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''Batman: Haunted Knight'' is an anthology trade paperback published by DC Comics in 1996. It reprinted three
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specials from the previous three years (three '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special''s). Each of the stories was written by Jeph Loeb and featured art by Tim Sale. The popularity of these three stories led to the three
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'' Batman: The Long Halloween'' #1-13, '' Batman: Dark Victory'' #0-13 and '' Catwoman: When in Rome'' #1-6.


Plot

During the story "Fears",
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
is hunting down and trying to capture the Scarecrow. As the title suggests, fear plays a large part in the story, with Batman nearly dying of fear while trapped in a large, poisonous thorn maze. "Madness" tells the story of Captain James Gordon's daughter,
Barbara Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously as ...
, being kidnapped by the Mad Hatter and forced to participate in a twisted tea party with other kidnapped children. Batman and Gordon finally save Barbara and bring down the Mad Hatter. "Ghosts" is a Batman universe version of ''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
'', with Bruce's father Thomas Wayne taking the place of Jacob Marley, and the three spirits being Poison Ivy (the Ghost of Christmas Past), the Joker (the Ghost of Christmas Present), and a Grim Reaper figure (the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) who turns out to be Batman's ghost. The message from the spirits is that Bruce should not let Batman take over his entire life.


Background

The graphic novel reprints ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special'' #1 (1993), ''Batman: Madness - A Legends Of The Dark Knight Halloween Special'' (1994), and ''Batman: Ghosts - A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special'' (1995) written by Loeb and art by Sale respectively. These stories were specials and spin-offs of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight series.


Timeline of events

Little is known of when the stories in ''Haunted Knight'' take place in the Loeb/Sale Batman series: * During the story "Madness", the villain Two-Face is referenced in the line "Joker. Scarecrow. Two-Face. Each has its own private madness that drives them". Two-Face does not appear in the Loeb/Sale series until the end of '' Batman: The Long Halloween'', so this story cannot precede it. * Catwoman, who was in Rome for six months ('' Catwoman: When in Rome'') following the events of "The Long Halloween" (from Valentine's Day to Thanksgiving in '' Batman: Dark Victory''), but had returned by the end of ''Dark Victory'', is absent, and Jim Gordon still has the rank of captain in the Gotham City Police Department, even though he was promoted to commissioner by the beginning of ''Dark Victory''. * The stories "Fears" and "Ghosts", especially as they involve Batman's home life, are not likely to take place after ''Dark Victory'', because they make no reference to Dick Grayson /
Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...
, who had debuted at the end of ''Dark Victory''. All three stories take place on different Halloweens.


Collected editions

The entire series has been collected in trade paperbacks, an
absolute edition DC Comics Absolute Edition is a series of archival quality printings of graphic novels published by DC Comics and its imprints WildStorm Productions and Vertigo. Each is presented in a hardcover and slipcased edition with cloth bookmark consisting ...
, and a deluxe edition: *Trade paperback (), DC Comics, 1996. *Trade paperback (), Titan Books, 1996. *Absolute Edition, hardcover (), DC Comics, 2014. *New trade paperback (), DC Comics, 2018. *Deluxe Edition, hardcover (), DC Comics, 2022.


In other media

* The "Fears" storyline influenced the film '' Batman Begins''. The scene where Batman interrogates
Arnold Flass The Batman family enemies are a collection of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters are depicted as adversaries of the superhero Batman and his allies. Since Batman first appeared in ''Detectiv ...
in the rain is similar to a scene in "Fears" in which Batman hangs the Scarecrow's henchman upside down with a rope in order to gain information on the Scarecrow. The quote "Professor Crane isn't here right now. But if you would like to make an appointment..." was used in the film. After capturing the Scarecrow, Bruce returns home to attend a party at Wayne Manor, but is forced to go back out as Batman when the Scarecrow escapes police custody on the same night. * The Jack-o'-Lantern face made on the
Batsignal The Bat-Signal is a distress signal device appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, as a means to summon the superhero, Batman. It is a specially modified searchlight with a stylized emblem of a bat affixed to the light, allowing ...
was used in a nightmare sequence in the 2009 game '' Batman: Arkham Asylum''. * In the 2015 game '' Batman: Arkham Knight'', the Jack-o'-Lantern face was used by the Scarecrow when he abducts Robin ( Tim Drake) at the movie studio. {{DEFAULTSORT:Haunted Knight Comics by Jeph Loeb Batman titles Horror comics Batman graphic novels 1996 in comics