I’ve seen a lot of mentions and recommendations of Batman: Hush on the forums recently, and I don’t understand why everybody seems to like it. I understand the art, but the story is a lousy mystery (if you can even call it that; Thomas Eliot was a new character introduced in that story, and it was obviously him under the bandages from the moment he stepped on-panel), the narration is that horrible over-written first person thing that too many modern Batman comics do, and any semblance of plot is just an excuse to get Jim Lee to draw the rogues gallery. Can anyone elucidate? Is there just something I’m missing?
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By the way, I didn’t put this in the description, but I’m not trying to go after anyone who loves it, I’m just trying to get why.
I’ve also never understood. It’s not that great in my opinion. Feels like too many villains are shoved in with too little explanation for why.
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I like the story Its just a story people recommend alot
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I think honestly a part of it is nostalgia. For a lot of people, this was their first foray into the world of Batman, maybe even the world of comics in general, and it does a good job of sort of getting people introduced to Batman and the world around him. And while, yes, the mystery of it is pretty bad in retrospect (though, honestly, so is pretty much 90% of Jeph Loeb’s stories), I think the story around it and the characters surrounding it make up for it in some ways.
Basically, it might a little overhyped, but not by that much.
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Funny. I just left a comment earlier today about how every time you see a new character that is near and dear to the protagonist but that has never featured in a comic, you know either the character is a super villain or will tragically die within the year.
I read Hush as it came out, and that’s been nearly half a life ago and I’ve read a lot more comics. I suspect my standards would be higher now, but I think there’s still a lot to love. Yes, Elliot is an obvious villain. It’s somewhat covered by the red herring of killing him off early, but Loeb did that with Long Halloween too, so it’s an old trick that I doubt would have fooled many veterans. Of course, there’s also the extra twist that it was Riddler pulling the strings the whole time.
I think the biggest advantage is spectacle. It may not be a deep and profound story, but it’s a competent one with fun twists and turns, and it goes on one heck of a ride to get to the conclusion. I can think of iconic moments from every single issue, and that’s not something that I can say about many comics.
I haven’t read it in some time, but from what I recall, the dialogue is spot on.
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I’ve never liked any story when you have a super duper genius who has out smarted everyone else. It’s just silly.
@BatWatch
I think that’s really insightful. I had been reading comics for a while before I read Hush, and maybe there’s a certain magic (Jim Lee’s art and a little nostalgia) to the story that I just kind of missed out on. Like I said earlier, if you like Hush, good for you, glad you did.
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I can only speak for myself, but here’s my take lol
Hush was never about the mystery; it was about the relationships. Knowing who the villain was early on gave their relationship a slow burn with a bitter taste. I liked it better this way because it gave the comic re-read value. A lot of mystery books that rely heavily on a plot twist tend to not be as enjoyable upon second read because the surprise has worn off (for me, anyway). Focusing on characterizations and relationships while taking away the plot twist element altogether helped Hush retain entertainment value.
And of course the art is phenomenal 
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@Star0fLyra
Okay, this is going to be controversial, but I think the Bruce/Selina relationship in Hush might have been my least favorite part of the book (not the objective WORST part, mind you, just the part I liked the least). It ruined the (AMAZING) Catwoman book that was running at the time, and it didn’t have a satisfying payoff at all. I’ll defend Tom King’s Batman to the last, but that relationship started off on the wrong foot for me.
As for your thoughts on the mystery element, I don’t think that was intentional, but it’s definitely an interesting and valid point of view.
It’s because of the anniversary lol. They are coming out or already came out with a hardcover for hush just this month.
It’s because of the anniversary lol. They are coming out or already came out with a hardcover for hush just this month.
@Batwing
Ah darn! I thought they were so cute, and I didn’t mind where their relationship was left at the end. I didn’t read that Catwoman series though, so I may be missing some context in that regard.
It might not have been intentional, but it’s the biggest reason I liked it hahaha! I remember putting it down after I finished it and thinking what a smart move that was 
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@Star0fLyra
READ THAT CATWOMAN SERIES! So goooooooooooood. One of my favorites from that era (where there were a lot of really good monthly books). That first arc was done by Darwyn Cooke, actually.
@Batwing
I’ll give it a read! I actually just finished the first arc, but I had no idea it took place anywhere near Hush in the timeline, so I definitely was missing some context there! I wonder if as I read it, some of my thoughts on Hush will change as I get more background filled in.
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I kinda felt like ending the relationship where it did, while I think the reasoning makes sense from Bruce’s broken sense of self-worth, it does kind of feel like it was the author going “I know the higher-ups won’t keep this going when I’m gone, so I’m just going to close it out now.” Part of what I’m liking about King’s run is that he actually has had and seemingly will continue to have Bruce and Selina have a real go at being in a relationship.
Totally agreed on the Brubaker run of Catwoman, though, great stuff.
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Not my favorite story really either, but there are a few great things about it:
-first appearance of Thomas Elliot who is a great character. Even if you don’t like the story, if it’s the first appearance of a classic character, the book is considered a classic.
-I believe it set up the return of Jason Todd which was a big deal.
-It set a precedent for the Batman/Catwoman relationship
-It is an iconic mystery story. Even if you know the mystery, Batman doesn’t which is the part that matters. Mysteries are meant to keep the characters guessing as much as the readers, so even if you didn’t like it, the mystery set the scene for a great depiction of Batman.
Again, it wasn’t my favorite story either for some of the reasons you mentioned, but it was a solid story overall. It set up a lot of great things more than it was a great story in and of it’s self.
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I think alot of it has to do with reputation Jeph Loeb earned doing really insightful character pieces early in his career. Check out the Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween specials, Superman For All Seasons or his Marvel color books (Hulk Grey, Spider-Man Blue etc).
It was somewhere around Long Halloween where I think his work went off the rails as he started throwing in way too many characters and writing overlong arcs that were set up as mysteries but were impossible to figure out based on the clues presented. It took Ultimatum to finally convince people he had jumped the shark creatively.
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@YoYoFroYo
That’s a good way of thinking about it that I hadn’t before. Without Hush, we probably wouldn’t have gotten (Rebirth) Red Hood and the Outlaws, or King’s Batman. I can kinda forgive it for those things.
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