Matt Reeves’ film The Batman draws heavily on two fan-favorite DC comic book tales of the Dark Knight to add substance to his cinematic masterpiece.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Batman, now playing in theatres.
Gritty, captivating, and centering on the Caped Crusader’s role as “The World’s Greatest Detective,” Matt Reeves The Batman is a love letter to fans of the Dark Knight. The film wisely focuses on the elements of the character that have made him so endearing to audiences over the years, drawing inspiration from a few of the most beloved tales of the Gotham City Detective over the years.
By drawing inspiration from these respected sources, the film paints a well-rounded picture of the Dark Knight, creating an experience that comes across as one of the best cinematic interpretations of the character to date. Here is a closer look at the two comic book tales that appear to have had the most influence on the masterpiece that is The Batman.
How The Long Halloween Influenced The Batman
Batman: The Long Halloween (by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale) is one of the most popular tales of the Dark Knight, and is highly esteemed among fans. Originally published in 1996 and 1997, the story follows a young and inexperienced Caped Crusader as he becomes accustomed to his new role as the protector of Gotham and takes place along the same timeline as The Batman. In the comics, the Dark Knight Detective is tasked with solving the mystery of a serial killer who targets mobsters and claims a victim on each holiday of the year, starting in October. The Riddler takes a nod from this in the film, claiming his first victim on Halloween as well.
The Batman also echoes The Long Halloween in its featuring of puzzles within puzzles for the Gotham City hero to solve. In the comic, there are two crime syndicates led by the Marone and Falcone families that are targets of the Holiday killer. The film borrows from this by having Carmine Falcone and his circle being targeted by The Riddler. A further callback to the comic book plot comes in the form of Sal Marone having a role in the film to accentuate Falcone’s lies, deception, and betrayal. Falcone was also saved by Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas in the comics, another point that is brought up in The Batman. One of secondary plots of the film involves Carmine being the biological father of Catwoman, a theme that was explored in the sequel to The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, also by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.
The Batman also uses similar aesthetics from the comic in its cinematic portrayal of the Dark Knight. Throughout the comic, readers are immersed in a dark art style with heavy black details that feature bold pops of red and orange. Then, depending on the scene, the immersion changes ever so slightly keeping the bold black coloring with cooler color accents of blues, purples, and greys. The comic also heavily utilizes shadow effects to add an additional aura of mystery.
The Batman Also Draws Inspiration From Batman: Hush
Like The Long Halloween, Batman: Hush (by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair and Bob Schreck) quickly became a fan favorite when it was originally published in 2002. The story initially appeared in Batman #608-619 and detailed the story of a mysterious figure named Hush lurking within Gotham. The goal of this new villain is to take down Batman from a distance as he causes havoc around Gotham. However, it’s revealed that Hush isn’t the mastermind behind the overall plan to get rid of Gotham City’s protector. That honor goes to the Riddler, and this goal is reprised and revisited in The Batman.
In the comic, the Riddler discovers that Batman is Bruce Wayne while recovering from injuries in the Lazarus Pit and confronts Wayne, admitting that he was the mastermind behind all of the chaos that had erupted in the city. This is very similar to what happens on film, as The Riddler terrorizes Gotham while knowing Batman’s secret identity, leading to a confrontation between the hero and villain. As a further tie-in to the film, Hush turns out to be Tommy Elliott, who Bruce Wayne believed to be his friend. What Bruce didn’t know was that Tommy attempted to murder his parents in order to gain his inheritance, but his plan was foiled by Thomas Wayne. There is a nod to this in the film when Bruce is labeled a “target” to pay for the sins of his father, and the film depiction of the Riddler clearly borrows heavily from the villain Hush in his appearance and demeanor.
In both Hush and The Batman, the Riddler is portrayed as a fully realized villain who is also a criminal mastermind. The film also borrows from the storyline and aesthetics of The Long Halloween. By merging aspects of these two highly revered comics, Matt Reeves has created a cinematic experience that pleases moviegoers and comic book audiences alike, presenting a version of Batman and his world that longtime fans of the Caped Crusader have been waiting years to see in action.
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