Whilst the H2SH arc may feel a little sluggish, Batman #161 is an excellent example of Loeb and Lee working in great harmony to create something magical. Whilst the artwork is by far this book's selling point, Loeb is really beginning to put the pieces together to show the slow burn is worth the investment of your time. Read Full Review

Batman #161 delivers a bold, dramatic shift in the H2SH saga. The Damian-Bane alliance sparks rich conflict and family fallout, but its impact hinges on whether this issue balances intense dialogue with its action. If executed well, it could redefine core relationships across the Batfamilybut itll need more than explosions to leave a lasting mark. Will Damian's alliance with Bane be permanentor just a grim necessity? How will Batman reconcile being saved by his son and his enemy? Can this emotionally charged moment anchor the next phase of H2SHor will it become overshadowed by plot mechanics? You'll have to read the issue for yourself to find out! Read Full Review

Batman #161 is a worthy addition to the H2USH saga. It eschews any huge plot developments but manages to get under the proverbial hood of the the characters and their relationships. With a final panel that promises much in terms of Batman having a mutiny on his hands, it could be leading to our hero finding himself in a very dark place in #162. Hush's endgame appears to be based on separating Batman from his nearest and dearest and I look forward to seeing where it ends. Read Full Review

Batman #161 delivers classic visuals and a tense continuation of the Hush sequel, but some questionable character decisions and limited plot development hold it back from greatness. Read Full Review

Batman #161 certainly delivers on its visual promise thanks to Jim Lee's consistently strong artistry. However, Jeph Loeb's narrative feels a bit lacking in depth compared to recent Batman comic showings. The repetitive plotlines, questionable character decisions (especially with Damian and Bane), and underdeveloped mystery surrounding Hush ultimately hinder the story. While the action is solid and the art is fantastic, the narrative's reliance on familiar conflicts without offering a fresh perspective leaves something to be desired. Read Full Review

The spotlight shines bright when Batgirl takes the lead. Outside of the emotional impact added there, the story still struggles with certain character involvement. Lees art is as steady as ever. Unless theres a great deal of dream sequences to explain, H2SH has many unanswered questions at hand that hamper the sequels foundation. Read Full Review

Batman #161breaks past the series' publishing delays with non-stop motion, the book spiraling through its action set pieces with poor planning and sauceless execution. At this point, DC might as well kickstart the book's next era as a this team sluggishly begins to cross the finish line at a pace of pure leisure. Read Full Review

Batman #161 stumbles hard under the weight of its own ambition. There's intrigue, there's action, and there's gorgeous Gotham noir in the artwork, but it's all riddled with bizarre character breaks and plot leaps that rob the story of credibility. If this issue were a chess match, it's one where every piece forgets how it moves. 5.5/10 Read Full Review

Batman #161 yet again fails to live up to the expectations that were set when H2SH was announced. Jeph Loeb makes way too many leaps with the plot and character choices, including writing characters in his voice as the writer. Not even Jim Lee's artwork can help mask the obvious problems this storyline has. Which leads to H2SH going four out four in disappointing chapters thus far. Read Full Review

If the first Hush story was a showcase to introduce all the characters in Gotham to new readers, H2SH is shaping up to be an demonstration of why you should hate them. It dredges up old drama settled decades ago coupled with nonsensical character behavior in order to manufacture a reason why they would all turn against one another. All of this in service of a plot where the Bat Family once again fights in a sort of civil war, but this time it's all being orchestrated by Hush, who we know is a genius mastermind because they keep telling us so. Read Full Review

I will only say this once. Gabe Hernandez is right.

Loeb is one of my all time favourite DC writers.

This is a disaster. The character work is full of contradictions. It's place in continuity is a mind f***. Jeph, what has happened to you?

This story gets worse with each chapter and is a colossal disappointment by all involved except maybe the colorist and the letterer. As others have pointed out, there are massive contradictions with recent continuity, most of the Bat-family is out of character from recent portrayals, and Batman himself in this issue is completely ineffectual. Nothing he does here matters. Robin saves him and then Batgirl saves his sorry ass before handing him a beat down. He also walks straight into a trap he should’ve been prepared for. His narration is annoying and detracts from the story. The art is a shadow of Jim Lee’s previous work. What a mess!

I feel like I am not this often confused by comics.

But seriously. WTF is going on. Who is this for???

Loeb is a genius, I'll give you that. It takes real talent to make everything feel messy, rushed and too slow at the same time.

I am convinced they are making this awful on purpose to make Fraction's book look genius.

At least Jim Lees art is decent. Loeb still proving he’s not read a Batman comic since he’s left or he’s just hoping the reader hasn’t. Everything in this book has either been addressed better prior or is just included for no reason. Why was Bane in this?…..

Lots of stuff goes on but nothing happens. Despite having Bane, Bats and Robin fighting against him, Hush gets away. So he’s in Mary Sue territory. Also Robin recruits Bane despite the fact that Bane killed Alfred to punish Robin. Not cool Damian. Bats also knocks out Bane with one punch. Since when could he do that.

We see Barb mad at Bats and attacks him with invisibilty tech, but i am not convinced of her motives. The whole Joker bit has been done to death. And we have not been shown why the Riddler is working with Bat family. The Hush 2 story arc is only six issues long and we are four issues into it. Yet the story hasn’t gone anywhere. Motives haven’t been established and stakes haven’t been determined. I suspect that means there will be a lot of tell and no show in the last two issues.

Overall, this a poorly plotted story that contradicts 20 years of story. Characters act out of character.

A poor issue. Or I could be wrong. more

Another Batman arc who's premise seems to be: what if we got characters to act like idiot versions of themselves and fight?!

What in the world possessed DC to bring back a talentless hack like Jeph Loeb? What editor looks at this dialogue/inner monologue pairing and says to themselves "Yeah, that's pretty good"?

Matt Fraction can't get here soon enough

I can wait for this.