Batman: Hush, Volume 1 by Jim Lee, Jeph Loeb, Scott Williams

From the Publisher

From Jeph Loeb, the author of Batman: Dark Victory (1563898683) and Jim Lee, the founder of Wildstorm Comics. Old friends and enemies find themselves thrown together in a murderous plot hatched by Poison Ivy. What is she plotting? No one quite knows, but by manipulating both Batman and his enemies Killer Croc and Catwoman tensions are high and no one is to be trusted in Gotham City tonight!

Publishers Weekly

By now, DC characters have become a kind of repertory company. The trick, for comics creators, is to find roles for them that both exploit their trustworthy familiarity and give them surprising things to do. Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween) does his bit by supplying a rapidly unfolding plot in which caped crime fighter Batman battles Killer Croc and Poison Ivy. Simultaneously, he's pursuing and lusting after the lusciously amoral Catwoman, whom he teams with in a rousing (though improbably evenly matched) brawl with Superman. Other familiar characters make cameo appearances throughout. But Batman is actually following someone else's script; a mysterious, bandage-swathed observer is toying with him and the others. Readers can guess who this master manipulator is, but the real puzzle is what kind of game he's playing. Loeb is especially talented at underwriting, not crowding the page full of long explanations and snappy patter; after all, readers have known these characters for years. Penciler Lee and inker Williams also know not to overwhelm the action with fussy details: their large panels give plenty of room to let angular, sweeping lines collide in striking designs. It's beautiful stuff. Catwoman has rarely looked so seductive, nor has Batman's heroic but fearsome image often been used so well. This volume-a collection of the first five installments of a 12-part serial-doesn't achieve much emotional closure. Nor does it transform the characters, but that would be unlikely anyway. What it does do is make readers look at Batman and his colleagues with a fresh, enthusiastic eye. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Lisa Martincik - VOYA

Batman breaks into a building to rescue a kidnapped boy being held for ransom and encounters his old foe, Killer Croc. During the battle, Catwoman appears and absconds with the cash. When he follows her across Gotham's rooftops, Batman falls victim to old masonry and is seriously injured. While Catwoman delivers the money to Poison Ivy, another longtime Gotham villain, Batman is rescued by the vigilante Huntress and meets a childhood friend. Batman and Catwoman pursue Poison Ivy, who has used Catwoman and Killer Croc to her own ends, to Metropolis, home of Superman. When Ivy uses her plant chemicals to take over Superman's mind, Batman must fight his friend and teammate. The initial volume of the Hush series collects the first five issues of this popular story arc. This story marked the return of fan-favorite Jim Lee to art duties on a monthly comic and created a fresh burst of popularity for the Batman title. Writer Loeb focuses on the basics, pulling in a host of characters familiar to fans and introducing a convenient childhood friend as a plot device. His Batman is rather simplistic in motive, good at fighting but awkward about his feelings for Catwoman, and some readers might wish for a more sophisticated tale befitting the man labeled "The World's Greatest Detective." On the other hand, it is fairly accessible to new readers, and many fans will appreciate it for the art alone. Lee's men are chiseled, and his women are buxom, although generally not to a grotesque degree. VOYA Codes: 3Q 5P J S A/YA G (Readable without serious defects; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and YoungAdult~G). 2003, DC Comics, G128p,

Library Journal

When DC announced that Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween; Superman for All Seasons) and Lee (a founder of Image Comics, known for his work on Marvel's X-Men) would be teaming up on the regular monthly Batman comic, the resultant excitement among fans shot the book up to No. 1 in sales at U.S. comics shops. Now this volume collects Loeb and Lee's first five issues. Batman is critically injured after saving a kidnapping victim and needs the help of his allies, both to survive and to search for the villain behind the affair. Loeb's story is a cut below his other Batman work but makes good use of Batman's comrades, including the Huntress, Oracle, Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, and Superman, plus a new character, Bruce's childhood friend Thomas Elliot. Most intriguingly of all, relations between Batman and a (semi-) reformed Catwoman heat up. Lee's pencils, inked by Scott Williams, are detailed, realistic, and dynamic; sexy women contrast with effective monochromatic flashbacks to Bruce Wayne's youth. The book also includes a previously unpublished two-page recounting of Batman's origin. Sure to be in demand, this book is recommended for all libraries, for teens and adults. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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