Customer Reviews

Absolute Batman: Hush

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Batman has been reinterpreted so many times its becoming hard to zero in on the character anymore. Lately, Batman has been portrayed as an untrusting, unfriendly JERK to even his best 'friends' (Batman has no real friends in the current incarnation of the character). There is a reason storywise for portraying him this way (see Infinite Crisis) but it does make the character tiresome.
In Hush, Batman is portrayed as more of the mid-range Batman: not a friendly sort, but still caring enough to be the Batman I remember from the post Frank Miller reinvention of the 80's. Now, Hush is first and foremost a Batman story, so you will have the action and the mystery aspect- but the great thing is, Hush is a VERY mature and complex story. Layers upon layers, and you will need to read CAREFULLY to pick up all the subtlties. The reward for your efforts, of course, is a great story! Plotted much like a supense movie, the story unfolds a bit at a time, while throwing in red herrings to keep you guessing right up until the end. Loeb has written a top notch story, and Jim Lee's art is of course very nice to look at.
While I can't put Hush in the same category as Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, it is an exceptionally constructed story which stays true enough to the Batman character to be enjoyable. Any comic fan who enjoys gritty and/or dark mystery stories should check out Hush. Recommended!!

This book is outstanding. If you are a fan of The Batman this is a great read. The art work is excellent and the story is also very good. The new character introduced is a nice addition to the rogues gallery in Batman's city. He is a very smart and methodical villian giving him potential for great future story lines. The interaction with the other heroes throughout the story also made for a more exciting read. It helps to create more realism in the world of The Batman. As there are many villians working together in the story, which were wonderfully drawn and portrayed, there is a need for many heroes to work together. The Batman is an awesome force capable of doing much by himself (as he prefers) but introducing his allies into the story makes it much more plausible for the victory that he should inevitably achieve. Great story, great art work, great dialogue.... everything you need for a great book.

First off, hands down to Jim Lee and what those five amazing digits can do! His artwork is intense as it is passionate. It conveys strong emotions ranging from anger, insanity, and lust which fit as the perfect art medium to this story written by Jeph Loeb ("Long Halloween", "Smallville", "Superman for all seasons") who is no stranger to superheroes. What do you get when you combine a mystery full of whodunit, a wonderful cast of characters (I use this loosely, I will go into more detail later) and a story so full of energy leaving you breathless and gasping for more? A wonderful witches brew created by two of the biggest names in the comic books industry, 'Hush'.

When Bruce Wayne's childhood chum Tommy Elliot returns into his life and his collection of rogues behave in new manners, and a new enemy is added to the gallery, it is up to Batman to make the connections. Beautifully written and drawn with unbelievable intricacy, this Batman story is essential to any library, however, I feel that this is a flawed beauty. For one thing, there were to many characters. I guess in the end they did serve a purpose, even a marginal one, but was it really necessary to add Lady Shiva? Perhaps the reward becomes stronger when you take a look and absorb all its nuances and subtleties. It felt like a breath of fresh air to see Harley Quinn get some backbone, but I guess Loeb didn't want to dilute the essence of the curvy jester we all know and love. Oh, well, maybe someone else can do it. The cream of the crop was that the Riddler contributed to this. In fact it was a really good Riddler story, who is by no means an easy character to tackle, alongside the addition of a new villain to coincide and enter the Bat mythos.

Overall, I give it an 9/10. Definetely a read. The Absolute Edition looks stunning whether on your coffee table or book shelf.

Hush is probably my favorite Batman arc. It doesn't take itself as seriously as Arkham Asylum or The Dark Knight Returns, which is a good thing, in my opinion. Arkham and DKR are fantastic Batman titles, and are also must-reads for any fan, but to me, comics are supposed to be a blend of fun and engaging, and Hush hits that mark better, in my opinion.

The story features all the Batman aspects you expect: mystery and detective work, action, and characterization. Loeb's Batman characterization is solid: the strong, intelligent, but lonesome crimefighter. The mystery is not mind-bending, but if you haven't yet be spoiled by the details, it will keep you pleasantly surprised - it's a real page-turner.

The art is absolutely fantastic. By far, Jim Lee draws the best Batman I've ever seen. And Lee's Catwoman/Selina Kyle is drool-worthy.

And the Absolute hardcover publication of Hush is defintely the way to read it. The book is huge, which allows you to really delve into Lee's fantastic artwork. That alone justifies the purchase, but they've also thrown in interesting interviews, cover art, and concepts as well.

Highly recommended!

The "Hush" storyline, written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by fan favorite artist Jim Lee and inked by Scott Williams was the biggest selling comic series of 2002-2003. It's not hard to see why. "Hush" was a good solid story that had some of the finest artwork available. Jim Lee's precise pencils backed by Williams' superlative inks brought an urgent sensibility to the Dark Knight as few had before.

We need not go over the story here. Suffice to say, it's probably the single most important Batman story published this decade. Now, DC has collected "Hush," into one of it's much heralded "Absolute" editions. Included are an extensive interview with both Loeb and Lee, tons of Jim Lee preliminary illustrations, a nice section where Lee goes over his panel work (think of it as an illustrator's commentary, like the director's commentary on a DVD) and he clues readers in. This makes for a much more pleasurable reading experience. Also included are revisions to the artwork.

My only complaint is that I would like to have seen some of Loeb's scripts like the ones that can be glimpsed in the collected Absolute editions of "Sandman," and "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." It's a small complaint, but I confess being a bit of an amateur scribe, I love to see comic book scripts (frankly, the whole process fascinates me).

Still, at $50, this collection is $25 cheaper than the standard Absolute editions (which typically run at $75, though sometimes as high as $100). If you loved Batman, the "Hush" storyline, or are a fan of Jim Lee's art, then this is the book for you.

I still remember collecting this story on a monthly basis when it first came out, and just how excited I was. However, once the initial hype wears off, the story doesn't really live up to the epic scale it set up for itself. The mystery villain is very boring, and you can't help but feel that the whole story was just an excuse to showcase Jim Lee's art.

That being said, the book is worth getting if only for Lee's art alone. Its gorgeous, especially as presented on these oversized pages. His women tend to all look the same, but that's easy to ignore when you take in the rest of the visuals. Pretty much all the major players of the Bat-verse make an appearance in this story (with the notable exception of Batgirl) and some of the character interactions make up for the weak story. Fans of the Batman/Catwoman relationship are going to love this arc, and there's some nice interaction between Batman and Nightwing in chapter 8, and with Gordon in chapter 7.

Over all, it's certainly an entertaining storyline (more so than the lackluster "War Games" and all related crap that came after this)whose strengths lie in the artwork. Purchase it if you just want to read a comic that doesn't require you to think too hard.

I really enjoyed reading this over-sized version of batman hush. I initially read the tpb, and was somewhat impressed but reading it a second time in the absolute format made it clear how impressive this story really is. Like all good batman stories, Loeb goes the extra mile to really humanize the character of the dark knight. Batman has wants, and needs, and I think that is part of what is so great about the story.

The absolute edition of the book is pretty superb as well. After the series went through its run in comics it was reprinted across 2 tpbs, and now is collected in this handsome one volume edition. The art in the book is extremely bright and vibrant, and is really shown off through the oversized nature of the absolute format. The book also contains some pretty decent supplemental material, including extensive interviews with the writer Jeph Loeb, and artist Jim Lee. I would highly recommend this book to any one looking to expand their batman collection. While not entirely worth the full retail price, if you can find it for 30-40% off then definitely pick it up.

finally, a top writer and a top artist on a monthly run. the story is one of loeb's best and the art is to die for. own it just to gaze on each of the panels. def. a must buy/own.

The book is beautiful and looks great on the shelf.

The story is just amazing and one of the best books I've ever read.

First of all, let me say that I have been collecting comics for over 35 years and this is one of the most beautiful presentations of this sort of material that I have ever seen, trumping even the amazing Absolute Watchmen hardcover. The oversize format and glossy paper make Jim Lee's breathtaking illustrations fairly leap out at you; there's also an interview with Lee and writer Jeph Loeb, a cover gallery, Lee's annotations to the comic, sketches, and just about every other cool extra you could think of. If you're a fan of the comic, you need to get a load of this.

For those of you who didn't catch this in its original run or in trade paperback, the story itself is quite good: a suspenseful mystery story that will likely keep you guessing until the end.

Why not five stars then? Well, I'm very particular about handing out five-star ratings: a comic has to be at the level of the aforementioned Watchmen or Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns for me to give it five stars, and this doesn't quite make the cut (although to be fair, not many comics do). This is more analogous (if you'll pardon the geeky reference) to Chris Claremont's post-John Byrne run on X-Men: solid, entertaining storytelling, but nothing really groundbreaking.

In conclusion: Recommended, although you will probably want to sample this in its less expensive trade paperback form before commiting to the lovely-but-pricey Absolute edition. Better yet, do what I did and see if there's a copy available at your local public library, then purchase a copy if you fall head-over-heels with it.