The Holiday Killer or the foe striking at Batman from the shadows? Jeph Loeb worked with Tim Sale to create THE LONG HALLOWEEN and he collaborated with Jim Lee to produce HUSH. Both are mysteries that every Batman fan should experience at least once, and, this week, we asked you all to think about these two storylines. Which do you prefer and why? Are you not a fan of either story? Or perhaps you can't choose and love both of them? The crowd has given it a proper amount of thought and decided to grant a narrow lead to...
HUSH.
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This was a very close race. Loeb and Lee's tale received 40% of the votes, and the writer's work with Sale earned a respectable 37%. 17% said they love both and only 1% admitted they aren't a fan of either option. 6% shamefully confessed they have't read either story. What gives? If you're a Batman fan, you should make it a goal to read these.
At the end of the day, both are of these are detective stories which manage to implement a whole lot of characters from Batman's world in a very entertaining manner. THE LONG HALLOWEEN is more focused on Gotham's crime element and Two-Face/James Gordon, while HUSH has a greater variety of cameos and is absolutely loaded with action. They have more than a few parallels, but some key differences in the narrative -- and not to mention the artwork -- allow them to feel like very different experiences. And the best part of all? Both are very new reader friendly, too.
Let's see what some Viners have to say about the two options.
mak13131313
"Tough decision. Both are great stories but, I choose Hush for the art."
GraniteSoldier
"Hush is better for me. I like the Hush villain, and I like that it wove a tale taking Batman for a mystery from Gotham to Metropolis and back again. It is not without it's flaws, and it is by no means a "revolutionary" piece for the Batman story, but it is more fun to read and feels like a true Batman-style detective story. The dynamic between Bruce and Selina was great, and Hush has better art in my opinion. It's not my favorite Bat-story, but of these two it is my more favorite."
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LyraFay
"I like both of them, Long Halloween is fantastic and true Batman the world's greatest detective story with glorious twists and turns. Hush on the other hand was a great first time read (it was the first one I ever read.) But it also shows the familiar Batman that appears in media (good or bad depending on your point of view.) But both have the great interactions between characters and art."
Overlander
"I loved Hush. The story was phenomenally paced, full of interesting turns, great character moments, and spectacular Jim Lee art. It was the whole modern comics package."
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McBig
"Wow this is by far the hardest one. Both are so amazing but Long Halloween was the first Batman story I ever read and love it so much because of the Harvey Dent stuff."
herrweis
"Without a doubt the long Halloween. Hush was all about Jim lee's art. Tlh was a good mystery and Tim sales art complimented the story rather than overshadow it."
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manwithoutshame
"Long Halloween for me. It's Tim Sale's defining work, Batman lurking in the shadows where he belongs, unraveling a mystery with no shortage of suspects. I've read it time and again and always enjoyed it. It's not perfect, with most of the shortcomings being due on Loeb's end, but even he elevates his game for the greatness that is the Long Halloween.
Hush on the other hand, is a flashy cameo-fest with a bunch of rain, gnashed teeth, pectoral muscles, and yawn-inducing plot twists."
Reignmaker
"I vote Halloween.
I read the Long Halloween first (and I believe it came out first). Many of Loeb's subsequent Batman stories sort of followed the same mystery template where a confused Batman is rotating from villain to villain as he slowly unravels the truth. It was more magical for me the first time around so I put Halloween at the top. Hush also felt like more of a platform to showcase Jim Lee's art than tell an intricate story. You can also see the ending coming a mile away, whereas the last few pages of Halloween genuinely surprised me."
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That's it for this week, Viners! Be sure to check the homepage on Monday for a brand new edition of this segment. In the meantime, go ahead and tell us your favorite moment from these stories. If it's a big spoiler, please be sure to use the appropriate spoiler tags! Do you want to suggest a future match-up for this segment? Tell us below or via twitter.