By: Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 192 Publication Date: November 01, 2004 Release Date: November 01, 2004
Nowhere Near as Good as Part I Unfortunately, this second volume of "Batman: Hush" falls victim to the same problems that usually plague the second halves of graphic novel series. In other words, the storyline is predictable and the action outweighed by tedious amounts of exposition, as though the author is trying to unravel the previous volume's mysteries as fast as possible rather than allowing the story to unfold more naturally. The artwork is still very solid, but I would have greatly preferred to sacrifice some of the mystery of Volume I (which is excellent!) if it would have meant keeping Batman from long expository ponderings while he's supposedly fighting for his life!
Reading this second volume, I was reminded again and again of the second volume of "Superman: For Tomorrow", which suffers almost all the same problems. Overall, I'd say both series are still worth reading, but in both cases, the first half is definitely better!
art: good, story: bad. Jim Lee's art is fantastic. The only reason I've cracked this book open again after my first and only read is to look at the art, and the art alone. Jeph Loeb's storytelling is the same as it's always been. Bits are genuinely cool, good characterization here and there- which keeps you reading. But then the guy starts randomly shoving in cheap twist after twist- until the whole thing is reduced to an unintelligible pile. He ends with little to no resolution on important plot points. That sort of thing leaves some people wanting more. I only wonder why I bought the damn thing.
A great story an excellent art This book presents a new part of Bruce Wayne's life that nobody remembers, the story involve all the greatest villians and friends in Batman universe, but has an open ending that leaves you with more answer and wanting for more.
volume two Volume two concludes a great story from Loeb (Superman for All Seasons, Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, Catwoman: When in Rome, and Superman/Batman: Absolute Power).
Great for serious fans... I gotta be honest...after Jeph Loeb's involvement in Heroes, I was expecting something pretty special here in Hush Vols. 1 and 2. Yet...not so much. I'm not a hardcore comic fan, but I was immersed by The Dark Knight Returns and Gaiman's Sandman...Hush is really a Batman mystery for serious fans. One gets the idea the story worked better in monthly installments that raised questions and expectations at each turn over a year's time (editors hint that there were huge arguments in the fan community as to who the real villain of the piece was). The payoff, unfortunately, is much more a whimper than a bang when you read the stories in a few sittings as I did. It's very much a serialized story in the classic sense of bygone days...but I'll admit, I'm a graphic novel buyer, and I dig on stories that have a deeper core than tons of bad-guy cameos, which is what one has here. The art is great and fun to look at, and this is not to say that the story has no merit. It does. I was going to check out Long Halloween...but now I'm not so sure...
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