Comics I’ve Read: Hush [comics]
By: Y · November 10, 2008
For those of you that despise the idea of Batman wearing Kryponite rings and beating up on Superman, you may not like this comic. For the rest of us, it’s not bad.
Hush is written by Jeph Loeb, who has written several other Batman stories (and also recently gotten fired from Heroes), and drawn by several people. I don’t like the art as much as I like Tim Sale’s art, but it’s done very well. Occasionally there won’t be a full drawing, but instead a sketch, which I found strange.
Coming in 2 volumes, the book sets up Batman against many of his enemies, but they’re using different tactics than normal (this is made really, really clear. And in case you didn’t notice it, Batman will tell you again). Batman has to deal with not only his enemies, but his blossoming love with Catwoman, and a new villain that seems to be coordinating everything against him.
This mastermind really messes with Batman, who is really confused by what’s going on. It’s one of these things where Batman seems to KNOW that he’s being fucked with, but most of the time he can’t stop it. This makes for an interesting story.
The story is a virtual back catalog of Batman stories. Almost all of his enemies appear, the death of his parents, and all three Robins are discussed, and even his old flame Talia Al Ghul makes an appearance. So you do have to have some idea of what’s going on in the Batman world, because characters will just appear with little introduction.
Anyway, it’s a good story, not as good as some of the other Batman stories (Year One, Dark Victory, Long Halloween, Strikes Again come to mind), but it’s a good addition to the mythos. If you like Batman, I recommend reading it. If you’re more of a Superman fan, then you should read it to learn how Batman can beat up Superman with kryptonite rings.
