Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s seminal Batman work “Hush”, first published in 2002, is receiving a sequel series this year, the first issue of which hit shelves last Wednesday.
“Hush” is easily my all-time favorite Batman story. Not only is the overarching plot astoundingly crafted, but the story also allows for many of Batman’s supporting characters to be utilized in interesting ways, from Clayface impersonating the then-dead Jason Todd to Poison Ivy mind controlling Superman to try to eliminate the Dark Knight.
It is excellent. But with excellence comes expectation, especially when the same creative team is coming back. As soon as Batman #158 (“Hush 2”’s inaugural issue) dropped, I ravenously devoured every detail of the comic. It was… okay, I guess.
Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting, but 158 was not that. The original Hush story opened with a newly monstrous Killer Croc kidnapping a child and Batman having to save the kid. Interesting, dramatic, tense, all the things.
But “Hush 2” opened with the Joker re-doing one of his most famous bits from the comics and trying to poison Gotham City’s reservoir with Jokerized fish.
More stuff happens, obviously, but I don’t want to spoil it, even though it is all just kind of bland and somewhat confusing.
While I will wait to pass judgement on the series until it is finished, I have to say I was underwhelmed by this initial entry and I hope the next issue ups the narrative stakes, at least enough to make me care a bit more about what happens.
That being said, the art in 158 is phenomenal, as could be expected with Jim Lee. I think once the series gets going, 158’s story will be seen as a fitting prologue for the events that are to unfold. On its own, however, Batman 158 leaves too much to be desired.
