Batman: Hush Returns [Paperback]

A. J. Liberman (Author), Al Barrionuevo (Illustrator), Javier Pina (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2006

Batman knew his deadliest new enemy Hush, who first appeared in the Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee hit storyline, was going to come back, but he never expected him to return so quickly!And with his reappearance come more questions about his true identity, origins and motivations.As the new battle of wits begins, the trail leads to Star City and an encounter with its protector, Green Arrow.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (January 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401209009
• ISBN-13: 978-1401209001
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hush (Kinda/Sorta) Returns, March 27, 2006

By 

Edward Lee "Trekscribbler (NCC1205)" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: Hush Returns (Paperback)

Arguably, it would very difficult to follow-up the stellar 'Hush' storylines and come out smelling like roses, but the creative team of A.J. Lieberman, Al Barrionuevo, and Javier Pina give it their best shot. Resurrecting Bruce Wayne's childhood chum, Tommy Elliot, to continue his crusade to bring down the Bat was a risky gamble that pays off in the first half of this graphic novel collection (originally appeared in serialized format in BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS), but, in the second half, the tale spirals largely out of control as Hush spends more time battling the Joker for criminal control of Gotham than he does chasing Batman. A loose chapter tacked on (seemingly) months after the main story tries to bring closure to the whole affair, but it all seems far too rushed and not very well planned out. Had the writers opted more for a stand-out piece working Hush into the greater pantheon of Bat-villains, 'Hush Returns' might have felt less like a commercial exploitation of a great character than it does, but that's not the case. Still, if you're looking for a Hush-fix and you've re-read the two volumes introducing Elliot to Gotham City, there's nothing wrong with the first few installments here. It's a quality read ... just don't look for any strong finish.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Abysmal MUSH, May 15, 2006

By 

Christian E. Senftleben "christian__s" (Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: Hush Returns (Paperback)

Don't even bother.

I can't think of a single redeeming characteristic here. I mean, bringing back Jason Todd in those other trades was a bit gimmicky, but at least they're (somewhat) pulling it off. But this?

Puh-leeze. I find better plots on cereal boxes.

First of all, the Joker is no crime kingpin. Never has been. He's not some connected mafia goon that can get someone like the Riddler sprung from prison "just like that." He is NOT obsessed with "running Gotham" a la say, Black Mask.

Second of all, the Joker's characterization in the last oh, TWENTY YEARS is such that he is basically an insane, inhuman monster (uhm, killed Jason Todd at the end of the 80s, right?) - not some heartsick fop pining over a dead wife and kid.

Which brings me to the third point: ahem, we DON'T KNOW that the wife-and-kid thing ARE Joker's background; he's CRAZY, remember? It has never been part of ANY conclusive pantheon. "Killing Joke" doesn't COUNT as canon, since it's the recollection of a madman who prefers his history as "multiple choice."

Fourth and finally, Hush is a total waste in this story. His complete APPEAL isn't that he knows Bruce so well, or that he's a great surgeon, or that he can run around so well in all those lame bandages. NO. His appeal came (1) you don't know WHO he is (calling him "Tommy" is just plain dumb), since he was NEVER REVEALED at the end of the first "Hush" storyline; (2) he was calm, collected, a chess-player villain who had thought dozens of moves ahead and planned everything meticulously.

Therefore, making him another Two-Face / Killer Croc meets Phantom of the Opera madman flapping about in a lame trench coat and bandages making threats and slugging it out with people just BASTARDIZES the ENTIRE POINT of this guy! Having him fight the Joker for "control of Gotham" is just lame, lame, LAME. Neither of them NEVER had interest in this before, so why now?

Besides, Hush was getting the villains to COOPERATE with him AGAINST Batman by tapping their personal foibles / interests / obsessions. Making him another thug vying for top dog means he's just as dumb as the others!

Gee. Guess I had a lot to say.

I just hate the fact that such an awesome storyline and character has been so utterly, totally RUINED by some lame marketing department trying to cash in for a buck today that robs them of several thousand they could have made tomorrow with a decent writer.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many loose threads, and what's up with the Joker?, March 16, 2006

By 

Corum Seth Smith (Hendersonville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: Hush Returns (Paperback)

First of all, the plot is interrupted near the end. They essentially split the plot into two- one part, the predominant, 85-90% part before the events of War Games, and a small fraction afterwards. One page briefly describes in broad strokes War Games and then the plot you were following before is fast forwarded months into the future.

Second, they repeat the plot of "The Killing Joke" that seems to finally settle the Joker's origin. He watched in horror as his wife and unborn child die, transforming mentally into the ghoulish clown that he had already become physically. Hush is portrayed as the figure who is the Joker's superior, betraying a wealth of Batman literary tradition.

Joker, Penguin, and Riddler just seem to passively accept that "there's a new kid in town." For those of us who have followed the comic for decades, it undermines the classic villains that helped get Batman to the pinnacle of popularity where he is now. The villains themselves had strange personalities and fixations that made them as interesting as the protagonist.

Hush Returns is a rare disappointment in an exciting and fascinating sea of Batman graphic novels.