The Long Halloween is pretty much the quintessential Batman detective story, so for that reason alone it deserves a mention. What makes this book especially fantastic is that the reader discovers key events in the story at the same as Batman does - each twist and turn is a literal shock and we get to see the world's greatest detective work his way through the year attempting to deduce the identity of the vicious 'Holiday Killer'. Though the culprit remains (mostly) anonymous by the time the story-arc closes, The Long Halloween's tone, art style, and plot all exemplify the qualities this new Batman series needs to have. Following Rocksteady's legacy on the Arkham franchise is no easy task to take, but a point and click adventure will be immensely refreshing regardless. It's not the Arkham series and it won't ever be, but that's more than fine in my book. Did we miss any comic books here that you think should be included? Be sure to post your thoughts in the comments below!
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
