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July 18, 2008

Dear Mr. Nguyen,

I wanted to comment on “Recommended Readings: Comics,” your words regarding Batman comics in particular. You were correct to suggest The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns, but in light of the new film you left two glaring omissions: Batman: Year One by Frank Miller et al. and The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, which are both direct thematic and stylistic precursors to the new movies. Even apart from this connection, they are two of the most powerful, artistic, and well-respected Batman tales to date; indeed, along with The Dark Knight Returns they are the comics I first recommend to those less well-versed in the genre, Batman or not.

The Long Halloween even supplied the phrases used by the latest film: “I believe in Harvey Dent/Gotham City.” Chronicling, among other things, the downfall of Harvey Dent and his transformation into Two Face, set in a mafia-controlled Art Deco Gotham, The Long Halloween is simply gorgeous: it is the Godfather of comic books.

One more note: I slightly disagree with your characterization of the end of The Killing Joke. Although a little ambiguous, the last few panels of the story are still quite powerful. As the shadows thrown on the puddle draw closer and finally meet, the implied embrace between Batman and the sobbing Joker is both shocking and endearing; it is certainly not without risk on the part of the author.

Sincerely,

William Gribbin