YMMV / The Long Halloween

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Did Gilda really commit the first few murders or did Harvey's transformation into Two-Face cause her to snap and imagine she did? Likewise, did Alberto really commit all of the Holiday murders or did he just steal the identity after the first few murders and took credit for all of the murders? For that matter, it's hinted that Harvey might have committed some of the murders before he became Two-Face. There's also the question about whether of not Calendar Man really did know anything of the murders or if he was just using it as a grab for attention so he isn't forgotten.
    • Or, Alberto is a serial confessor (someone with a compulsion to confess to crimes), and that he only attempted the final murder, when he's captured by Gordon and Batman, and that all of the murders are commited by Harvey and Gilda, as suggested by the Calender Man.
  • Another suggestion is all three suspects committed some of the murders each.
  • Did Falcone actually know about Alberto's involvement in the murders? Batman certainly seems to think so, and there's a few clues to suggest it, such as him making sure Sofia isn't around to witness Alberto's attack on the Riddler. However, Alberto's chilly attitude towards his father at the series' end, as well as some of the more hard-hitting killings, cast doubt on this. Batman’s opinion, for what it’s worth, is that their final argument is being staged for his and the police’s benefit, because Carmine clearly visits Alberto’s grave on his birthday - Valentine’s Day.
  • To what degree you read into the Sal/Sofia relationship will inform her actions at the end of Dark Victory; specifically, the murder of Alberto.
  • Why was Gordon dragging his feet when Dent wanted to go after Bruce Wayne after discovering a connection between Thomas and Falcone (which turned out to be Thomas saving Falcone's life), including telling everyone not to fire on Bruce when they cornered him at his parent's graves? Did he think there wasn't enough evidence? Was he worried Dent was going off the deep end which clashed with his By-the-Book Cop beliefs? Or as, heavily implied in Batman: Year One, did Gordon know Bruce Wayne was Batman, which would explain Bruce's suspicious behavior, but didn't want to expose Batman's secret identity?
• Anti-Climax Boss:
  • Alberto, a slight man with a .22 caliber pistol... versus Batman. In a kevlar vest. Foregone Conclusion indeed.
  • Done deliberately with Carmine Falcone. After having been an invincible crime lord for ages, he's casually shot dead by Two-Face. It perfectly highlights how the old school criminals and mobs are powerless against the truly insane and nigh-unstoppable supervillains that are taking over Gotham's underworld.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Joker breaks into a house on Christmas day and steals a family's presents... while reciting lines from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Given what he normally does to people, it is almost a Pet the Dog.
• Foe Yay Shipping:
  Joker: Quick question. When the clock strikes midnight... do I get a little kiss?
  [Batman strangles him]
  Joker: I guess that's a no...
  [Batman punches him]
  • Also, Catwoman and Ivy:
    Catwoman: You are mine, Poison Ivy. All mine.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Make no mistake, the crime families of Gotham are all made up of horrible people, but after seeing the horrible murders of their dearest friends and family, you will feel at least a little bit sorry for them.
  • A rare interpretation of Harvey Dent as this, too. He's no Apollo here, being much less friendly and morally unambiguous than usual portrayals, but he ends up paying a steeper price than almost anyone else over the course of the story. To boot, the "Father's Day" issue heavily hints that his established backstory is still in place.
  • Despite being a zombie supervillain who ally with other villains at the drop of a hat, Solomon Grundy is presented here as childlike monster who could just as easily spend the rest of his life relaxing in the sewer as he could trying to kill Batman.
• Love to Hate: Alberto Falcone is one of the most Nightmare Fuel Batman villains, being a remorseless serial killer with a creepy attitude to boot. This is also why he is considered one of the most underrated Batman villains, with many fans wishing for him to appear in an adaptation rather than just his father. As such, the announcement of his casting in Penguin's upcoming spinoff show from The Batman (2022) was met with applause from the fanbase.
• Moral Event Horizon: Supposedly, the Scarecrow strangled his mother on Mother's Day.
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • Alberto Falcone, full stop. That creepy but ostensibly upstanding young man? Yeah, turns out he's an utterly remorseless Serial Killer cherry-picking any potential threats to his father, out of a twisted combination of a genuine desire to help and egomaniacal spite. He manages to enlist the coroner to help him fake his death, allowing him to operate entirely outside the realm of suspicion. Regardless of whether you're in your house, a mob holdout or in jail, he's cunning enough to kill you and swaths of your associates with little more than a dinky little .22 caliber pistol or two and the element of surprise. And even if you're family, or even just a potential loose end, if he deems you a threat to him he still has no qualms about killing you. The worst part? It's entirely possible someone else committed some, or even all, of the murders. There could be one or two people out there, every bit as murderous, escaping justice.
  • Where as Two-Face's "scarred" side usually just looks discolored and deformed, Tim Sale decided Two-Face should actually look like half his face was burned off with acid complete with missing ear and lips. It's not pretty.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Calendar Man actually comes off as kind of serious, which is impressive given he spends the entire story in a padded cell.
• Tear Jerker: Harvey and Gilda Dent start off as Sickeningly Sweethearts. As the book progresses, Dent's obsession with bringing in Falcone strains their marriage more and more. By the end of the book, their marriage is pretty much destroyed and both are dangerously insane.

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