I have been sitting on this post for quite a while and rescheduled it multiple times.
DELAYED: Batman #162 and #163 were delayed months and are now releasing on October 15th and October 29th, respectively. It'd be bad enough if this wasn't delaying the heavily-advertised “H2SH” storyline, but the final chapters of this Batman volume will release after DC relaunches the main Batman title in September.
Reviews range again with the critics average at 7.2 and the users at 5.4.
It still feels contrived and lame that Jason would succeed at knocking out Batman in the Bat Cave, especially when they were having a moment that almost acknowledged the TWENTY years of story telling since the first Hush series.
And here we have one of all too tired tropes of Bat stories: Batman treating members of the Bat family or assorted allies like shit so that the writer can generate artificial conflict and show the Batman as the Dark Knight loner, tormented by his past and his mission.
The last issue had a bit of a problem with contrived drama. Fans of Jason Todd would be especially upset, as it rolled back a lot of his character in order to rehash an argument he’s been having with Batman for almost 20 years now. The optimist might have seen that and hoped that it would be a brief low point of the series while it hits the obligatory Jason issue. That is not so. No, instead it seems that contrived drama between the Bat Family is going to become the running theme of the storyline.
Before we get to the rest of the family, H2SH is not done with Jason yet. Batman reviews the events that took place between Jason and Hush after he was knocked unconscious using the cave’s security footage. Just as before, it rehashes the same conflict of why Batman let Jason die and didn’t kill the Joker. It’s like no time has passed at all in the intervening decades. Even in 2006 Jason’s position was a little untenable, but after everything that’s happened since it’s become ridiculous.
There’s a moment worth bringing up where Hush argues that Bruce didn’t really care when Jason died because he didn’t call his world-renowned surgeon childhood friend to save him. First of all, Jason didn’t have a skull fracture when Bruce found him; he was dead. Surgery can’t fix that. However, even if we ignore that minor detail and accept Hush’s argument, I don’t think that bringing up these sorts of inconsistencies is a good idea. The only reason they’re there is because the original Hush story retconned in an important part of Bruce’s childhood that was never mentioned before. Pointing these sorts of things out only highlights how that original retcon didn’t work.
Speaking of Hush, I want to briefly talk about his outfit. It’s bad. Hush’s original costume mostly works because of its simplicity. The bandaged face, trench coat, and dual pistols are simple, memorable, and evocative. It becomes worse when he opens his trench coat and you see his monogramed tunic with the red lines everywhere because it’s too much. This new costume doubles down on that black leather under shirt and makes it the entire costume. Now the whole outfit is black and red leather, there’s random pouches and straps everywhere, and to top it all off Hush has a ridiculous “X” taped across his face bandages.
Before getting to the action climax of the issue, Riddler continues to show how clever he is by cryptically not-explaining what’s going on to Dick and Barbara. More than anything this comes across as frustrating, if not annoying. Nothing is actually being said, it’s just long-winded pablum in flowery language that goes on for multiple pages. The intention seems to be to present him as this mastermind who sees everything, but having him sit ominously in the shadows saying how he knows all but won’t say what doesn’t accomplish that. Worse than anything, his “riddles” don’t even work. “What has no legs but stands so high it could touch the sky” isn’t a clue to a light house. That could be literally any tall structure.
The problem with insisting that someone is a masterful genius without ever showing it extends to Hush as well. At one point Batman says how every event that has transpired is according to Hush’s carefully crafted plan, and that’s why he might lose his fight against Silence, but is it? Ultimately, all that was needed for Batman to lose was to throw an unmovably huge guy at him. It’s not exactly the chess match that it’s made out to be. It’s great when an antagonist is hyper-competent because the conflict really does become a “how do we outsmart him” but the story has to keep up and justify it. This is just telling us over and over again how smart the bad guy is without ever showing the work.
Part of that “master plan” is that Damian and Bane show up at the last minute to help Batman. What this mainly offers is a new opportunity for contrived drama between the Bat Family. Batman immediately distrusts why he’s there with Bane and thinks he might be working for Hush. I’m also curious what reason the story will give for why Damian would be working with Bane, but it’s such an insane leap for Bruce to just immediately assume Damian is part of the plot against him. Then again, maybe “arrogance” can justify any behavior and no one is safe.
To end things on a positive note, Jim Lee’s art is impressive as usual (barring some bad costume designs), but what really stood out were the words “spoken” by Silence. The text is not shown coming from any sort of speech bubble, but rather occupying the entire panels with big, oppressive block font. It’s almost as if the voice is coming from inside the listener’s head, drowning out everything else. I’m reminded of the “Voice” effect as presented in the most recent Dune movies. It’s certainly a visually interesting gimmick for the character and well worth being the focus of the cover.
Recommended If
- You like seeing Jim Lee’s art of the Batman cast
- The bat family should always be fighting
- You’re invested in Hush and Riddler’s competing master plans
Overall
Contrived inter-family fighting is quickly becoming the main focus of this story as Jason and Bruce’s argument spreads to characters like Dick and Damian. No one’s actions seem to make much sense, but the story assures us that everything is according to an intricately woven master plan that will eventually be revealed. At least the art is still impressive to look at while you hold your breath.
Score: 3.5/10
Review
While it continues to be a sales juggernaut, Hush 2 has struggled to achieve anything close to the critical reception its predecessor earned over two decades ago. Where the original excelled with its classical simplicity, the sequel stumbles in its attempts to be clever, playing the worst renditions of already tired hits from the last decade or so of Batman comics. Issue #160 is the first to truly recapture the thrills of the original Hush, even if it remains tainted by plotting undermined by Loeb’s ignorance of recent characterizations and continuity.
The tangled plot threads finally coalesce here as Hush steps fully into the spotlight as the villain of the story. His plan, while still written with convenience, brings together the previously discordant use of the extended Bat-family and unites them with larger-than-life threats that lend his schemes much-needed tension and coherence. Each character begins to take on a meaningful role in the narrative, no longer feeling like obligatory window dressing. Riddler, Batgirl, and Nightwing help flesh out the tension of this arc beyond the weaknesses of its setup. Jason’s strange characterization, while still questionable, is at least given a justification that could make more sense in hindsight than it did upon his arrival in issue #159.
The backbone of it all is Jim Lee’s exceptional illustration, as the story finally begins to align with his strengths as an artist. Despite my earlier criticisms, this book remains a big, dumb, action-figure-smashing spectacle — and it’s blindly fun because of Lee. His layouts burst with motion, and every punch seems to vibrate off the page. Alex Sinclair conjures an atmosphere that’s equal parts detective noir and superhero adventure. His masterful focus on lighting pulls the reader deeper into the immersive world of Lee’s art. The writing, which has often felt like an afterthought to the marketing, is overshadowed — in a good way — by an issue that finally puts Jim Lee’s brilliance front and center. It’s given weight, tension, and raw superhero schlock as a result.
Final Thoughts
Batman #160 leans into to the schlock inherent to the sequel, making for the first chapter thus far to cohesively exhibit anything in the realm of entertaining. Lee's work was genuinely flooring here as the tale begins to take shape around his more explosive strengths.
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