Graphic Novel Review of ‘Batman: Hush Volumes 1 and 2’
Story by Jeph Loeb, Pencils by Jim Lee
Published by DC Comics
Jim Lee is back and this time he’s teamed up with acclaimed writer Jeph Loeb to create one of the best Batman comics of all time entitled Batman: Hush, by DC Comics. The graphic novel is divided into two volumes, each volume containing six issues and each is respectively entitled Batman: Hush Volume 1 and Batman: Hush Volume 2.
In this 12 issue series, Batman is faced with a villain that seems to know everything about him, even his darkest secrets and fears. Batman finds himself battling the most vicious of his list of enemies all the while trying to figure out who is the mastermind behind all this. Batman is driven to the edge as he is pushed to his physical, mental and emotional boundaries. There are plenty of surprises along the way as well. One very notable instance is when Batman holds the Joker’s life in his hands and truly contemplates on HOW he’s going to kill the Joker not IF he is. The greatest surprise of all is revealed at the end of the series and for Batman fans all over the world, it truly will be the greatest surprise of all!
There are plenty of villains in both volumes of Batman: Hush that were brought into this series. The question really isn’t who made the cut but who didn’t. Batman’s enemies that are featured in the series include Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and of course the Joker, along with many others.
Along with the villains comes the heroes as well. The usual heroes apply in this Batman series, such as appearances by Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, Huntress, and a very special appearance by Superman and his super dog!
Batman: Hush created a milestone in the DC universe by having the first official battle between Batman and Superman. The superb artistry of Jim Lee makes every page, every panel a masterpiece and a wonder to behold. The excellent writing of Jeph Loeb keeps the reader guessing till the end who Hush really is with plenty of surprises along the way.
The only negative aspect of Batman: Hush is the fact that it is broken into two parts, Batman: Hush Volume 1 and Batman: Hush Volume 2. Obviously this is a scheme to generate more money for the people at DC, but it is annoying to have to stop in the middle of the story to pick up another book to continue it. Although, the editors did do a good job of where to create the break, yet in the end it should have been left as one graphic novel.
However, an extra feature the two volumes have is the fact that there are included a few pages that didn’t make it into the original comic issues. They don’t add significantly to the story but they are visually stunning. Think of it more like a director’s cut version. There are only a few pages but still, it’s a nice little bonus when having to deal with two volumes instead of one. Also, as is customary of most graphic novels, all the cover art of Batman: Hush is included in the end of each volume. The covers of the first six issues is in the back of Batman: Hush Volume 1 and the latter six covers is in the back of Batman: Hush Volume 2. Also included are the covers of the reprints, like the pencil version of issues six which portrays Superman choking Batman.
All in all, the Batman: Hush series is an amazing one. With the artist that made the X-Men famous and the writer of such great accomplishments such as Batman: Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory, there really was never a chance that this story would fail. The story is very newbie-friendly as well, as the back stories of less known characters are briefly reviewed so as to not lose any Batman fans, old or new.
