Batman: Hush (edition 2009)

Not as bad as I thought it would be...

Artwork first: When Jim Lee really likes what he's drawing it shows. He'll put a ridiculous amount of detail into a full-page shot of the Joker crouching in an alley. But, when it comes to illustrating conversations that move the plot forward, backgrounds are barely drawn and perspective is usually ignored. Of course, none of his female characters could possibly have a digestive system, but let's chalk that up to a stylistic quirk. Or at least sex appeal for the Maxim crowd.

The story is forgivingly ridiculous, in that superhero way. Lots of drama here. Lots of kung-fu fighting and things blowing up. But there's also a bit of thought put into this. If there's a theme to the book, it's that of Batman's relationships to his "family" that he's built up over the years.

Perhaps the thing that separates him from the villians is his support network, eh?

I'd put this on the same level as the recent movies: interesting things to look at and a good springboard for discussion. Not a masterpiece by a long shot, but solid. ( )

Really great reunion of many Batman characters, as well as others in the D.C. universe [Superman, Lois Lane, etc.]. Poison Ivy takes a main seat in the story development which was a major plus for me [I'll admit personal bias since she's one of my favorite D.C. characters]. Very well-drawnn, and in Batman's flashbacks to his childhood you see classic D.C. characters drawn as they were back in the day of early comics. A great work for anyone itching for a touch of nostolgia. ( )

Overall, reasonable. Bit of a "greatest hits" type of novel, the twists and turns were not entirely unexpected....Overall, a reasonable effort, but there are a lot better Batman novels out there ( )

About two years ago I was getting extremely excited for the long awaited sequel to Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, The Dark Knight. Shortly after the DVD release of Begins and the comic collection that accompanied the special edition, I looked at graphic novels in a different light. They were a medium which could supply me with darker and more satisfying Batman tales which would in turn hold me over until my viewing of Dark Knight. What started as an interest, soon turned into the beginning of a passion. I began with Frank Miller's Year One and Jeph Loeb's The Long Halloween & Dark Victory novels but most recently, I acquired the Loeb/Lee collaboration, Hush.

Hush changed things dramatically in the Batman universe. It brings together some of Batman's most notorious villains in Joker, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc and Riddler. It also brings an unlikely ally, Catwoman into the fold as well as a cameo by the man of steel himself, Superman. I won't spoil a lot other than that Batman manages to involve himself in a relationship and a major nemesis is turned to the side of justice, abandoning their evil past.

Jim Lee's art is spectacular and Jeph Loeb's writing is top notch, as usual. However, Lee's work manages to outshine Loeb's writing as Loeb did not manage to create a story that belongs in the same league as Halloween with Hush. This is not really a terrible thing, it's just hard to recreate perfection. While Hush has a spectacular ending that I did not see coming, it seemed very anticlimactic.

In the end, Hush is certainly a memorable piece of Batman history and deserves even the most casual of graphic novel reader's attention. Do yourself a favor and check it out but only if you have read Jeph Loeb's previous work first. ( )