Graphic Novel Review – Jeph Loeb And Jim Lee – Batman – Hush

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2009 DC Comics – Spoiler alerts Epic scale Batman adventure that draws in many of his old enemies in a complex mystery that draws an older, wiser Batman back to his detective story roots, though the ending is a little anti-climactic. Batman is almost killed dealing with a routine child-abduction case, and finds familiar villains adopting off-beat tactics and motives. Even his allies start turning on him, and there is a much better Batman V Superman confrontation than given in the recent movie. The real stars are Harley Quinn & The Joker whose attack on a theatre is hilarious. The story also draws Batman and Catwoman dangerously close to a relationship. The plot gets more complicated when someone appears to have used a Ras Al Guel Lazarus Pit (a source of immortality that drives the users insane) to raise someone from the dead – could it be the deceased Robin, Jason Todd? Ras himself is genuinely unhappy about that. That is the closing premise the story draws back from, as at one point it looks as if all three Robins are in play, Dick Grayson, now The Nightwing, Tim Drake, the current Boy Wonder, and the deceased Todd, who sadly proves to be an imposter, Clayface, and even he is a pawn in the puzzle, set by who? There are lots of great touches and the final resolution would be great if not for the author avoiding the idea of a real zombified Robin on the loose. Arthur Chappell