Batman has been shot on Christmas. He must have received some coal from jolly old Saint Nick. After confronting Mario Falcone for his suspected involvement with the kidnapping of Commissioner Gordon’s son, Batman has been severely wounded and on the verge of death. The Last Halloween #4 deals with the immediate aftermath and follows Robin and how he hopes to save his mentor/guardian. Artist Cliff Chiang takes over for the illustrations with Dave Stewart returning as colorist. While the series hasn’t lived up to the quality of the first issue, I’ve still been intrigued with the mystery so let’s see if issue #4 can maintain my intrigue.

It’s unfortunate to say that this issue takes another dip in terms of enjoyment for me. I really loved the first two issues of The Last Halloween, but the story so far just hasn’t been working for me during these last two issues. I don’t agree with certain character decisions, specifically Robin’s, and some of the dialogue seems out of place and awkward. And the pacing feels a little rushed because it feels like whole story beats were missing. I know we still have six issues left, so I’ll give Jeph Loeb the benefit of the doubt. But I’m having a hard time keeping my interest up. While the artwork by Cliff Chiang is good, I wasn’t as riveted as I was with last issue’s art. The colors weren’t as vivid, and they didn’t pop out to me.

When it comes to the story, the main plot is put on pause because Batman is essentially in a coma for a week leading up to New Year’s Eve. Robin is struggling internally because he doesn’t want to lose another parental figure. I’m going to share some minor spoilers, but this particular part really bothered me:

So Alfred just finished removing the bullet from Batman’s gunshot wound. Robin asks him what they should do next, and Alfred tells him that they need to wait for Batman to wake up because he alone needs to find the “will to live.” Why does he need to find the will to live? He just needs to recover from being shot. It reminded me of the scene at the end of Stars Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Padmé is dying and the nurse droid tells Obi-Wan she’s dying because she lost the will to live. So that moment with Alfred and Robin just seemed a little cringy to me.

Meanwhile, Solomon Grundy returns and breaks Gilda Dent out of the GCPD. We’ll see what happens with that subplot and how it ties in with Two-Face (we still don’t know if he’s dead or not). I have a lot of questions still, and I just don’t know if I care to find out the answers and that’s a bummer. But like I said earlier, there are six issues left, and my opinion can change depending on how things play out. And believe it or not, the ending of the issue was the best part to me because… surprise! The Joker finally pops up (we all knew he was going to show up eventually). And with The Joker, you have to expect the unexpected.

Recommended if…

• You are still enjoying the story.
• You are a fan of Cliff Chiang’s artwork.
• You want to witness Alfred being fed up with Robin’s constant questions.

Overall

The Last Halloween continues to be just okay so far after starting off on such a high note. I really wanted to enjoy this series because I loved the world that Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale created all those years ago. But I’m starting to question whether or not if this sequel was necessary. The ending of issue #4, I’ll admit though, did save it for me and peaked my interest. And who's behind these copycat Holiday killings? Let’s find out what happens next.

Score: 6.5/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.