Storyline: Heart of Hush: First Families of Gotham (Part 1 of 5)
Date: July 9, 2008
Price: $2.99
Writer: Paul Dini
Artists: Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs

Synopsis: A “Batman: R.I.P.” issue - and part 1 of the 5-part story “The Return of Hush!”

Readers who were surprised by Catwoman’s return last month haven’t see anything yet as Hush makes a dramatic return to the life of Batman. What will this mean for Bruce Wayne? This epic story kicks off the countdown to DETECTIVE #850!

Opinion: I’m such a big fan of Hush. Batman: Hush is one of my favorite story arcs ever. Jim Lee’s pencils were amazing as always, the coloring was gorgeous, and the writing by Jeph Loeb was superb—leaving no loose plot threads, an admirable feat for a story involving so many characters. (But if anyone could do it, Jeph Loeb could.)

This time around we have the great Paul Dini writing the first Detective Comic tie-in to Batman “RIP”; the art by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs is fantastic, as well. Even though this comic has some weak spots, it makes up for it in many other areas. If you’ve never had any exposure to Hush, then this is a great comic to get you started—and if you’re already a fan like me, you’ll find new gems in this one.

Read the full review after the jump!

The comic starts off with the lesson from The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which is … random, heh, even though it fits the first bad guy: Doctor Aesop. As in Aesop, the guy who wrote fables like that one.

But despite the initial weird note, things really started to pick up. At first I thought the guy running away from Aesop and his wolves was just some thug. But when I saw the grappling hook and then Catwoman coming to save the day, it was revealed that it was actually Bruce Wayne aka Batman in disguise as “Lefty Knox”—an alias like Matches Malone (see Gotham Underground).

A few panels later we’re taken inside the mind of Hush himself through narration. Now, although this actually subtracts a little from the dark mystery and viciousness of the character I loved so much in Batman: Hush, it pays off when it links back up with that Jeph Loeb story arc while simultaneously feeding us a cool origin story. So not only is it a nice introduction or a refresher (telling the story of Bruce and Thomas Elliot’s childhood friendship—turned betrayal in Hush’s mind—in a new way from the perspective of Hush), but it also gives those already familiar with the villain a nice reward. All I can say is … holy crap, no wonder Hush is so messed up. But I guess he was a little nuts before that, anyway.

Despite anything the narration aspect might cause the character to lose, the creepiness and obsession are still as prominent as ever in Hush. And while Jim Lee might not be holding the pen here, Nguyen and Fridolfs make their art very reminiscent of Batman: Hush—which is very cool and very respectful.

Man, I really want to know what this guy is up to. You never know with Hush.

All in all, this is an awesome comic. Definitely check it out! I can’t wait for Part Two next month!

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