Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Tim Sale
Minor spoilers ahead...
This semi-sequel to Batman: Year One follows Batman's attempt to capture the serial killer Holiday, named for his/her method of committing murders each month on a holiday. The murders seem to be connected as all the victims are in some way associated with the Falcone crime family. While the primary plot focus is on the hunt for the killer, there is a lot going on in this 13-part epic. Early on the young Batman relies on his relationship with Police Captain Jim Gordon and DA Harvey Dent, as the three of them vow to each other to bring down "The Roman" Carmine Falcone. Even as he works with Dent, eventually Bats comes to see Dent as a very likely suspect in the Holiday murders, and the relationship begins to fracture. Dent's role becomes bigger as the story unfolds, and the birth of Two-Face is a huge turning point of the story, as Dent's turn from driven law enforcer to scarred madman signal's a changing of the guard in Gotham's criminal element. The days of the mob are numbered and the freaks (Joker, Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy) are taking over. As with the other classic Loeb Batman story, HUSH, the reveal of the primary antagonists identity is somewhat underwhelming, but it's forgivable considering the the strength of the story overall, especially when you take into account the fact that the search for Holiday is only a small part of the story being told. I'm not a huge fan of Tim Sale's art, to be honest, but his style fits Batman's world pretty well, and I think this is the best work he's ever done.
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