Batman: Hush
By Munawar Mobin
Imagined by Jeph Loeb, brought to life by Jim Lee, inked by Scott Williams and coloured by Alex Sinclair, Batman Hush is in every sense true to the phrase: 'so amazing, that it feels better than that first stretch in the morning'.
Batman: Hush comes with a classic Loeb rollercoaster, full of twists, double loops and lots of pivotal drops; and of course, as always with Loeb's stories, one has to flip back a few pages to figure out where they are.
Hush talks about a villain who seems to know a great deal about Batman's personal life, a supposed masked man in the shadows who not even the great detective Batman can decipher or catch. Hush sends Batman through a wide range of villains, and as the Joker, Killer Croc, Riddler and Poison Ivy's crazy rampage and onslaught on Gotham has Batman wondering when to put his cape away and get some rest, Loeb's story has the reader captivated and (at times) wondering when they'll be able to put the book down.
With a guest appearance from Superman and someone brought back from the dead, the book holds some rare gems. Among them the best is most definitely the inclusion of an entire issue's worth of contact between Superman and Batman in Metropolis, which also showcases a fight between Superman and Batman, beautifully depicted by the very talented Jim Lee.
The story is so well built that I can proudly say that even after revealing and giving away so many details from the book, there is still so much that the story has to reveal to you.
In the writer's opinion, thanks to Long Halloween, the question of whether this is Loeb's best work remains unanswered. But what's obvious is that this is Lee's best work so far. Superman looks like the man he was meant to be - a God among men - and Catwoman can't look any better or more seductive than as Jim Lee has pencilled her to be. It is an awesome graphic novel, but in terms of art, it's a masterpiece.
Controversy, mystery, sudden appearances from old friends and even a budding new romance, this book has it all. If you're into Batman, this should be the next novel you save up for.
