READING THE CLASSICS: BATMAN #616

 Published on June 25th, 2003

    It's pretty crazy that the sequel to this storyline didn't come out until this year. It was popular and a big hit when it came out in 2003. You would think they would want to do a sequel pretty soon after it came out, not 22 years later. And nobody is talking about "Hush 2." The books everyone seems to be talking about these days are the Absolute books from DC and the Ultimate books from Marvel. They're the same thing: alternate universe books. It is kind of amusing that the most popular books from both companies are set in alternate universes. That tells you something about how great the regular books are. 

    While "Hush" is entertaining and pretty to look at, the big problem is that it's so scattershot. Every issue seems to just be showcasing one of Batman's villains, so there's no real cohesion to the story. This issue features Ras Al Ghul and Talia Al Ghul. Batman knows that someone is manipulating everything around him and decides that it's probably Ras Al Ghul since he's rich. Okay. To get to Ras Al Ghul, Batman kidnaps his daughter, Talia. While Batman goes to find Ras, Catwoman keeps an eye on Talia but ends up getting beaten up by Talia's assassin, Lady Shiva. Meanwhile, Harvey Dent shows up in Jim Gordon's bedroom to let him know that he's not Two-Face anymore and he's a good guy now. I mean...way to showcase that you're a good guy...showing up in a dude's bedroom when he's asleep. 

    This is one of the weaker issues of this storyline. While Hush is obviously pretending to be Harvey Dent, we're not supposed to know that yet. And this is part 9 of 12. I feel like we're going to end up with a rushed conclusion since the whole mystery behind Hush hasn't even really been hinted at yet. Oh, well. *1/2

READING THE CLASSICS: BATMAN #615

Published on May 28th, 2003

    Tommy Elliot's funeral opens this issue. As usual, since this storyline is basically Batman's greatest hits, The Riddler shows up. The Riddler's riddle is this: "What is it that has four wheels, costs eleven million dollars, and flies?" The answer is a solid gold garbage truck. First off, that's not a riddle. There's no such thing as a solid gold garbage truck. Also, the way it's written makes it seem like the object is flying, not that it has flies around it. Not that I care, since it's just a stupid comic book, but isn't The Riddler supposed to be the master of riddles? Anyway, the end of this issue also makes little sense. Hush, who's had his head wrapped in bandages throughout the storyline, shows up in The Joker's cell at Arkham (The Joker was arrested for Tommy Elliot's murder). Hush takes off his bandages to reveal that he's Two-Face, but that he's had plastic surgery and is back to just being Harvey Dent. Huh? The big reveal is that Hush is Two-Face? I'm guessing the final issue is going to have Hush just laying out an entire bad-guy revelation while Batman just stands there. The end of the issue also has Batman revealing to Catwoman that he's Bruce Wayne. That seems like it should be a big deal. Is it, though? I kind of thought Tom King's big Bat/Cat deal was something novel at the time, but it turns out it was just another re-hash of bygones. The big takeaway from this issue and this storyline is that, while it's not exactly great, it is entertaining. While I love Scott Snyder's Absolute Batman, which is one of the best comic books being published these days, the actual main Batman book hasn't been very entertaining in a long time. Jim Lee's art in this issue is great as usual but the last three pages look rushed and sloppy. **1/2 

READING THE CLASSICS: BATMAN #614

 

Published on April 30th, 2003

    The cover to this issue is pretty cool. It has Batman choking The Joker in close-up. There isn't much to this issue, though. In the last issue, Batman arrives in an alley to find a dead Thomas Elliot and The Joker with a gun. Assuming The Joker killed Thomas, Bruce's childhood friend, Batman decides to finally kill The Joker after reminiscing about all of the dastardly things The Joker has done. Catwoman attempts to stop Batman, then Gordon, who isn't a cop anymore but still running around with a gun, does stop Batman. Some of the flashback panels are drawn in different styles. There's a few watercolor painted ones and then one that's just a sketch without final colors. At the end of the issue, Hush reveals that The Joker is, in fact, innocent. The final sequence has both Hush, who's standing atop a building, and Thomas Elliot's dead body in the alley in the same frame. That means that Elliot isn't Hush! Or, at least, that's what they want you to think. What...is his dead body a dummy or something absurd? Harley Quinn is also in this issue, swinging a giant, cartoon size mallet at Batman. Harley is really comical in this book. I suppose she's always been like that in the comics, which, to me, plays better in a cartoon, where she was first created. I'm not sure there's been a darker, better version of Harley in a comic book. It's always this dumb, zany, comedic version that's oft-putting. Isn't she supposed to be this regular woman turned murderer? Why is she comedic? It's really too bad Alan Moore never wrote a Batman book with Harley in it. He's probably one of the few that could've cracked the code. And this issue is pretty thin in the grand scheme of things. I guess at this point I'm just waiting for the big finale to finally come. *1/2