This week: In the special bonus version of the DC roundup, we take a look at Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee returning to the Dark Knights Batman #158, Chapter 1 H2SH.
And, don’t miss out on a regular DC roundup, it looks at the Absolute Mars Hunter #1!
Note: The comments below contain the spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free purchase/pass suggestion on comics, check out the bottom of the article for our final ruling.
Batman #158
writer: Jeph Loeb
Penciller: Jim Lee
Inker: Scott Williams
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
letter: Richard Starks
Covering the Artist: Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
Early Batman #158, Part 1 of “H2SH” Jeph Loeb,,,,, Jim Lee,,,,, Scott Williams,,,,, Alex Sinclairand Richard StarksThe long-awaited sequel Now is the classic “Hush” storylineas he often, the Dark Knight is on the Joker’s Trail. Batman is fascinated by the Joker’s busyness and points out that he is clearly recreating early crimes. Batman’s long-choice weapon of choice wondered, “Why repeat the old joke?”
The next narrative title is about how the Joker brought chaos to Gotham, where Batman restored order. It is actually the same narrative as the original “Hush”. In the subsequent underwater sequence, Batman tries to force his mask to activate his electrical defense against it and kills the laughing fish that tries to eat him. These defenses also recur from the original “Hush”… except this time, they backfire, electric Batman with the fish.
I don’t know if this is intended to be returned by Loeb, Lee and the company to one of its most successful projects. I can see the clown repeating past crimes as jokes. Repeating elements from the original storyline doesn’t necessarily reflect on intentionally, though, but if you haven’t read the original content recently, it may not be something you’ll get right away. But for those readers who have returned to the original story before recording the sequel, it is certainly an interesting way to get started. The mask removal counter-head…well, the work that once worked may not necessarily work for the second time.
The problem of why Loeb, Lee and the company bring back is an unwise one: DC and its parent company, like Money, were the original “Hush” as absolute swordsman and have become a perennial figure in the publisher’s back catalog. “H2SH” has been proven to be equal, More than 400,000 copies Retailer orders before issuance. From a business perspective, the answer is easy.
From a storytelling perspective, it becomes more hazy. We live in a position –Grant MorrisonPostal-Tom King world. Between the 2002 release of “Hush” and today’s sequel release, Batman has been deconstructed and rebuilt at least six times. Again, instead of specifically trying to reinvent the wheel, the original story shows a very action-oriented, “big hit song” playlist for Batman and his Rogue Gallery in twelve issues. Loeb and Lee seem to have a similar goal this time, and although there are no few differences, Loeb and Lee seem to have a similar goal.
Loeb’s script seamlessly fills in the original storyline feel here. Batman’s inner monologue forms every scene he presents and sets the tone from the jump. This also makes the realm of “H2SH” doing new things too: Batman doesn’t have multiple scenes in this issue, which is just something that rarely happens in the original story. A scene between Nightwing and Batgirl nods how much has grown to the bat family over the past two decades, and the confrontation between Hush and Hush and Joker does not reveal that Thomas Elliot is back now, but does set up dilemmas for the Dark Knights, but no one has seen it later on.
Visually, Lee, Williams and Sinclair’s work is as sharp and stylistically as ever. The storytelling is solid, and the characters are generally in good physical condition, although there are some Batman images that feel less energetic and more statically posing than ever before. Talia Al Ghul’s appearance felt caught so Lee had the excuse of a woman in a tight suit. The first appearance of the new character Silence is certainly powerful, even if the character design is generally boring. Honestly, what is there to say about this team that hasn’t been said a hundred times before? This is exactly what they’ve been doing for decades and you either like it or you don’t like it at this point. In fact, it blends completely into the look and feel of the original “Hush” storyline.
However, this “identity” may ultimately be the goal of the project. Unfortunately, rather than being a fun look back, it ends up filling the whole thing with exhausted air. In 2002, the modern and exciting feeling now feels its own stale and derivation. The repetition of elements in the original storyline certainly does not help. Something about Joker repeating his past jokes is perpetuated later in the question as Batman walks down a virtual “Memory Lane” which is a horrible thing the Joker has done over the years – to Jim Gordon, Barbara to Jason Todd – leaves one wondering why the Joker businessman didn’t come up with some new material.
But then, why bother when old favorites sell well.
Final judgment: Browse.
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