Batman #158

This is a strong start, although I don't know if it has the same immediate hook that many of the best Bat-runs in recent years have had. Read Full Review

Overall, Batman #158 is a highly anticipated release that has the potential to be a defining moment for the character. The return of Jeph Loeb and Hush, combined with the potential for Jim Lee's artwork, creates a potent combination. Fans of the original “Hush” storyline and those eager for a new epic Batman saga should keep a close eye on this issue. Read Full Review

Loeb and Lee return to Gotham City with a superb debut installment. Loebs writing constructs a layered chess match. Lee, Williams and Sinclair put on an incredible display of storytelling with their art. It covers up some of the foretelling plots. Readers will have much to discuss with this chapter. Read Full Review

Loeb does a decent job of using Batman 158 to kick off the story. Hopefully as it develops Hush 2 will have some unexpected wrinkles and twists beyond the safe route of providing Lee with plenty of characters to draw from that he didn't get a crack at previously. Read Full Review

Batman #158 delivers a thrilling, well-crafted start to Hush 2, with Jim Lee's art shining as a major highlight. The story sets the stage for deeper mysteries, compelling action, and Batman's ongoing moral struggles. However, Hush's presence is minimal, making this feel more like a Joker-focused issue than a true sequel at least for now. Read Full Review

It's difficult not to get caught up in the excitement of Loeb and Lee putting the band back together. But Batman #158 is undoubtedly a solid first chapter which goes a long way to justifying the two-decade long wait for more Hush storytelling. Read Full Review

Batman #158aka H2USH, is a very appealing, solid start to this limited run. It will be interesting to see if the period setting remains the status quo. Or whether we are brought back into the present timeline. Either way It does feel as though we are going to experience a chain of events that will frame where Batman goes when this era is done. Hush is here, he's in Batman's head and is willing to go through anybody to accomplish his goals, whether they be good or evil. One of the best Bat-villains ever, I cannot wait to see where it goes from here. Read Full Review

Hush 2 doesn't need to be a thing two decades after the original, but we've got some consummate comic book creative team producing an entertaining Batman adventure. What's not to like? Read Full Review

The opening chapter of H2SH is almost a direct continuation of the visuals, storytelling, and tone of the original Hush over twenty years ago, for better or worse. From the cavalcade of character introductions to the mystery plot stringing them all together, fans of the original should feel right at home, while critics might not find enough has changed to win them over. So far there is little information as to what Hush's new plan might be, but the story goes to great lengths to try and (re)establish him as a credible threat. Read Full Review

Batman #158 isn't a bad issue. It's entertaining and might lead to something great overall, but as a single issue, it falls short of the excitement and magic of that original release. Logic leaps along with art that doesn't quite blow things away creates a start that's just ok overall. In the end, this story arc will be measured by its whole but for a start, this one doesn't live up to expectations or hype. Read Full Review

Batman #158is a back-to-basic Batman tale with stupendous art but a lackluster story. Jeph Loeb's script has all the right pieces, but it reads more like a clunky checklist than an engaging narrative. However, Jim Lee's Batman art can't be topped, so pull it for the visuals, but adjust your expectations for the story. Read Full Review

Batman #158 marks the return of the Hush storyline with a reunion of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, delivering classic artwork and setting up a mystery for Batman. Despite a familiar plot, the standout elements of this debut issue were undoubtedly Jim Lee's iconic artwork, Richard Starkings' vintage lettering, and Alex Sinclair's vibrant colors. While these highlights intrigued me, the overall package didn't win me over. Read Full Review

Batman #158 is a perfect encapsulation of the Caped Crusaders greatest struggle in the last few years as even one of the most influential writers on the character cannot escape the shadow of history. Pair that with technically sound but seemingly rushed visuals, and you have a sequel to one of DC's highest selling graphic novels that fails to live up to anything other than short-term sales numbers. Read Full Review

Batman Issue 158 is more than just a reunion tour. The old band is back together, and the comic combines those talents again. But the story itself feels new and improved. The story isnt just Batman: Hush retold, its Batman: Hush evolved. Read Full Review

Ultimately, Batman #158 is okay. If you really liked the first Hush story, youre probably going to like this. Lees art also never disappoints. But this does in many ways just feel like a symptom of something larger with comics and with DC specifically: the need to revisit iconic and classic stories to over-capitalize on nostalgia in a way that really only offers up diminishing returns. Its just one issue, and future chapters could shift a lot of things, but just from here it doesnt feel like were going to be breaking any new ground and if readers really want to retread the Tommy Elliot story, the first one was a masterpiece all on its own. A follow up wasnt necessary. Read Full Review

In the end, there is little to recommend in this first chapter of Hush 2. The story and art are not bad, but there is little rhyme or reason to the visuals or story so far. It's possible this may pull together to be more than the sum of its parts, but it is still a far cry from the original. Read Full Review

Batman #158 is not the exciting kickoff to the Hush sequel that was expected. Jeph Loeb's writing is so stuck in the past that he goes with the most basic approach with how characters are presented. This comic book reads like Loeb is letting his name and the fact this is a sequel to a iconic story to carry narrative. This lack of refinement in the writing impacts even Jim Lee's artwork that is not as detailed or dynamic as it has been. With so many quality comics right now, both within the DC Universe and Absolute Universe, this Hush sequel fails to present itself as the premiere story all Batman fans should be reading. Read Full Review

One of the most iconic teams in comics has returned, but this first issue doesn't feel like a story either was burning to tell. It feels tired, like they're going through the motions. Here's hoping it's just a slow start. Read Full Review

mego-joe

Mar 26, 2025

Wow. Sometimes feeling like you’ve gone back in time when reading a comic is good. While some are hoping that Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s return to the pages of Batman for a sequel to their seminal “Hush” storyline will be a return to great comics of 20 years ago, it actually does more than that. This comic manages to grab the feel of Batman comics from even further back to the Bronze Age. There’s some Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams here as well as Gerry Conway, Len Wein, Jim Aparo, Don Newton and Doug Moench. This is a great start to a storyline and while it references recent status quo that has happened since the original Hush story, it blends it into the classic much more effectively than Batman or Detective Comics has in a wh ile. There’s no B.S. in this issue. It’s just great comics. There’s Batman as detective in this issue, the Bat-family is firmly in play, and Loeb has an angle on the Joker that’s certainly not seen often. Jim Lee is doing some great work in this issue, he’s never been a favorite, but his storytelling is quite good here. This is going to be a special storyline and I believe it will live up to hype and expectations. Don’t be surprised if Batman surpasses Absolute Batman as the sales juggernaut for DC! more

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NerdDadBrad - Mar 26, 2025

Pretty spot on with your review, I'll be reading this on my podcast LunchBreak Reviews

motorik - Mar 26, 2025

I dig your positivity here. I hope I end up where you're at with it.

mego-joe - Mar 26, 2025

@motorik I enjoyed it. It seems to be “not different enough” for some. I was drawn in by the classic feel.

ComicsGild

Mar 28, 2025

At first glance, I was blown away by Scott Williams' colouring, wow, it’s just insanely good. And Jim Lee's artwork? As good as it gets. Sure, some might argue his best days are behind him, but honestly, it looks fantastic to me. Did you see how Talia is portrayed? Stunning. As the story unfolds, I found myself completely drawn in by the panels and the narrative. It really pulls you in, but before you know it, it ends with a message we already knew before even reading the book. Ending on such a predictable note doesn’t feel very satisfying, but overall, I’m excited to see where this story is heading next.

This Isn't An Argument

Mar 31, 2025

Hush, along with its ostensibly Purloined Letter and Final Problem pastiche (I not-so-coincidentally acquired the Strand issue later in life), temporarily revived my 1990s comic book reading. I haven't read Jeph Loeb's stories since 2005, when his son died. I did read about allegations of anti-Asian racism during the casting of Daredevil's second season. My most pressing concern with Hush 2 is the necessarily absent transition from "great! showcase for Homage/Wildstorm's take on Batman" to "wait, there's a story, with a number of installment scripts that dare to overtake the initial showcase impetus", which made Hush 1 into a Batman mainstay. Despite the not-so-novel-but-still-cool allusions to Reichenbachfälle, I wasn't thrilled w ith the second half of Hush's final act and still can't fully reconcile myself to Tommy as Hush (where did my girl Gilda's last-splash-page reveal go?), but I recall reading said final act more for Loeb's conclusion than Team Lee's art. Despite the "H" on the Hush suit, the random contribution by the Riddler (which made him Hush in other versions?), and "everything but" indicating Tommy as the mastermind, the arc still did not disappoint. The "gimmicky" criticism plagued Hush 1 throughout its course, especially when the first act didn't really go anywhere (except for the cut rope, money, etc.), so I would sit tight...with the preceding caveat in mind. P.S. Oh wait, spoiler-less Batman 158 review: A surfeit of Copper Age Batman homages, quotes, and continuities, from Year One to the Killing Joke to Hush 1. Talia al Ghul shows up and talks about their son (apparently this iteration of the laughing fish are from her son's own 2013-14 limited series). Dick Grayson makes a facetious aside about the number of Robins, Batgirls, etc., in present Hush 2 vs. past Hush 1. I took it that the author and I are on same page about revisiting, or at least increasing those respect decibels for, 1980s editorial reasons for Crisis on Infinite Earths (except for Supergirl and that dog, of course). The bandaged mastermind typically speaks softly and carries big torturing devices. Hmmm...I think that sums it up. more

BatSledge

Mar 25, 2025

This eagerly-anticipated sequel grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go in this first chapter. I did find that Batman got taken out a little too easily at the start, mainly because the plot required this to happen. Also, Talia makes a very random appearance and then disappears, again because the plot required someone to help the Caped Crusader. The art is great, but not Jim Lee’s best compared to his prime. These are all relatively minor annoyances, meaning don’t think about things too hard, in what is otherwise a great first chapter that tops the last 3 years of Zdarsky’s work. It’s nice to have the band back together!

NerdDadBrad

Mar 26, 2025

Let's start this out by saying that the standards are pretty high going into Hush2. If that's fair or not, IDGF, it is what it is, and I can't help it. HUSH is probably one of the best Batman stories that has been told. The story is just starting, so I can't really fault much, about that. I had a hard time following the panels in different parts of this book. This is why I rated it an 8. The art was good, I loved the look of Batman, but lets be honest, Jim Lee isn't going to disappoint. I'll be in for the long haul on this one. It has all the things you want in a Batman book, the BatFam. No spoilers, go buy it! Check out Lunchbreak Reviews to hear this and other reviews in audio format, and reach out if you want to be part of the s how! more

motorik

Mar 26, 2025

I am a huge Jeph Loeb fan. This underwhelmed. I re-read the original Hush to prep for this. It's a masterclass in comic book writing. Although, truth be told, it takes a bit for everything to click. As such, I have faith this will increase in quality. I'm not going to write it off in 1 volume like an inflammatory child with an agenda against the writer.

sawright20

Mar 27, 2025

If someone told me this was written and drawn in 2005 I wouldn’t bat an eye. It’s fine. Jim Lee’s art is dated but I don’t think that style has aged poorly. The writing just feels uninspired right now.

Hex

Mar 26, 2025

Like most artists past their prime, Jim Lee recycles his older dynamic poses and iconic set pieces to mixed results. I won't say it looks bad but it's definitely derivative of his own earlier work and it stands out. Loeb's writing is much the same. This is definitely post Loeb peak. He's harder, his stories darker in tone, vocabulary and scope. He went through trauma. It makes sense. What doesn't is this story's existence. I'm happy to read more Batman but this story should have been written 20 years ago. This came out of nowhere. One thing stuck out to me very specifically and I think it is very telling about Loeb's approach to storytelling and his perception of Batman. I don't think he has a lot of reverence for him which isn't a horri ble thing. You don't have to worship a character and keep every part of their core tenets uniform forever, that's how characters change. But here, in the first two pages Batman kicks the mask off of a Joker henchmen, activating some form of Joker toxin/acid killing him. After yelling at their corpse asking where the Joker is Batman immediately turns around and kick the mask off of the other goon, again killing him. That's not even plausible deniability of murder or manslaughter on the second guy. Come on man. The first I can let slide. In the moment, he wouldn't know but considering that he's the world's greatest detective and this is once again somewhat of a detective story, he would easily be able to deduce that kicking the mask off of the second guy would result in the same reaction as the first one! Overall, I do like this. I takes me back to a Batman that I've been missing for a long time but unlike some people, I would rather just read the old stuff than beg for what is new to be old again to eternally be disappointed or to actually get their wish and have two men who have really no business creating a sequel to a book 23 years later. It's well drawn. For Jim Lee, it's a bit disappointing. It's fairly well written. For Jeph Loeb it's disappointing. In total it's derivative and unnecessary. One final note, I'm calling it now, this isn't about Hush. It's about Jason. They're going to make him a villain again. more

myconius

Apr 09, 2025

I can't rally say that I enjoyed my first read-through of this issue. But morbid curiosity got the better of me and I gave it another go. I have to say that while there was still a lot of bad to this issue (corny writing, rushed under-cooked art) it's still much better than a lot of the stuff being produced for the main "BATMAN" series since (DC REBIRTH). This is not a story that I'm going to look for in a deluxe hardcover (and I certainly WILL NOT buy it in Absolute either) this will probably be pretty decent once it comes out in Trade Paperback. This definitely reads like a cash grab. It does not feel remotely inspired. More like someone at DC reached out to Jeph Loeb and said "HEY, JEPH! WE'RE ALL OUT OF IDEAS! WE NEED A SEQUEL TO HUS H! JIM LEE IS STANDING BY!" The biggest offense of this comic is both Batman and Joker each get nerfed SO frikken badly! The best thing that I can say about this comic is, it finally put an end to Chippy Zdarsky's crappy Batman run once and for all!!! more

Simon DelMonte

Apr 25, 2025

Isn't it sad that this run of the mill comic is a breath of fresk air after years of mediocre Batman stories on the flagship title.

Kenjamin

May 03, 2025

Art: 3.5/5 Story: 3/5 Total: 6.5/10

daspidaboy

Mar 26, 2025

This is very much a clear cash grab. I have never been a fan of Jeph Loeb given his racist comments toward Asian (as I am Vietnamese). However I do respect and admire that Jeph Loeb is a good writer. He has written out Batman bangers like Batman The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and I even like his current series The Last Halloween. Like that final part of his Long Halloween trilogy is actually great and got me hooked. So it's pretty clear on the difference between H2sh, and The Last Halloween. I feel that The Last Halloween is a story that Jeph Loeb really wants to write and tell, and that story's writing is elevated and stands out. H2sh is clearly DC paying Jeph Loeb to be a placeholder until Matt Fraction arrives, so the characterizat ion reminds me a lot of All Star Batman and Robin. Batman kicks a joker goon in the face which literally kills him, yet he tells that corpse "Talk." The way Nightwing, Batgirl, Joker speak are reminiscent of Pre-Flashpoint, not New 52 and onward. Jim Lee's art is serviceable. It stands out a lot compared to modern artists because Jim Lee is of course a legend. But he is way past his prime, the man is 60 years old. He has a lot on his plate, so it's clear that his art is just copy and paste of his other works. Again, it's not bad. But it's just mid and serviceable. And I want to repeat, that I think Jeph Loeb has written out influential and great pieces. He is a GREAT writer that I do acknowledge that. His run on Superman, Batman/Superman, Fallen Son: Death of Captain America, Captain America white, Daredevil Yellow, Spider-Man Blue, Hulk Gray, Superman for all seasons, X-Force, Wolverine are genuinely great. But I do not have high hopes for this. Thank you for my ted talk more

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myconius - Apr 11, 2025

This issue was so disappointing. The original hush story doesn’t hold up as well as when it first came out. It was Jim Lee‘s mega debut drawing Batman. This just feels like it was done to promote the Batman. Hush, simile issues as well as the much awaited re-release of the absolute Batman hush hardcover. And that is coming out not a moment too soon. I had originally had two copies of the original absolute hush. But at the time due to being in a bad financial place sold them.

myconius - Apr 11, 2025

The only good that has come from this terrible cash grab is DC finally rereleasing Absolute Batman Hush once again. Other than that, I foresee this story falling by the wayside. Matt fraction is taking over Batman? Uh-oh!

Richardinho

Mar 25, 2025

as much as Chip Zdarsky run on Batman was somewhat underwhelming at times, I was still disappointed when I found out it was going to end to make way for what I expected to be nothing more than a cash grab, devoid of artistic inspiration. sadly, this has turned out to be the case. Lee's work is still impressive, but he's clearly just going through the motions at this point. his work has acquired what I can only describe as an "academic" quality: technically brilliant but creatively void. the story is shaping up to be pretty much a retread of the first series and it's a struggle to care "who dunnit". all the more depressing that I was offered a special protective sleeve for this book in the comic shop, confirming suspicions that the target au dience for this are speculators and plastic tomb collectors more

fzanca

Mar 28, 2025

The best way to describe this book is "Mid." The art is good. Jim Lee carried his weight, but Jeff Loeb dropped the ball entirely. Batman looks like a complete fool throughout this issue. He starts by looking in the direction of the open truck and does not see Joker through his lenses or even bother to investigate. Then he has to be rescued by Talia who leaves him there, bleeding. By the end, we don't even know what Tommy is planning. Crap writing all the way around. My Comic Review Channel - https://youtu.be/t5ojtJNUCuQ

Tempra16v2.0Turbo

Mar 26, 2025

Exactly as expected.

Quinn

Mar 26, 2025

This issue is all place setting but by the end the table is only a third set. It starts with the Joker planning on dumping laughing fish into the reservoir but Bat man shows up, they fight. Nothing we haven’t seen before. But this time the Joker clocks Bats with a crowbar because Bats had his back turned to obvious danger. Bats is tossed into the river and has to be saved by Talia. Joker is clobbered by a giant henchman and is tied up by Hush. Hush creates slow cuts that will let him bleed out in a couple of hours. We see Babs and Dick talk about finding Bruce and they mention there are like nine Robins and six Batgirls. Bruce deducts where Joker is and J is surrounded by images of J killing Jason, humiliating Gordon and violating Barb ara. Meanwhile Hush is taunting Batman and the story is written as if the Devil has returned to Gotham. A couple of points. Talia is drawn so that we can see her breasts and her ass. A picture worthy of Nightwing. So to show just how dangerous Hush is, we see him easily defeat Bats’ greatest enemy. we see the daughter of his other great enemy, and Bruce learns Hush is back. Hush is presented as the ultimate badass who will test Bruce like he’s never been tested before. Just one problem with that. We've seen it about 174,806 times in the past few years. Two, this reads like a greatest hits album. The laughing fish, images from Killing Joke and death of Jason. Hush. And finally, the book mentions all the Bat family but Bruce goes after Joker alone. If this story line has Bruce learning the value of not being a loner - again - I will scream, well not scream, but really roll my eyes. This issue was written as a gimmick to attract readers and comes off like that. It is not a story that builds on the most previous issues. It is its own separate thing that feels shoehorned into a book. Not a great start. Or I could be wrong. more

orbisstelassis

Mar 31, 2025

Just retire already, Jeph.