Wonderfully crafted, visually stunning opening to "Hush"
It's hard to believe that it's been almost 9 years since Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee brought us the 12 issue "Hush" story arc on the pages of Batman. I, like many others, love this run but haven't read it in a while. So I decided to pull out all 12 issues, give it a read, and see how it holds up.
Loeb's story starts with issue # 608 and it gives us a small taste of what's to come. Batman is racing against the proverbial clock in an effort to rescue a kidnapped young boy. Loeb puts together an action-fueled issue laced with enough mystery to give it a slight detective book feel. Batman has two key encounters with prominent members of his rogue gallery but immediately notices inconsistencies with them. This will turn out to be a reoccurring theme throughout the series. Loeb's story moves at a crisp, fluid, action-packed pace and is generally a lot of fun. The only part that didn't work well for me was the ending. We're introduced to a third well known Batman villain, and while I enjoyed the inclusion, it's a rather uneventful "cliffhanger" with some pretty off the wall dialogue.
Jim Lee's art was what really drew me to the "Hush". Loeb gives him a lot of room to play in this issue and Lee shines. His character depictions are fantastic, his sharp attention to detail resonates on every panel, and his action panels and layouts have an amazing, almost cinematic look to them. I was sold after the very first panel where Batman is simply picking a lock. All we see are his hands but the detail and design is spot on. Scott Williams also deserves a lot of credit for his great inks. He and Lee combine for a thrilling visual presentation and artwork that I can look at and admire over and over.
Yes, Batman #608 launches the "Hush" story arc just as effectively as it did nearly 9 years ago. Loeb's story may not end on the strongest note, but everything else is rock solid storytelling and a good setup for what's to come. Lee's pencils are simply amazing and Loeb is smartly writing to Lee's strengths. That's a recipe for a good creative team and we see what they can do in this issue.
