Batman: The Long Halloween takes us on a year long mission to find the Falcone family killer by the name of "Holiday". The compiled graphic novel could not be considered a classic if it didn't feature some of Batman's infamous villains, such as Cat-woman , Scarecrow , Solomon Grundy and the Joker. Besides, what's cooler than putting some of DC's most notable villains in one story-line? Though it seems as if the graphic novel is one big family reunion, the novel also points out certain characteristics that resemble Batman's. Resembling the seven-deadly sins, the villains reflect the multiple personalities of Batman, such as Lust, fear and Sloth.
Lust is the first deadly sin to show after Batman encounters a feisty ally by the name of Cat-woman. Throughout the story, Cat-woman never appears unless Batman spies on the Falcone family. Though she is some good use to Batman's case, Batman finds it hard to resist her persuasive words that talk her out of her sly tendencies. After Batman asks Cat-woman if she's involved in the killings, the two have a seductive conversation, leading Batman to ask her if she's willing to help in solving the murders. With Batman's sudden change of heart, it only proves that Batman has some sort of lust or fatal attraction to Cat-woman which could leave him vulnerable to Cat-woman's control.
For the deadly sin of fear, nobody is a better candidate for the position than Scarecrow. The graphic novel gives a brief description of his prior encounters with Batman, showing him his darkest fears. Throughout the many origins of Batman, most come to the conclusion that Batman has a fear of his childhood and bats. In the Long Halloween, Batman mentions that he inhaled a whiff of fear gas from Scarecrow that displayed his parents killings, describing in a manner of disgust with feelings of having his mind "violated". After reading the novel, it seems as if Scarecrow is the only villain who comes close to causing the dark knight to have a mental breakdown, which is pretty hard to do. Good job, Scarecrow.
The deadly sin of sloth is a person who lacks effort to get a goal accomplished, similar to a sloth animal. In the graphic novel, the best representation of that kind of laziness is Solomon Grundy. Grundy is a grayish beast who lives in a sewer, and reminds us that he was born on a Monday. With a display of no brains and all Brawn, it would be quite normal to expect the beast to roam the streets of Gotham. Instead, he never attempts to leave the filthy sewer; The only time the beast appears to make any sense of movement is when someone invades the sewer. For Thanksgiving, Batman goes to the sewer and gives Solomon Grundy a plate of food- It's as if the Batman feels sorry for him. Is the beast so lazy to the point where he doesn't want to find his own turkey for Thanksgiving?
Each villain of the graphic novel contributes to the well-rounded concept of the story. In the end, one can analyze each villain and find a deadly sin that represents who they are. With such a deadly representation that compliments their villainous ways, one could summarize their actions and conclude that their characters reflect the multiple personas of who Batman could be. Instead, he is the Dark Knight who is neither Saint nor sinner, but a vigilante who is good at saving Gotham City, one day at a time.
