwoman run at the end was phenomenal, and it gets overlooked since The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are the big hitters here. Every single character in this book was compelling, and the vast majority were highly likable, and more importantly EASY TO EMPATHIZE WITH.

Can’t wait to read more Batman and explore these characters more, but I’m fully prepared to be disappointed — I can’t imagine anything holding its own against this masterpiece.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This opens up with Haunted Knight. This is three large one shots. These stories were just decent. Not great and not bad. After that is where this books takes off. Been wanting to read Long Halloween forever. This omnibus do not disappoint. Great stuff. I always thought Long Halloween and Dark Victory were two separate stories. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that it was just one through story. Tim Sale’s artwork gave this a 1940s Noir vibe that fit perfectly with this crime story Loeb was telling. Long Halloween found Batman and Gordon dealing with a serial killer. This person was killing someone every month on a holiday and so the papers dubbed them the Holiday Killer. Had a great time with watching Batman do what he does and Gordon working his angles as they tried to find this killer. While all this was going on, there was a great secondary plot going on dealing with Harvey Dent. By the end of the story we learn who the Holiday killer is after Loeb throwing you for a loop guessing who it could’ve been. The book rolls right into Dark Victory where we have sort of a copy cat serial killer. They are killing monthly again. However, they are killing cops. More great crime/detective story beats here. The sub plot with Harvey continues here as Gordon and Bats once again race to try and find this new killer. Plus once again, I had no idea the killer was who they turned out to be. The final story was Catwoman: When in Rome. Here Selina goes to Rome, with Riddler in toe, to learn some info about her past. Artwork continues to be great as we follow Catwoman on a heist and of course watch Riddler double cross her. But Catwoman is no slouch and can hold her own. This story was short and sweet. Flew through this one but still enjoyed it none the less. Definitely recommend checking these stories out of you haven’t already.

[Mizuki]

This omnibus sounds like a dream comes true. *sighs*

[Graham Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Read for Batman Day 2025)

Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale are one of my favorite comic book creative teams. Loeb’s stories and Sale’s distinctive artwork led to some pretty good series within their “Marvel Color” collection but more importantly they gave the world “Batman The Long Halloween” , my favorite Batman comic. This Omnibus collects every one of the Batman series that Loeb and Sale worked on - “Haunted Knight”, “The Long Halloween”, “Dark Victory” and “Catwoman When In Rome”.

Haunted Knight: The first collection is a trio of standalone Halloween-themed stories respectively featuring Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Penguin, and apparitions of Joker and Poison Ivy. I really appreciated the first two, the first one is standard Scarecrow material but still a very quality story, and I did like this story’s femme fatale’s impact on Bruce (comparable to Andrea Beaumont maybe). The second about Mad Hatter might actually be the best Batman vs Mad Hatter story I’ve encountered, due to Hatter actually being a threat and the personal connection both Bruce and Gordon have to the case. The third which is a Halloween-remix of A Christmas Carol which didn’t do too much for me beyond being another “Bruce Wayne Needs To Do More In Life Than Be Batman” story. But taken as a whole, these three stories are solid work from Loeb and Sale.

The Long Halloween: As I said before, this is my favorite Batman comic. We’ve got a killer mystery that shows off the World’s Greatest Detective’s skills but even that isn’t enough to figure out who “Holiday” is. Then we get to see the transition for Gotham City as its underworld sees the traditional/realistic gangsters give way to the colorful and iconic Batman villains (culminating in that iconic group shot in The Roman’s penthouse). The villains are particularly noteworthy due to how minor joke ones like Calendar Man are beautifully rewritten/become kind of terrifying or that we see their moments of humanity like Batman treating Solomon Grundy to Thanksgiving dinner. And of course there’s the Greek tragedy that sets up and shows Harvey Dent’s fall and transformation into Two Face. Taken all together Loeb and Sale gave the world one of the most influential Batman stories ever, particularly given its influence on Christopher Nolan’s work.

Dark Victory: A direct sequel to The Long Halloween and the one I had most looked forward to reading even if I was worried it wouldn’t live up to its predecessor. It reads like a retread of the previous story, Batman and Gordon have to investigate a series of murders performed by a mysterious attacker that happen on holidays. Yet by the end of the first issue I was hooked and eager to see how the mystery would play out. It was so neat seeing the characters from The Long Halloween continue to grow into their classic comic book roles (i.e., Harvey fully becoming Two Face the crime lord) and seeing Loeb and Sale’s take on other classic Batman characters like Mr Freeze and Robin (Dick Grayson). The latter makes for a heartwarming addition to the storyline as we see Bruce identify with Dick’s circumstances and he begins to rebuild his non-Batman life after losing Harvey to villainy. Ultimately the story does feel like a lesser version of Long Halloween (with the reveal of Hangman’s identity falling flat due to removing the mystery and “The Penguin” spoiling it for me) but it's still a wonderful Batman mystery and follow-up on an iconic story.


Catwoman When In Rome: The last story of the collection follows Catwoman (“duh”) going to Italy during the events of Dark Victory to dig up information about her parentage. Admittedly I went in with low expectations but by the end of the first issue enough seeds had been planted to keep my interest. I wouldn’t say it was fantastic payoff in the end and I’ve read better Catwoman stories. But this was a fun little side-trip on Loeb’s and Sale’s part so I was finding it interesting enough.

This omnibus confirmed my love for the Loeb and Sale collaborative team and also the character of Batman. Loeb draws upon all sorts of influences to craft some of the most enduring Batman storylines and frankly elevates a superhero character above the genre (which I love regardless), making the Dark Knight so much more accessible and human. Sale meanwhile in his very distinctive artstyle captures the complex emotions and themes Loeb is trying to convey. It's a match made in heaven and Batman fans, and pop culture in general are all the better because of the duo’s contributions to the Batman mythos.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork I never thought Íd like and the characters Íd never thought Íd think were interresting. Having re-read these stories for the third time now I really can´t see myself without this book in my collection. It is a fenomenal book to get back to time to time.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted Knight is a series of three one shots that delve into the psyche of Batman. They each deal with traumas that come from his childhood and from being Batman, family, love, fears, and legacy. Each one of them does such a good job of understanding Bruce and what makes him tick, it’s really quite beautiful.

The Long Halloween. This a mystery, told over the course of one year. Someone is killing mafia members on holidays. Who, and why? The book is written in a way that always the reader to work toward the mystery themself, I had my personal answer after the end of the first issue. The book tricks you with identities of “Holiday” again and again. It could be anyone in the story. At the mid point, when most plots would begin to sag, this book picks up. We get an issue where Batman and the Riddler answer the question of who is Holiday. But they each answer it differently, and multiple times, each time plausible. It’s so beautifully done it really is a work of art. This is truly one of the greatest Batman stories ever told and it’s easy to see why everyone holds it in such high regard.

Dark Victory is a direct sequel to Long Halloween and it really feels like one. For the first half of the book it just feels like more Long Halloween, but in a bad way. The Long Halloween worked because it was finite and had a strong definitive ending, this just kept going trying and failing to recapture the magic. Even the plot twists aren’t as good, I saw most of them coming way earlier than was fun and that made the reading experience feel slower. The best part of this book is when Robin shows up. Robin completely changed the way the book read and it was great. I loved seeing him and Bruce butt heads, him dealing with his parents death and trying to figure out how to go forward with his life. Seeing Dick finally suit up was so satisfying. Tim Sale’s art style is so perfect for Robin, he just fit into the world and looked so good, which is ironic as Sale said he wasn’t a huge fan of Robin. This story really would’ve benefited from having more Robin in it.

Catwoman when in Rome is simply a fun story. One big unresolved mystery from Dark Victory is what was Catwoman doing in Rome? This answers that question over the course of six issues. We see Selina get to Rome and deal with the death of a Don, romance, and an incredible heist. She also has to deal with several Gotham villains and their weapons mysteriously showing up there while also fight strange dreams/visions of Batman. Jeph Loeb really loves his mysteries so this had to have one. I enjoyed it a lot. Catwoman was a highlight of the Batman stories so seeing this version of the character expanded and developed was very satisfying.

As subtle as David Mazzucchelli, as big as Todd McFarlane, as menacing as Jim Lee. Tim Sale could do it all. I haven’t talked about Tim Sale’s artwork a ton throughout my individual reviews because I wanted him to have his own space. These stories would be almost nothing without Tim Sale. He sets the mood, shows the emotion. His Batman can be a large terrifying lit up figure, or he can be small, hidden in shadows. He understands Batman in a way few other artists have. He understands the range of Batman, Batman can be everything, so Tim Sale’s artwork adapted. While I did say he could do things like others, his art is completely different from how anyone else does it. That might alienate some fans, but I really appreciate it. Loeb and Sale are masters of the craft.

[Yahya Walid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flawless, absolute masterpiece.

[drown_like_its_1999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall - 7.25/10

Batman: Haunted Knight - A pretty standard collection of three specials involving Batman foiling supervillain plots on Halloween. Like most Loeb works the characterization is the strongest aspect of these stories but the writing is often repetitive and clunky with dialogue that's a bit wooden. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland inspired middle special but not much else was particularly interesting. Sale's art is enjoyable but not as dynamic or cinematic as his later Batman work. 6.5/10

Batman: The Long Halloween - The grilled cheese of Batman stories; a satisfying combination of classic flavors that may not be complex or subtle but when you're in the mood it really hits the spot. The story is a whodunnit revolving around a series of murders each executed on successive holidays starting on Halloween. TLH embraces Batman's detective roots providing some compelling mystery and suspense in addition to some great characterization. Sale's art is excellent and fits the narrative perfectly in addition to depicting particularly clear and fluid action. I really appreciated the minimalist panel structure with many 2-3 panel pages keeping immersion high and the story fast paced. Though the plotting is good and the dialogue is serviceable, some of Loeb's writing can be a bit leaden especially when it comes to the narration which constantly reminds you of what has happened, is happening, or might happen. In addition, the ending has a pretty needless twist that while still serviceable slightly undercut the conclusion for me. That being said I can see why many are so attached to this work. 8.25/10

Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale - This story focuses on a series of murders yet again occuring on holidays (one year after TLH) but this time with more supervillains and mob drama. Taken independently the story is entertaining if not a rather simple pastiche of well trodden mob drama and supervillain plots. However, as a series with so much similarity to TLH the more repetitive, stale, and underwhelming qualities become more glaring. Overall it was still a breezy read saved by Sale's immersive art and delivers many entertaining moments even though the story is rather unoriginal. 7.5/10

Catwoman: When in Rome - A fun so-bad-its-good romp about Catwoman going on a trip to Rome with the Riddler to execute a heist. There's a bevy of hamfisted writing to enjoy from Catwoman's contrived logic for why she brought the Riddler along (just so Loeb can setup an obvious turn for Riddler as the villain) to the exceedingly sultry portrayal of Catwoman that often reads like fan fiction. It also has some of the most hilariously clunky phrasing I've ever read with lines like "Her claws must be dipped with something from the sleep department" and "I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a hotel room and I've been happy to see hotel rooms". Step aside Alan Moore, there's a new king of prose in town! At least Loeb resisted the urge to have the story take place on a holiday... For what it's worth, I did legitimately enjoy the subplot about Selina trying to find out more about her birth parents and Sale's art is really solid as usual. 6.75/10

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 4.25/5
The first Batman omnibus I have dug into out of my collection. I was recommended to start here out of all of them, with many proclaiming that a number of these stories are amongst the best ever written for the Gotham City protector. I must admit, that is of slight concern to me, as despite the strength of these stories, and the good time I had with this omnibus, if this is as good as the caped crusader gets. Well, that doesn't speak very highly for his 80 year run.
Sale's art style took a little getting used to. You can see some advancement in his technique and style throughout the years, with the final story, When in Rome, being by far and away the best looking, and not just because he drew Selina Kyle like a stone cold fox. Seriously, that was one of the biggest highlights of this book for me. Seeing a brave and buxom women able to be herself on the pages of a comic book. My how far we have fallen. Some of his panels were gorgeous, some were far less so. I loved his representation of Poison Ivy (and Catwoman). They were the best models by a country mile. His Batman was fine throughout, although his early incarnations of Bruce Wayne were not to my taste. He looked like a prat if you ask me.
The two most highly regarded stories, being The Long Halloween and Dark Victory were both strong and competent noirish tales, although I couldn't help but feel they were hampered by the need to continuously include Gotham's superhero-esque characters throughout. The sporadic interspersing of the Batman baddies felt contrived and stale, especially after repeated cameo appearances. Whether Loeb wanted this himself, or editorial constantly forced them in, I don't know, although they would have been much better served on the side lines. I could continue to wax lyrical, although I will leave it there.
A strong, but certainly not perfect collection of stories from a by gone era, when comic books played to their strengths, weren't afraid to please their key audience, and ultimately were far more relevant and respected than they are today. Definitely worth checking out. 4.25/5


OmniBen.

[Bruno Carriço · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 Stars... one of the best (if not THE best) Batman books to have

[MannyLikesPie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually people say read long Halloween and dark victory only which after reading all I understand but I definitely would get the Omni if you can find it at a good price. Especially since catwomen is out of print and it’ll cost this much if you were to get all 4 stories individually. Love long Halloween the best but Dark victory additions are so great, maybe my favorite once I’m done with my ideal Batman reading order

[Thezachespinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are two of the most iconic Batman stories, if not the BEST Batman stories ever printed. suffice it to say, these stories have been so influential that ever since their inception, practically every major Batman film has echoed some part of these tales. The additions of Haunted Knight and Catwoman only enhance what was already an illustrious and immaculate dissection of the world's greatest detective and company in the morally ambiguous Gotham city.

[Ross Warburton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Halloween is amazing. By Dark Victory it starts to get somewhat repetitive, but it’s a great duo of stories.

[Sirbriang2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot of material in this omnibus. Covering three one-off annual Halloween comic books (published from 1993-96, and collected as a trade paperback under the title “BATMAN: HAUNTED KNIGHT”), “BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN” (13 issues, published from 1996-97), “BATMAN: DARK VICTORY” (13 issues, published 1999-2000), and “CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME” (6 issues, published in 2006), this hardcover includes all of the Batman comic books produced by the writer & artist team of Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale (respectively).

The physical package itself is very nice, if a bit unwieldy. Clocking in at over 1150 oversized pages, this hardcover weighs in at over 7lbs. It’s nice having all of the Loeb/Sale work together in one volume, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that the spine & binding will hold up to repeated reads. The large Tim Sale artwork mostly makes up for that risk.

The artwork is fantastic. Tim Sale pencils and inks all of the stories, and he also handles coloring for DARK VICTORY and WHEN IN ROME. The glossy pages work well with Sale’s tendency to use thick lines and heavy shadows, as does the subject matter —- it’s Batman, so of course he looks great in a lot of shadows. Sale starts to employ some ink washes in DARK VICTORY (in flashback scenes) and WHEN IN ROME, and those pages are nearly perfect. I don’t think of Tim Sale as a definitive artist for any comic character —- he’s not necessarily a pin-up artist —- but the overall visual aesthetic of his work is awe-inspiring.

Jeph Loeb’s writing is a lot more hit and miss. The Halloween specials are...fine. Nothing too special or noteworthy, aside from the debut of Loeb’s version of the Scarecrow —- who inexplicably speaks in nursery rhymes only when Jeph Loeb writes him.

THE LONG HALLOWEEN is the most famous of these stories, and it’s pretty engaging in the moment. Set shortly after the events of legendary Batman story BATMAN: YEAR ONE (published in 1987), this story attempts to dance between the raindrops of Batman’s comic book continuity to answer this question: “There sure were a lot of mobsters in Gotham in BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Whatever happened to those guys?” A murder mystery weaves throughout the story, where the victims are mostly taken from that classic 80s Batman tale, and it also features 6 or 7 of Batman’s classic rogues. At its best, this story focuses on the husband/wife and parent/child relationships. At its worst, it is a choppily plotted mess whose mystery plot falls apart under minimal scrutiny. It’s fun to read, but isn’t nearly as clever as it wants to be. I’m also not sure just how successfully it blends the supervillain and mobsters into a single narrative.

DARK VICTORY is the sequel to THE LONG HALLOWEEN, and the story takes place a couple of years later. We again have a murder mystery, and once again the victims tended to be characters from BATMAN: YEAR ONE —- this time, though, they are policemen. Again, the villains are a blend of mobsters and supervillains, although now the mobsters are clearly the struggling minority. This story also incorporates Batman taking on Robin as a sidekick, and a larger theme of of trust. It’s not as entertaining as THE LONG HALLOWEEN, but it’s still pretty good, largely due to the art. Specifically, Sale’s use of contrast —- in color and size —- is what makes this story feel special. This time around, the mystery’s reveal is less terrible (but still not great!), but the story is less interesting.

CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME takes place concurrently with DARK VICTORY, and features Catwoman on her own adventure that ties into the other stories only tangentially. The story probably doesn’t deserve 6 issues, and neither mystery (there are two central ones) is particularly interesting. Loeb writes Catwoman like a teenage boy who doesn’t talk to girls —- there’s a lot of “wouldn’t it be naughty if she said/did THIS?” energy in this story. The primary mystery —- the question of Catwoman’s parentage —- could have been much better with only a little more work, but that time was spent on an unnecessary supervillain subplot instead. The artwork leans into cheesecake at times, but is overall the most impressive work Sale produces in this volume.

Individually, I’d say that there are warts on all of these stories, particularly with regards to the writing. However, the artwork elevates the writing, and the sheer volume of enjoyable —- until you reflect on the plot —- comics here is well worth your time.

[Nolan Gutenschwager · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars. This may be my favorite Batman book. The 3 Halloween specials, or Haunted Knight, in the beginning are very enjoyable, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are both wonderful stories and really should be read together, and Catwoman When In Rome is a worthy addition. All of the extras in this omnibus are fun, and the oversized format is phenomenal. It is pretty neat to see how clearly Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves have borrowed from this.

Haunted Knight is 3 unrelated Halloween specials that are actually enjoyable, self-contained stories. The first is Scarecrow, then Mad Hatter, and the last is essentially some hallucinations or a spirit. Right away I was drawn to Tim Sale’s art and Jeph Loeb’s writing style.

The Long Halloween follows Year One from Frank Miller. I am a huge fan of this kind of story, focused more on the mob and organized crime. Also enjoy seeing Harvey Dent while he was still the DA. Batman, Gordon (before he is commissioner), and Dent are trying to tackle crime, specifically Carmine “The Roman” Falcone. Killings start occurring on holidays, targeting those with connections to Falcone. The gist of the story is finding out who is “Holiday” while also serving as the origin of Two-Face. The story definitely keeps you guessing on the identity, as several options are plausible. The reveal of it being Alberto Falcone did seem a little random, but it is intentionally vague as to how many of the killings could have been Harvey or Gilda Dent.

Dark Victory is a straight continuation of TLH, and this time there is a “Hangman” killer who is targeting cops on holidays in a way that clearly frames Harvey. Batman is clearly hurt by what happened to Harvey and is thus more distant with Selina and Gordon, and his loneliness pushes him to where he starts to slip up a bit with the pressure he puts on himself. The story contains the origin of Dick Grayson which is nice, although he really does not appear much. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story as well. Similar to TLH, the reveal of the killer being Sofia Gigante Falcone seemed out of nowhere, but was still a good surprise. I would say this story is just as good as TLH despite not being talked about as much.

Catwoman When In Rome is set during Dark Victory and details what Selina was up to in her absence. It is a fun story as she tries to find proof Falcone is her father. I like the tone of this one as Selina’s POV is very different than Bruce’s. She cannot find definitive evidence, but ultimately she comes away thinking her suspicions are true.

All in all, this is just excellent. The art really drew me in, although I don’t actually care for the Bruce and Joker designs. The colors and the noir tone just adds so much to the story. Plenty of surprises, great characterization, and a very quick read. Must-read for any Batman fan.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus is a comic anthology collected the wonderful series and one-shots that were written and illustrated by Jeph Loeb Tim Sale respectively. They are considered a legendary team that devised some of the best memorable Batman stories.

Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus collects their magnum opus trilogy: Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, and Catwoman: When in Rome. Also included is the Batman: Haunted Knight trilogy of Halloween inspired one-shots: Batman: Choices, Batman: Madness, and Batman: Ghosts. Finally, it contains stories from Superman/Batman Secret Files 2003, Superman/Batman #26, and Solo #1.

Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus is a wonderful collection of the works of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sales and is recommended to those that love their work. It is safe to say that this omnibus is the definitive tome for this Dynamic Duo team.

Batman: The Long Halloween is a series written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale. It was the follow-up to three Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials (which were reprinted in Batman: Haunted Knight) by the same creative team. The series' success led to Loeb and Sale to reteam for two sequels, Batman: Dark Victory and Catwoman: When in Rome, which are set concurrently.

All in all, Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus is a rather wonderful and definitive collection from the Eisner Award winning team of writer Jim Loeb and penciler Tim Sale.

[TheMadReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find “The long Halloween” and “Dark victory” extremely overhyped. It’s just a continuous story which has lackluster endings. I’m only giving this 3 stars because there’s a certain childhood nostalgia with seeing Tim Sale’s version of Batman. However, Jeph doesn’t really give the Batman any depth to the character. All I’ve learned was that Bruce Wayne prefers Jelly donuts after a long night out of fighting crime.

Meh.

[Chandler Buchanan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diminishing Returns of the Dark Knight:

Regardless of how one feels about Loeb, we all know that The Long Halloween is a classic. And it truly is. It encapsulates everything Batman is. You have the gritty world of Frank Miller, the corrupt history of Gotham history, and the colorful villains of Batman's rogues gallery, all slotted together to create a fun and rewarding mystery fit for the Dark Knight Detective. There's a reason everyone knows about the Long Halloween.

And likewise, there's a reason so few know about Dark Victory.

This omnibus volume contains the complete set of graphic novels created by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale set in the Batman universe. These include the Haunted Knight trilogy, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and Catwoman: When in Rome. All are set in Batman's Year One era, although this is really more Years 3-5.

The Haunted Knight trilogy is fun. Each of these short series are about Batman fighting one of his classic foes on Halloween. In the first we get Scarecrow, then Mad Hatter, and then Penguin, although the third installment is more focused on Bruce as a character. Each of these is good fun, although the last makes some weird leaps adapting Dicken's Christmas Carol to fit the Batman narrative. Bruce becomes Scrooge, Halloween becomes Christmas, and none of it really works thematically. But its still fun to read. And each of these stories works to introduce the Loeb-Sale versions of the iconic rogues gallery as we will see them later down the line.

What is there to say about Long Halloween that hasn't been said? Its a sequel to Miller's Year One that bridges the gap to Batman's modern era. Its moody, its scary, its cool, and I recommend it. Unfortunately it casts a long shadow. And in that shadow, you will find Dark Victory.

In most respects, Dark Victory is Long Halloween again. We have a serial killer who strikes on holidays, gangsters vs. supervillains, and a focus on Harvey Dent/Two-Face. The book has its upsides. Its paced better than the previous series. The Hangman Killer is really interesting, and the mystery has a more satisfying and complete conclusion. If you could separate the two, it might be superior to its prequel. But its a direct sequel, so you can't separate the two. It doesn't help that Loeb uses all of the same villains (plus Mister Freeze) who are depicted in exactly the same way we've seen them twice now. This take on Scarecrow et al. is fun the first time but exhausting by round 3. And we get the introduction of Robin, who I'm led to believe that neither creator found interesting to integrate into their grim and violent world. He sticks out like a sore thumb. Putting this volume directly alongside Long Halloween where they might be read in the same sitting feels simply irresponsible.

Finally, we get When in Rome. I had hoped this would force Loeb to stop reusing the same ideas. In some ways it did, but not enough. Despite the change in hero and setting, we still get mostly reused villains. (Cheetah is an exciting but head-scratching addition.) The story is oddly paced and feels empty without the rich characters and setting of Gotham and very little to replace them. Invested as I have become in the complex dynamics between the Falcones and Maronis, I don't care at all about the "Mafia." In the end, transplanting so many ideas from Gotham to Italy only serves to make the Loeb version of the DCU feel smaller than ever. Perhaps this title will appeal to Catwoman fans in the audience, but I can't rightfully count myself among them and this entry did not make me a believer.

At the end of the day, I recommend the uninitiated reader just pickup a copy of Long Halloween. It will be far cheaper, and the additional items included here aren't worth the extra dough.

[Joseph Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally the perfect detective Batman stories ever. So good. Asked chatgpt to sum it up for me, and a lot of it is inaccurate but whatever. So perfect of a book. Batman and his dynamics, coupled with amazing action, and stories that are genuinely complex and tragic makes this possibly my new favorite book.
————-
Batman: Haunted Knight

Fears – Batman vs. Scarecrow, themed around fear.
Just ok — sets the mood but nothing too crazy.

Madness – Mad Hatter lures kids into Wonderland.
Still just ok, good Halloween atmosphere though.

Ghosts – Bruce haunted by visions of his parents.
Again, fine but not amazing. The whole book feels like a warm-up for what’s coming.

⸻

Batman: The Long Halloween

Chapter 1 – Crime – Holiday kills Johnny Viti. Rooftop pact (Batman, Gordon, Dent).
Chapter 2 – Thanksgiving – Holiday kills Falcone’s men.
Chapter 3 – Christmas – Joker enters, furious Holiday is stealing the spotlight. Holiday strikes again.
Chapter 4 – New Year’s Eve – Joker attacks Gotham Square. Alberto Falcone “dies.”
Chapter 5 – Valentine’s Day – Maroni’s men targeted. Harvey grows suspicious.
Chapter 6 – St. Patrick’s Day – Irish gang killed.
Chapter 7 – April Fool’s Day – Riddler spared by Holiday.
Chapter 8 – Mother’s Day – Bruce reflects on his parents. Holiday kills again.
Chapter 9 – Father’s Day – Holiday strikes. Dent’s instability worsens.
Chapter 10 – Independence Day – Maroni agrees to testify against Falcone.
Chapter 11 – Roman Holiday – Maroni scars Dent with acid. Two-Face born.
Chapter 12 – Labor Day – Arkham breakout, villains vs. mob.
Chapter 13 – Punishment – Two-Face kills Carmine Falcone. Alberto revealed as Holiday. Gilda suggests she killed some victims.
Amazing overall — perfectly paced mystery with a jaw-dropping ending that makes you rethink the whole book.

⸻

Batman: Dark Victory

Prologue – Fallout of Long Halloween.
Chapter 1 – War – Sofia Falcone returns. First Hangman killing.
Chapter 2 – Allies – GCPD splinters, trust breaks down.
Chapter 3 – Complications – Two-Face consolidates Gotham’s villains.
Chapter 4 – Escape – Arkham chaos.
Chapter 5 – Reunions – Batman and Catwoman cross paths, Gordon more isolated.
Chapter 6 – Poison – Ivy and rogues return, Hangman strikes again.
Chapter 7 – Orphans – Zucco sabotages the circus, Graysons killed.
Chapter 8 – Robbery – Dick Grayson begins living at Wayne Manor.
Chapter 9 – House of Fire – More Hangman killings. Dick trains secretly.
Chapter 10 – Secrets – Batman and Gordon’s trust frays further.
Chapter 11 – Fallen Sons – Mob and rogues clash, Sofia manipulates events.
Chapter 12 – Robin’s Reckoning – Bruce reveals himself to Dick, Robin begins.
Chapter 13 – SOFIA IS THE HANGMAN AND THE FINAL FIGHT IS EPIC LOVE HOW BATMAN CAN STRAIGHT UP TAKE A WHOLE ROOM OF HIS ROGUES
My favorite — a beautiful Batman story about him finding someone, with his rogues integrated even better than The Long Halloween in a mystery that’s just as gripping.

⸻

Catwoman: When in Rome

Chapter 1 – Ciao, Bella – Catwoman arrives in Rome with Riddler. Looking for answers about her past and Falcone connections.
Chapter 2 – Poisoned – Encounters Ivy, gets drugged, the mystery deepens.
Chapter 3 – Deadly Duo – Brutal assassin shows up. Selina fights through traps and conspiracies.
Chapter 4 – Confession – Selina’s motivations become clearer, links to Carmine Falcone.
Chapter 5 – The Big Twist – Unexpected betrayal revealed, throwing her whole mission off balance. RIDDLER IS MANIPULATING HER TO FIND OUT BATMAN IDENTITY
Chapter 6 – La Fine – Selina faces the truth, closes her Rome chapter, and heads back to Gotham changed.
Really good — it explored Catwoman really well, had awesome action, and delivered a twist that made it more than just a side story.

it

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman's origin story, just after his origin story.

This omnibus collects 4 main story arcs, but they are all woven into each other and all done by the same creative team. It is a quick and engaging read. These stories get a lot of high praise from the comics community, just like Batman Year One often does. I personally did not enjoy Batman Year One, so I was a bit on the fence about this collection.

Haunted Knight: Three short stories, not really connected to the main story of the other arcs. I enjoyed these for what they are, but there's no reason to ever read them again [2/5].

Long Halloween: A killer is offin Mafia members on different holidays throughout the year. This is setup as a murder mystery, where the reader and the protagonists try to figure out the identity of the killer. This part is really well done. In addition several Batman villains pop in and out, while one villain in particular is being created throughout this story [3/5].

Dark Victory: A direct continuation of the previous arc and it's again a murder mystery, but this time cops are being killed. Same premise, characters and cast of villains as before. Fortunately, it is just as engaging as the Long Halloween and there's the origin of another key member of the Batman mythos in here [4/5].

Catwoman when in Rome: A spin-off, where Catwoman dissappears on her own side quest in Italy. There's no real mystery here, but a fun heist tale. I think, I enjoyed this short arc the most out of this collection [4/5].

None of these are 5/5 for me and the main reason for that is that the Batman villains are delegated to being henchmen. Instead, the stories focus on unlikeable gangsters from the Mafia, which I really don't care about. There's 5 family names, each having multiple members appearing in the story and none of them are interesting to me. Yet, they 'rule' Gotham, and are even controlling the Batman villains. Unsurprisingly they get killed off one by one, because the ongoing Batman narrative doesn't need them. But the whole premise seems implausible to me.

On the other hand, the character designs are nothing short of amazing. Each Batman villain looks unique (again, why focus on the regular mobsters so much?), yet kind of quirky, unlike how they appear in the rest of Batman media. The artwork doesn't always work for me, but the character designs are on fire.

The characterisation of Bruce, Selina, Alfred and Gordon are perfect. Each of them have moments, where they really shine. These character moments are what makes these stories worth reading, in my opinion.

I do have to complain about this particular omnibus edition from 2020 though. The hardback is this ugly black coal brick, without any artwork. The pages are way too thick and the book started to crack immediately when I opened it the first time and does so, every time I open and close it. I have the impression, it will fall appart after a couple of read throughs. I know for a fact that more modern Omnibus editions of DC are much better, but I can't see myself keeping this book in my collection.

All in all, I wish these stories would have more supper villains and less mobsters, but I must admit that these stories are worth reading at least once and I do recommend them, but maybe not in this Omnibus format.

[James Verreault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted Knight - 5/5
The first part of this omnibus collects the three-issue miniseries of holiday specials Batman: Haunted Knight. It contains three out-of-continuity stories that take place during the Halloween weekend. Let me tell you that it was a lot of fun. I really liked the fact that Loeb inspired himself with classic tales like A Christmas Carol or Alice in Wonderland. A big part of Batman’s rogue gallery is also present (Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Joker) which is awesome.

The Long Halloween - 10/5
This is not your traditional super-hero story. The Long Halloween is a realistic, noir, murder-mystery story about a killer the media calls Holiday who hits his preys on holidays. It is the best Batman story I have a ever read. Like Mr. Christopher Nolan said, it’s not only a comic book, it’s an epic tragedy, the crime drama of the century. There are many twists and turns, the reader is always left to guess who Holiday really is and it is beautifully told and drawn. Any fan of books in general should read this. It is a masterpiece. No wonder it’s a modern classic.

Dark Victory - 5/5
Dark Victory is the sequel to the Eisner-winning The Long Halloween. Sofia Falcone Gigante is the new head of the Falcone crime Family. There is a new (?) killer in Gotham City, that again, strikes on holidays. Cops are aimed and are found hanged. Batman has to unravel the biggest game of hang-man of all time. Added to all that, the Joker is on a rampage against the Falcone family and all the rogues gallery is working together. I also adored the way Loeb told the origins of Robin (Dick Grayson). Like its predecessor, it’s amazing, I loved it. Everything I said about Long Halloween can also be said here. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale really created my favorite Batman run of all time.

Catwoman: When In Rome - 5/5
A very good Catwoman story that ties in the events of The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. It was really nice to have a different environnement than Gotham for once. Italy is a nice landscape for super hero stories.

[ダンカン · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the biggest challenge of reading is to review a comic book compilation that is massive, is how I feel towards it especially when it comes to too many stories that takes longer reading pleasure and even my thoughts towards a well-known comic book hero, which is Batman. Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale omnibus edition is such a read that is worth picking up. To be clear, I am not really a Batman fan here, but this omnibus really is one of the best Batman stories ever written and drawn by this dynamic team.

Collecting the entirety of Batman stories from the ever popular Batman: The Long Halloween to its sequel Batman: Dark Victory plus collecting short stories and Catwoman: When In Rome plus other bonuses, the dark moody art of Tim Sale that tells the right mood of when Batman is still at his earlier stage of his career, Jeph Loeb has written a well-told tale of a serial killer killing of one of the most untouchable organized crime henchmen family members mix with Gotham's known rogue galleries of Batman that is breathtaking from this Eisner Award-winning team. In one such compilation, this is a must have to own whether you are a Batman fan or not.

With lots of extras included in this volume, its a heavy collection that can't be read on your own comfort of your bed. The binding of the book splits well, although I do have issues of turning the pages where I hear the crack of the binds (I might look into this). Overall:- This is one massive omnibus that is a keeper!

[Ian Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐️

Haunted Knight: Just 3 one-shot issues that have a Halloween theme and honestly kind of just a throw in for the omnibus. I get they are the basis for the eventual stories from Loeb and Sale, but they aren't anything special. 3/5

The Long Halloween: One of the most defining Batman stories there ever was. An incredibly interesting and expressive work in its ability of covering Batman's early days and the artwork (in the entire book honestly) really makes the entire reading experience fantastic. I love the crime/noir elements that it takes inspiration from and reading how the transition of Gotham from regular mafia to costumed villains works so well. 5/5

Dark Victory: The sequel series to the previous aforementioned one and honestly, I might prefer this to the other. It continues the story but with a more unique twist because the damage has already been done and instead, you're thrown into the world how it is and then seeing how that works, and I think it lend itself to be a more enjoyable read that way. Especially with the mystery and the reveal at the end. 5/5

Catwoman: When in Rome: Kind of a second chance just for Loeb and Sale to team up again to tell another story in this time period and while good, wasn't as good as the others, just solid. 4/5

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The work of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale on Batman has long been regarded as gold standard material. Sale’s sparse and moody art, however, raises the story to another level. Taking his inspiration from the 1940s Batman to create a shadowy world capable of bursting into color, Sale creates iconic versions the villains, and Gregory Wright’s color work is excellent. It’s an extremely satisfying formula, well applied, with twists enough to fool the seasoned crime reader right until the final disclosures, and many of Batman’s villains appearing over the four graphic novels. The Loeb & Sale Batman omnibus is an incredible collection of work, a reminder of how damn good we had it in the 1990s as Batman fans.

[Zachary Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone interested in batman and a great jumping on point for those new to the character. These stories take place during the early years of batman and pick up from the groundwork built by year one. Loeb and Sale craft a true crime epic that you can see heavily influenced the nolan batman movies and brubaker's gotham central run. This collection also includes the mini series catwoman when in rome which features fantastic ink washed art from Time Sale.

I don't want to spoil anything. This is a must read for any fans of batman or crime noir stories and the defining work of Loeb and Sale's careers.

[Childofhate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be 5/5, if not for the dip in quality due to Catwoman: When in Rome. And it's not just the plot, but also the unnecessary fixation on drawing Selina either nude or close to it, most of the way through the story.

Still, this is an amazing and essential Batman book I can recommend to anyone wholeheartedly. It is so good, in fact, that I think, as a sequel (official or unofficial, whatever you prefer to call it) to Year One, this omnibus outshines the Miller classic, in more ways than one (except for that one blemish I already mentioned).

RATING - 4.5/5

An essential Batman book which can be enjoyed with or without Year One.

[Sean Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I admire more than I like. There’s a repetitiveness to the writing that never quite clicks for me. Older serialized comics have always repeated information to catch up viewers, that’s nothing new, but the exact same phrases and explanations turn up with zero change issue after issue and even into the subsequent series.

But whatever. The page composition alone is worth it. I’m just a sucker for a great single issue story and these thirteen issue runs always just slightly overstay their welcome. Catwoman’s story fares a little better for that but the crass sexualization goes past noir homage and into fanservice.