Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb

Illustrated by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, colored by Alex Sinclair, lettered by Richard Starkings

With a star-studded cast, Loeb creates a true murder-mystery for Batman to solve.  Batman's greatest villains keep popping up, and most are acting out of character.  Poison Ivy and Catwoman thwart a plot by Killer Croc, who isn't usually in the business of kidnapping and ransoming children. Harley Quinn robs an opera Bruce attends, and runs to the waiting arms of the Joker, who sits over a murdered patron, but has no idea how the bloke was murdered.  Clayface and The Scarecrow play games with Bruce's fear of losing another Robin. Ra's al Ghul and his daughter might be involved. Is a reformed Harvey Dent here to help Batman or hinder him? And behind it all is a criminal mastermind manipulating Gotham and Metropolis' most wanted.  At the end of the day, who is Hush?

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This story is brilliantly written.  There are so many characters involved, but each gets their time and their own piece of the storyline.  This story has been out for a while, so I knew who Hush was before reading, but I was still trying to figure out the clues and how it all connected to our villainous architect.​  Jim Lee is an exceptional artist, and there are several pages that could easily be sold as stand alone art pieces to be proudly displayed by Batman fans.  The coloring of this story is wide-ranging.  Some pages dip more into a pastel pallet, others into a dark and and grim one.  Metropolis and Gotham are colored from two completely opposite color wheels, and it all comes together beautifully.

Batman comics can be dark and grim, and this is no exception.  There is some violence and bloodshed, but no gore.  At some point, Batman falls from a roof and breaks several bones in his body, but his body isn't mangled.  This volume would be good for fans of other Batman comics, as you'll need a familiarity with a lot of characters and backstories.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
​Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Superheroes, Horror