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BATMAN ETERNAL #21--Is That Really Who We Think It Is?

The return of a major Bat-Villain was revealed. What does this mean for Batman?

BATMAN ETERNAL is one of DC's weekly ongoing series. With Batman, his allies, and Gotham City fighting the forces of evil, there's been a lot going on. As we've seen threats pop up, we've known that there's been someone pulling strings from behind the scenes. In BATMAN ETERNAL #21, we get a pretty big revelation that brings back a villain we haven't seen before in the New 52.

If you've somehow managed to avoid all spoilers (no, we're not talking about Stephanie Brown this time), there will be spoilers below. Make sure you read the issue to enjoy the revelation first hand.

No Caption Provided

At Wayne Manor, Alfred is struggling with having to keep Batman's secret from his daughter Julia. He wants to explain why he wasn't there for her when she was growing up but revealing that he's been helping Bruce Wayne and his fight against crime is not his secret to tell.

He is interrupted by an alarm at the mansion. There is an intruder and he manages to trick Julia into a safe room. As he seeks out the person invading the home, he gets a surprise.

No Caption Provided

Who is this mysterious person about to get the upper hand on poor Alfred? (This is your last chance to look away.)

We see the debut of a pretty big nemesis of Batman. This explains how he easily managed to enter the mansion and override some of the security protocols.

No Caption Provided

Looks like it's the return of Hush, right?

He injects Alfred with, what we can assume, is a special, amped up batch of Fear Toxin. Later in the issue we find out he's been working with someone else. It's their plan to take over Gotham City for themselves.

There's one big question we need to think about.

Is this really HUSH?

Sure, we can say this is really "Hush," but is it Tommy Elliot? We haven't seen Tommy Elliot and I don't recall any mention of him.

No matter how you look at it, this can't be the same exact Tommy Elliot we had before (just like Stephanie Brown has gone through some changes). Obviously the whole Hush and Heart of Hush story lines couldn't have happened as before. There's the pesky New 52 timeline that prohibits all the previous history from still being in existence. There's also little things like Selina not knowing Batman's identity, etc.

No Caption Provided

In the New 52, we know it's absolutely possible for characters to be be rewritten or transformed. Look at Wally West or Helena Bertinelli. Billy Batson's story has changed along with the fact that his alter ego is no longer able to go by the name "Captain Marvel." And what is Tim Drake's real last name?

Could it be possible DC is taking the costumed name and giving us a new character going by the name? That would be pretty gutsy.

We probably won't have to wait too long. The solicit for issue #25, due on October 1, says the following:

Martial law is imposed on Gotham City! Learn the secret history of one of Batman’s most dangerous foes as he takes center stage!

"Secret history"? Hopefully this means we'll find out all about Hush and how he fits into Batman's New 52 timeline.

What's my take?

While you never can tell what might happen sometimes in the New 52, I don't think they'd pull a switcheroo like this. Not with Hush. Many feel the Hush story line is one of the top Batman story arcs. Hush is a beloved villain, even if he became overused and ended up reduced to being locked in a water tower. We've seen different sorts of outrage when characters are changed and messing with Hush's history. Would DC want more of that?

We've seen some changes in the Bat-verse. For the most part, things have remained consistent. The BATMAN ETERNAL writing team has been faithful when bringing back other obscure Bat-characters. It would be interesting and a shock on top of a shock to find out this was a different character. But most likely it'll still be Tommy. Just some food for thought.

What do you think? Is this the same Hush we knew before? Is it a new character? If it's Tommy, how much of his past do you think will change?

53 Comments

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cobra88king8

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I think it's probably Tommy, but I do think if it was anyone else it would be Lincoln March

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HushoftheWind

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i honestly wouldnt be surprise if they kept the character as Tommy Elliot. The real question is that does this Hush know who Bruce really is or is he simply taking out a personal grudge on Bruce. I also think it'll be interesting if Hush has ties to Tim Drake somehow.

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gmanfromheck

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@cobra88king8: I imagine that'd piss off readers. Lincoln being bandaged after we last saw him would make sense. But I guess he wouldn't really know Alfred this intimately. He says, "I always liked you best, Alfred."

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knightofthechronicle

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Seems Alfred kind of knew who Hush was, so I'm thinking something must have happened before all of this.

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i_dont_like_comics

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jesus!!! he killed alfred!! or in the very least gave him brain damage!!! that's one incredibly sturdy needle to go through freaking bone!!!

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HushoftheWind

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I think it's probably Tommy, but I do think if it was anyone else it would be Lincoln March

i didnt think about Lincoln. Honestly i hope it's not Lincoln, but i guess the powers to be at DC doesnt want 2 Owlmans rolling around even though i prefer Lincoln's Owlman.

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fattytravy

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Mind you, one part of a story no longer being within continuity doesn't mean that the ENTIRE story is out of continuity. Bits and pieces are taken or thrown away. The Killing Joke has Batman killing Joker at the end, but obviously that didn't happen (and many didn't even realize, apparently). Nonetheless, Barbara went on to become Oracle.

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the_stegman

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the_stegman  Moderator

Geez, now I'm regretting dropping this. But I just couldn't afford a weekly.

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MadeinBangladesh

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Edited By MadeinBangladesh

WOw after I drop this damn series. now it gets good? -_-

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micah007123

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WOw after I drop this damn series. now it gets good? -_-

I never even picked it up. Didn't think I would be missing out this much.

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CaptainHoopla

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I say it's still Tommy Elliott, but with a likely modified backstory. Either way, I loved the issue, it really caught me off guard.

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ms__omega

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Alfred Noooooooooooooo!!!!

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deactivated-5edd330f57b65

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I believe its Tommy, with a slightly different history, like most new 52 characters. Alfred, when he sees hush, acts as if he has seen him before and is shocked that he's in Wayne manor, leading me to believe at least some parts of hush happened in new 52, or he's at least interacted with batman before. Can't wait to find out more, this series has finally picked up.

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Ran

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I never though I'd pick up batman eternal, but after hearing its like a horror comic now and Hush returning (:D) I'll be picking up a few issues from here on out.

I'd imagine it's still Tommy Elliot except new 52ed in some way.

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NightFang3

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jesus!!! he killed alfred!! or in the very least gave him brain damage!!! that's one incredibly sturdy needle to go through freaking bone!!!

Alfred Noooooooooooooo!!!!

Alfred should get a rise with all crap that happens to him.

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amazing_webhead

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It could be Hush, or it could be the REAL Joker, back to kill his faceless imposter for stealing his life and get his Harley back!

...Or it could be Dr. Death.

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MachoMustachio

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Whats Batman Eternal about, because with all the various Bat books (Batman had three different solo books at one point) I get a little confused.

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RiddlerZeroYear

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@g_man: He most likely interacted with Alfred during Wayne presentations and such.

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DoctorThomasElliot

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And cue the angelic choir.

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lagozzino

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Edited By lagozzino

@machomustachio said:

Whats Batman Eternal about, because with all the various Bat books (Batman had three different solo books at one point) I get a little confused.

Batman Eternal is a 52 issue weekly series following the story of the complete dismantling and takeover of Gotham by parties unknown. (Well, the latest issue supposedly revealed those parties, but considering we've been faked out already before, I wouldn't be surprised if there's another twist) While its got Batman in the title, so far its featured most of the Bat-Family pretty equally.

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deactivated-5edd330f57b65

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@i_dont_like_comics: he probably stuck it through his temple, hole in your skull and leads straight to the brain.

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lagozzino

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I just had the horrible thought that the reason they've reintroduced Julia Pennyworth in this series is because Alfred will be (at the very least) incapacitated by this attack for a while and Julia is being set up as his replacement as Batman's handler.

Nooooooooo writers! Leave poor Alfred alone!

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Autopsad

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It could be Hush, or it could be the REAL Joker, back to kill his faceless imposter for stealing his life and get his Harley back!

...Or it could be Dr. Death.

I thought about the Joker too, this could be a nice way to reintroduce him, but it would take Elliot's character away, so I'm not so sure...

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The Mighty Monarch

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@jayc1324 said:

@i_dont_like_comics: he probably stuck it through his temple, hole in your skull and leads straight to the brain.

If any Batman villain could do something like that without causing permanent damage it would be Hush; he is an extremely talented surgeon, after all.

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RustyRoy

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Dropped this after #10.

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Jphu8414

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Hush is an awesome villain, however, I find it hard to place the Hush storyline in the New 52 timeline so it is definitely a possibility that it is someone entirely different. I still think it is definitely Tommy Elliot though, I mean, they even brought back the Architect from the Gates of Gotham story so it seems to me that they will probably keep characters the same.

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deactivated-5edd330f57b65

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@rustyroy: if you want to pick it back up, you can skip all the way to issue 18 and be fine.

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detective38

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Glad I hung with this series even though it was dragging at first. If thats not tommy then all my excitement is for nothing though

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RustyRoy

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@jayc1324 said:

@rustyroy: if you want to pick it back up, you can skip all the way to issue 18 and be fine.

Thanks.

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Kervan21

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I was happy to see this when I read it last night. Hush is one of the better more recent villains (well, recent for me, as I didn't get back into comics until after TDK in 2008, and read HUSH and HEART OF HUSH). Too fantastic stories, HOH was the peak of Paul Dini's run, and is the type of story that DC should have focused on in the wake of TDK's $1 billion success, rather than letting Morrison remove Bruce Wayne from the comics for two years. Snyder's run is more than making up for that mishap in planning.

Continuity is a state of mind. My guess is that this truly is Tommy Elliot, and that most of his past history with Bruce and the Wayne family is preserved. My bet is that most of the events in HUSH and HOH happened, but probably not the stuff involving Batman revealing his identity to Catwoman (although their relationship was my favorite aspect of both of those stories).

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lifeofvibe

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Edited By lifeofvibe

@g_man: Sigh...ive just been spoiled...

please write "spoiler" somewhere next time...

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The Impersonator

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NOOOOOO!

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entropy_aegis

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Edited By entropy_aegis

Meh Hush sucks and is one of the worst villains ever created.

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bigcimmerian

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For f*** sake stop with this nonsense in Gotham. It's been only 3 years since New 52 began and maybe 2 years in comic book time and Gotham was already attacked by:

1) Monsters from Greek Mythology

2) Sank by Atlanteans

3) Attacked by Red Lanterns

4) Attacked by Leviathan organisation

5) There were already many gang wars

6) Arkham Asylum full scale breakout every few issues

7) Joker killing half of the cops

8) Wrath killing half of the cops and using friggin tanks and aircrafts to attack the city

9) Owls wanted to take the city

10) Arkham Lunatics wanted to take the city

11) Bane with his army wanted to take the city

12) Penguin wanted to take the city

13) Half of Gothamites were transformed to Man-Bats

14) Now another gang war and some demons

15) What else is coming

I know these are comic books, but atleast use your brain when writing comics.

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WarpathLobo92

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i was waiting for this for a long time,and right now,i just have that doubt: who is under hush's mask?

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entropy_aegis

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Edited By entropy_aegis

@bigcimmerian said:

For f*** sake stop with this nonsense in Gotham. It's been only 3 years since New 52 began and maybe 2 years in comic book time and Gotham was already attacked by:

1) Monsters from Greek Mythology

2) Sank by Atlanteans

3) Attacked by Red Lanterns

4) Attacked by Leviathan organisation

5) There were already many gang wars

6) Arkham Asylum full scale breakout every few issues

7) Joker killing half of the cops

8) Wrath killing half of the cops and using friggin tanks and aircrafts to attack the city

9) Owls wanted to take the city

10) Arkham Lunatics wanted to take the city

11) Bane with his army wanted to take the city

12) Penguin wanted to take the city

13) Half of Gothamites were transformed to Man-Bats

14) Now another gang war and some demons

15) What else is coming

I know these are comic books, but atleast use your brain when writing comics.

You forgot Scarecrow gassing the entire city,Riddlers Zero Year plan and Bane turning Arkham inmates in to slaves.

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bigcimmerian

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@entropy_aegis: Yeah, I actually wanted to add Scarecrow gassing the entire city, but forgot from all the other things :D

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@autopsad said:

@amazingwebhead said:

It could be Hush, or it could be the REAL Joker, back to kill his faceless imposter for stealing his life and get his Harley back!

...Or it could be Dr. Death.

I thought about the Joker too, this could be a nice way to reintroduce him, but it would take Elliot's character away, so I'm not so sure...

You never know. It doesn't come up too often, but Joker is actually a master of disguise. He once disguised himself as Batman so well, it fooled Catwoman (of all people).

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asjmooney

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I agree that was a little too personal to be Lincoln. Either way I am loving this book and can't wait to find out who 'mother' is. I just wish Batwoman would get more air time :(

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cobra88king8

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bigcimmerian

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@entropy_aegis: Don't forget vampires trying to take the city for themselves in I, Vampire lol.

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deactivated-5edd330f57b65

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@bigcimmerian: all that stuff is just a regular night's work to batman.

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oldnightcrawler

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For f*** sake stop with this nonsense in Gotham. It's been only 3 years since New 52 began and maybe 2 years in comic book time and Gotham was already attacked by:

  • 1) Monsters from Greek Mythology
  • 2) Sank by Atlanteans
  • 3) Attacked by Red Lanterns
  • 4) Attacked by Leviathan organisation
  • 5) There were already many gang wars
  • 6) Arkham Asylum full scale breakout every few issues
  • 7) Joker killing half of the cops
  • 8) Wrath killing half of the cops and using friggin tanks and aircrafts to attack the city
  • 9) Owls wanted to take the city
  • 10) Arkham Lunatics wanted to take the city
  • 11) Bane with his army wanted to take the city
  • 12) Penguin wanted to take the city
  • 13) Half of Gothamites were transformed to Man-Bats
  • 14) Now another gang war and some demons
  • 15) What else is coming

I know these are comic books, but at least use your brain when writing comics.

hahaha! that's nothing! you should compare that to Marvel's NYC

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bigcimmerian

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@bigcimmerian said:

For f*** sake stop with this nonsense in Gotham. It's been only 3 years since New 52 began and maybe 2 years in comic book time and Gotham was already attacked by:

  • 1) Monsters from Greek Mythology
  • 2) Sank by Atlanteans
  • 3) Attacked by Red Lanterns
  • 4) Attacked by Leviathan organisation
  • 5) There were already many gang wars
  • 6) Arkham Asylum full scale breakout every few issues
  • 7) Joker killing half of the cops
  • 8) Wrath killing half of the cops and using friggin tanks and aircrafts to attack the city
  • 9) Owls wanted to take the city
  • 10) Arkham Lunatics wanted to take the city
  • 11) Bane with his army wanted to take the city
  • 12) Penguin wanted to take the city
  • 13) Half of Gothamites were transformed to Man-Bats
  • 14) Now another gang war and some demons
  • 15) What else is coming

I know these are comic books, but at least use your brain when writing comics.

hahaha! that's nothing! you should compare that to Marvel's NYC

Add to the things I listed, Riddler's Zero Year plan, Bane using Arkham inmates like slaves, Vampires trying to take the city and Scarecrow gassing the entire city lol. Yeah New York from Marvel is probably even more messed up, but it's mostly because the most popular heroes are based in New York :)

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havoc1201

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Edited By havoc1201

@fattytravy: batman didn't kill the joker in the killing joke. Morrison says he did but Alan Moore the man who wrote it says Morrison is an idiot and batman did not kill the joker at the end.

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deactivated-5edd330f57b65

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@havoc1201: I always thought he killed him. That's why the laughter suddenly stopped, and the joke joker told him was "the killing joke"

Maybe Alan Moore doesn't know what he's talking about lol

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havoc1201

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Edited By havoc1201

@jayc1324: the joke was that either of them will kill the other and they will go on like this forever. Alan Moore most of the time doesn't know what he is talking about, mostly bc he is crazy lol, but he did have the inside track on this one, unlike Morrison who believes every interpretation of batman is in canon lol

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lifeofvibe

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StarBrand1

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because of the format for weekly books, they usually take more issues to set the big things up, because there are multiple stories being told. So for anyone dropping a weekly title so early, its kind of foolish because by now you should know they always take a bit to pick up. but when they do they get reallllly good. Eternal and futures end are fine testimants to that. Both bored me to death but this past month they have gotten realllllllllllly good.

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batcat91

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The article makes some valid points and astute observations about Hush. While it is probably Tommy Elliot he'll probably be a bit different from pre-52 Hush. While I'm excited that Hush makes his appearance I probably would have been more pumped up if the new 52 never happened. Hush and Heart of Hush have been retconned, and as a result Hush as a threatening and dangerous villain is a bit diminished and makes his appearance slightly underwhelming for me.

They'll probably add some backstory to show he's a capable threat but I really doubt it's gonna be as good as what Dini did with Elliot in Heart of Hush. Mr Freeze and Dent's new 52 origin was unnecessary and I feel an inferior version of the previous origin pre 52

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