The Darkest of Shadows

I read Batman: Hush for the first time about three years ago. I have always been a fan of Jim Lee, and even though I like Batman, I have never really followed his ongoing comic book series. Still, I bought Hush, read it, and enjoyed.

Flash forward to February 2008. I found myself staring at my comic book shelf, wondering what I could read, and then I noticed Hush. I remembered it was good, so I decided to read it again, and prepared myself to be disappointed. But it didn't quite happen like that --it was as good as I remembered. As a matter of fact, it was much better than I remembered. So good, in fact, that I am seriously considering getting Absolute Hush, an oversized hardcover edition of the book with a sketchbook and commentary from the creators.

In Hush, Batman is once again the world's greatest detective. He is trying to solve a mystery which leads to yet another mystery, and another one, and one more. At the same time, most everybody in Batman's rogue gallery shows up, and the reader keeps wondering who is responsible for what's going on.

So the story by Jeph Loeb is good, alright, but what about the artwork? Well, I think it might be fair to say that Hush is Jim Lee's masterpiece. The page composition is great, his panel-to-panel narrative is fantastic, his lights and shadows are phenomenal, and his figure work is out of this world. Batman looks menacing; Catwoman looks überhot (said hotness only surpassed by Huntress's); the Joker looks deranged; and Harley Queen looks wacky and super cute. The backgrounds and cityscapes are detailed. The flashback sequences completely done in watercolors are strikingly beautiful. The technology looks both impossible and realistic. Everything in this book is gorgeous. This is Jim Lee at the top of his game.

You might have gathered by now that Hush is the perfect comic book. Just like Danger Girl, Sky Doll, or Revelations, the perfect marriage of a great story and superb artwork create an incredible book that everybody should read if they have never read it, or reread if you already have. Thank you Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee for creating such an amazing piece of work.