Batman: Hush

Batman: Hush I will state now, that up until my sister threw this book into my hands, I was no Batman fan. I have never, really liked Batman, the older films I watched as a child put me off to some degree. I hadn’t watched the Bale movies, nor had I touched any other Batman story. You could say I was a Batman hater, though now I consider things, I have on idea why I hated Batman so much.

Hush is arguably one of the most compelling graphic novels I’ve read. Its right up there with Watchmen and Iron Man: Demon In A Bottle, my favourite graphic novels up until this point, especially when taking the plot and the way the characters are presented into account.

Hush begins with Batman rescuing a kidnapped child. Upon saving the child he encounters Killer Croc and realises something is wrong with the motive of the crime and the sophistication it involved. Something anyone reader will know, isn’t a usual trait of the demented Croc. Deciding to investigate, Batman encounters numerous enemies, including Poison Ivy, the Joker and the Riddler and is joined by familiar allies such as Superman and Nightwing as he pieces the puzzle together piece by piece. Predictably, the story ends with a twist that leaves you momentarily stunned as a reader.

Jeph Loeb, the writer of this addicting tale, has credits in film and television as well as in the comic book world. Some of his most recent credits include seasons 1-3 of NBC’s once phenomenally successful Heroes. Loeb was sacked as the show lost its touch. Loeb also created the famous arch villain Red Hulk which is sometimes considered one of the best Hulk villains. Red Hulk was not Loeb’s only success at Marvel comics, he recently wrote the series The Death of Captain America and had a hand in the epic Marvel Civil War. As a result, it is not surprising the story for Hush contained twists and built tension in such brilliant ways. Loeb wrote the brief romantic relationship of Catwoman and Batman so well it just added perfection to the piece.

However, its hard to talk about the narration without wanting to run on and on about the surprises. So, time to move onto the art. The drawing by Jim Lee, famous for his early career working on the X-Men, is phenomenal. Unlike other Batman artists such as Tim Sale who used inks and avoided detail to obtain a sense of mystery, Lee uses every detail imaginable and teamed with the superior inking skills of Scott Williams and the wonderful colours of Alex Sinclair the images are some of the best I’ve come across in the numerous graphic novels I’ve flipped through on long afternoons.

Aside from the story the presentation of Wayne in this blew me away. In terms of comic books I have always preferred Marvel over DC. I preferred playboy Tony Stark to Wayne the same as I preferred the Avengers to the Justice League and though I still prefer Marvel’s Stark/Avengers, I have grown fond of Bruce. Which has left my inner child fuming. The novel shew me the vulnerable side of the character, particularly in romantic situations and when dealing with Jason Todd, in ways I hadn‘t seen it presented in my limited experience of Batman. Similarly, the presentation of his relationship between Bruce and Dick Grayson has given me an instant liking of the original Robin.

All in all, Hush is defiantly one of the best things I’ve read. It was a somewhat refreshing experience for me as it changed my views on Batman entirely. It also made me feel the need to read more of Loeb’s material. As a comic writer, the man has talent, and the creation of his Superman/Batman series is further proof. I’d defiantly recommend it to anyone, who like me, found Bruce Wayne a bit boring. Or to any Batman fans, or newcomers to the graphic story telling medium. It is simply, fantastic.

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