Batman Hush is not a very deep story but it summarizes everything I love about Batman. He’s versatile, he can be a detective, a master combatant, a globe trotter, a fellow hero among hero and a dark avenger. His relationships with his friends and family are showcased. It’s the perfect starter Batman comic without being just his origin or starting years.
All these things, plus technowizardry, indominatable grit, and great villains. (though not Hush). I only disagree that detective work seems quite lacking in this run. In all, it’s a series of marvelous short stories with a unifying thread.
Riddler is Jeph Loeb's favorite villain. Jeph Loeb was Matt Reeves' screenwriting teacher. Riddler is the villain of The Batman directed and written by Matt Reeves. Everything makes sense now.
The heart of hush comic did this character far better then the original comic ever did. Hush just feels like an attempt at making another anti Batman to fit the new edgy 00s
Heart of hush misses the point of hush which is that he is intentionally a shallow character. He’s the ultimate red hearing because the riddler is the true mastermind
@@paulakroy2635 it seems that you missed a lot of points. It is not bad to reinvent or reimagine characters. The hush mission in Arkham city was one of the best but without heart of hush this mission would be non existent. There are other countless examples i can give you where reimagining did good. So stop your narrow thinking. The original hush story was garbage at the end of the day.
@@paulakroy2635 your actually right but the thing is that in HOH almost sort of plays with the idea that he’s not actually as badass as he thinks he is. Like he finally gets into Wayne manor and starts acting like a child at a candy store and “dies” to a goofy helicopter youd see in the Adam west show
Imagine if villains tended to recruit Riddler for their big plans, not to help them, but to distract him so he doesn't give the whole operation away. You have to lie to him about the plan and give him some useless makework to do, because in his own way he is easily the biggest snitch in Gotham.
As a hardcore Batman fan, I thank you so much for this video and the ending of it where you break down the fall of Batman comics after this story. You really hit the nail on the head. Also, Paul Dini doesn’t get enough credit for what he did with Hush during his run.
At around this time, i had stopped buying Batman and would merely browse over issues in comic shops or bookstores. I remember thinking.....so if Batman was an Image Comic from the early '90s, this is what it would look like!
Hush is like a popcorn movie, it’s a thrill ride with great moments and fantastic visuals. But when you stop to think about it you’re like, “wait a minute”. The original has the beautiful art, but heart of hush by paul dini has the awesome story.
I never notice all the details you mentioned regarding background characters and the shape of panels. Additionally I had no idea the original master planner was supposed to be Jason. This is why I love your videos so much. As I always say, THE Batman channel on YT. Thanks Salazar 🦇.
even though this story has a lot of problems the reveal of the Riddler being behind everything the fight with the Joker and the reveal of Jason Todd setting up under the Red Hood are some of the best Batman moments ever in my opinion!
Hush is a story that's better for new fans to the Batman comic mythos. Once you've been reading various Batman stories from the prior years, you see more cracks in the story than when you first read it. I agree that it is more style over substance, but there is a degree of substance. If it hadn't been tampered with by the higher-ups at DC, it could have been a story for the ages. Agree with the last couple minutes of this video as to the consequences of the comic. Hope you're doing well man. Looking forward to when you get to Paul Dini's run on Detective Comics.
The most notable story where the villain's plot is driven by his childhood friendship with Bruce Wayne...and the villain isn't Black Mask? Poor Roman can't catch a break
yeah he got jipped out of appearing in arkham serious house and the arkham games at large (in a big way) he always gets jipped somehow his design in brave n the bold was cool though
I remember an old forum post where people were arguing about the best and worst Batman stories and I still remember one post that I thought summed up Hush's quality pretty well: A great entry point for a Batman fan who is just getting into the comics side of things, but holds up less and less the more and better Batman stories you read. You get great value with the Hush trade as a new comics fan: Jim Lee art, an appearance from all the classic rogues you'd know from the animated series, and the pacing is fast and full of action and excuses for splash pages (which plays to Jim Lee's strengths). The characterization is... OK for the most part, with everyone's personality again being somewhat consistent to what a casual fan would remember from the animated series. And the mystery itself isn't too bad, with plenty of twists, and to the average new reader the Thomas Elliot reveal probably doesn't come across nearly as telegraphed as it does to long time readers because the way he's talked about makes it seem like he's a long time supporting cast member who's been around a while (Loeb tells you he's Bruce's childhood friend, so naive new comics readers would probably assume that this isn't the first story he's ever appeared in), whereas long time readers who have been seasoned by lackluster writing and thus familiar with the common pitfalls of lazy mystery plotting saw it coming from a mile away. If it was one of the first five or so Batman stories you ever read, you probably loved it. If you'd been reading Batman for at least a few years and read a lot of the fan-favorite classics that preceded it, then you were probably at least a bit underwhelmed by Loeb's writing on this story.
If I had a nickel for every time Jim Lee's art saved a mediocre story by an acclaimed Batman writer, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.
Chuck Dixon explained his frustration on this issue when writing stories when his ideas got nowhere with editors after O’Neil I feel like if we had an editor that could’ve guided the writers instead of let them do their own thing with all Batman titles we’d expect better from this story when it comes down to continuity
It’s nothing high concept but Hush is honestly just a joyride of spectacle and classic Batman adventuring. I definitely enjoyed rereading it recently despite the plot holes. This book pretty much defined the look of the character for the new millennium - you can see the inspiration in the Nolan movies and especially the Rocksteady games.
I think the best way to decribe this story is "Its Babys first Batman". Its not overwhelming and if read in diligence, can be a smoothe and fun time. But if you go into is as a seasoned Batman fan. Youll see most of all the twists. I was always suspicious of Elliot. And even more so when he died. Nobody *Dies* in Batman media for nothing lol. But I would recommend the comic over the movie though. That movie was....something.
Funny you call it “baby’s first Batman”. I had a couple DC picture books as a kid that told modified snippets of the story (the one that jumps to mind is the Killer Croc fight in the beginning) as standalone Batman stories
@kman9884 Not entirely true. I would argue that Manga is just comics but mostly Japanese and asian influenced and extremely long-form. Dragonball Z and Goku is inherently is inspired by Superman in a way. But they differ fundamentally. I think that can vary. Both are either very good or just horrible. But we can all agree that comics and Manga as a whole is great
If Loeb (or editorial) had stick with Jason Todd being Hush, this story would be regarded today as one of the best Batman stories ever written, up there with TDKR and Year One. There's no doubt in my mind. The minute they reveal Todd was actually Clayface and Elliot wasn't dead all along the story falls apart for me.
I agree. the fact that the Riddler was revealed to be the mastermind behind it seemed very anti-climactic to me. it wasn't motivated at all, nor was it explained how he'd somehow managed to manipulate all these other villains into behaving so bizarrely
@@RichardHunter-qr4hw also Tommy Elliot coming out of nowhere set up a lot of alarms, everyone knew he was Hush from the get go. Joker killing him was both surprising and exciting. Him not being dead in the end made everything feel so lame.
I think Hush is kind of like that nostalgic 80s or 90s cult classic gets a 2020 remake. Sure you want to like it cause it's hitting on all the favorite notes - you get Batman versus Superman, Batman versus Joker, Batman and Catwoman are finally Boyfriend and Girlfriend, Batman swordfights with Ras. It's all the classics but has none of the substance that the originals had. It's Jeph Loeb at his most average storytelling - "Yeah I want to pull out all the stops, do this, do that" and then he realizes he's written himself into a corner, pulls a wildcard that we never would have guessed when we were all solving the mystery and then goes "yep I wrote a mystery no one could solve it I"m a genius," when in reality . . . it was just a bad ending with some cool moments along the way.
The video was very informative, as always. Thank you. I believe Hush's popularity largely stems from Jim Lee's artwork, which carries the series. His portrayal of Batman and Gotham is some of the best ever. On a personal level, his interpretation of Batman has been somewhat transformative; it has become my default image of Batman in conversations or thoughts about the character. It's that impactful to me.
Hush is the Broly of Batman. Hush epitomizes "But...that's really dumb. B-but he's so cool! But that's so dumb!" His motivation is only a step above "But you don't understand! The Legendary Super Saiyan is motivated by a crying infant! He is a literal giant f**king baby!" But like, his design, his planning, his manipulation, and yet... that. Broly.
That ending really sums up my complicated relationship to the story. I cannot stand it anymore, but it was one of my first Batman comics. However my second or third was Knightfall followed shortly by No Man's Land. I fell in love with 90s Batman and that era of continuity that you talked about. Almost instantly I resented Hush for killing of Harold, poor sweet Harold.
A fun story but a greater introduction to the Batman comics to new readers. Or at least the second or third comic for new readers. Awesome video as always bro 🤙 I’d love to see you continue your history of Batman series 🤙
Here's what nobody gets about this story: It actually isn't a mystery at all, and once you realize that, a bunch of the criticism goes away. I forget if it was marketed that way at the time, but regardless of how DC Editorial tried to market it, the story absolutely isn't a mystery to anyone except Batman himself within the story. Most of the negativity centers around the story being a "terrible mystery", what with the predictable reveal and many things being hidden in plain sight, combined with the exposition dump at the end where Riddler reveals a ton of things the reader couldn't have known about beforehand. But the story isn't even written as a mystery to begin with, which becomes glaringly obvious upon repeat readings. It is a TRAGEDY, the theme of which is that Batman/Bruce cannot ever fully trust anyone, because everyone he gets close to either dies or betrays him, and that's the curse of choosing to be Batman. Furthermore, by having Thomas Elliot be the very first one to do so, back when they were kids, it frames this theme of betrayal as one of the central themes to Bruce's entire life. Even his earliest, most innocent childhood memories aren't left untainted by the fact that he has never truly had any real allies, save Alfred. This changes the Superman issue, for example, from being "pointless" to being paramount. It illustrates how one way or another, Bruce will inevitably be in conflict with everyone he cares about, even his closest friends. Showing off the Superman supporting cast illustrates just how different they are, as Clark has a network of people around him that he knows he can trust, something Bruce simply can't fully commit to because being Batman won't allow for that. The reveal of Hush as Elliot is done so we the reader can stop trying to "solve the mystery" which isn't there and simply go along for the ride the story takes us on. The chaos and confusion the reader feels as the story goes on is meant to parallel the same things Batman feels as he tries to force the pieces to fit and constantly fails, because he doesn't have the crucial details. The story tries to get us inside his head, to make us feel what it must often feel like to be Batman, projecting outward confidence while inside knowing that things just don't make sense and constantly wondering what will go wrong next.. The ending with Selina pretty much gives the entire thing away. The entire story teases a happy ending for Bruce and Selina, only for it all to fall apart with one careless word. Was it "just" a slip of the tongue, or was she secretly in on the con from the start, playing him like all the others? He can never truly know, which is why he breaks it off with her and can never settle down with her. Absolute trust is simply not a luxury Batman can afford; that is the tragedy and theme of the story. If you read it as a mystery, then yeah, it's not very good at that. If you read it simply as a tragedy about how many different ways it sucks to be Batman, primarily constantly being attacked from all sides by various maniacs while also always being afraid that your closest friends will turn on you, then it reads completely differently and becomes quite a lot better.
Outstanding work my dude! You pointed out some details that I’ve missed for years. Hush will always hold a special place in my heart despite some of its shortcomings. I remember collecting those issues every month and reading them in my car before I even left the parking lot of my local shop. That’s how hot that book was at the time. And it’s totally fine to look back in retrospect at some of the narrative holes but for me, the total body of work outweighs those. The overall ride was a blast. Hush in my mind is iconic and one that any new Batman reader should read. As you said, at least once. ❤
Well for Jason's knowledge of Poe, we do have to keep in mind during the 80s, he was always a character in flux. If he was written by max allen Collins, he's a bright kid brought up from a shitty background. If it was jim starlin and it didn't involve a massive cult, chances were he was going to face character assassination
the difference between Batman: Hush and All Star Batman and Robin is that Hush's writing is still trying to be a serious Batman comic, it's just that the story didn't work for everybody, especially in hindsight. With ASBAR, that books writing bordered on parody and cemented Frank Millers current output as somewhat nonsensical, having fallen off since his glory days. The writing was too ridiculous compared to Hush, which is mostly an inoffensive trip through Batman's rogues gallery.
@@kevinbergman3784 Except if that was the case then All Star Batman and Robin would be considered the best Batman series by just as many people. Instead of the worst.
@@jajejake5784 Frank Miller got old and ran out of ideas. By the mid 2000s were we getting any more stories from Marv Wolfman? Chris Claremont? Mike W. Barr? Walt & Louise Simonson? These people were POWERHOUSES of talent back in the 1980s, but all mostly gone late '90s. TDKR saved Frank Miller's career and extended it into the new 2000s era when it was probably his last creative hurrah. IMO.
I would be so happy if they made it now and have the cast and crew return Maybe even have two face and scarecrow introduced into the show's continuity! I bet it would be so much better than Batman hush (2019)
Hush was the first ever graphic novel I got, and was my introduction to the pre-52 continuity of Batman. And I just thank my lucky stars that my mother didn’t buy me Return of Hush. Cause if she did, then I’m quite sure I’d have never read another comic book again
Damn dude, you're killing it with the simping jokes. Still as a kid, I loved this in middle school. It was my sought after book next to dkr. As an adult while I appreciate both, i recognize the flaws. Hush is what encouraged me to pursue drawing comics. As well as All Star Batman.....I was a middle schooler😅
Something I just thought of-imagine Riddler made up the motivations of the other villains to make himself look superior, more sinister. New head cannon 😵💫
I think I was in 8th grade with Hush came out. It was a little surreal reading something that felt so empty and like a rehash of The Long Halloween (and Dark Victory...) but that DC had spent SO MUCH MONEY advertising... meanwhile over in Detective Comics, one of the best 3-issue Batman team-up stories ever written was being published to very little notice, "Made Of Wood". Really made me take notice that it was, after all, a business. I still found enjoyment from it though, and I have wonderful memories involved with getting those books. Just didn't feel as weighty as the hype had pushed.
Ah, hush and tower of babel which gave rise to the "bro batman can beat anyone with prep time bro" bs which has actually turned the character from someone who used to be one of my absolute favorites to someone I can barely stand right now thanks to his fanboys.
Truth be told, by this era I had long stopped buying Batman (or any DC and Marvel IP's) but would still browse issues once in awhile in stores. My impression was.....basically, Hush is "what if Batman was an early '90s Image Comic?"
@@Pikashades yes and no, have you forgotten Morrisons batgod mode. Batman should never be able to stand face to face with darkseid.... That was complete bullshit
I actually really liked how Hush handled Batman fighting Superman. Like, it wasn't "Batman prepared for months" bullshit, he got surprised; Batman didn't for a second think he could win; and Superman was not at full strength but holding back while struggling against mind control. I think it's a fight that really respects both their characters. Batman because he improvises a battle plan on the fly that includes a bunch of tools and tactics and actually manages to slow down Superman by a few minutes; and Superman, because it shows that slowing him down for a few minutes is the best a mere mortal could realistically hope for.
21:47 think you might confused batman with superman there. sup is the one who is ment to inspire to do better, batsy is the one who is ment to scare you away from doing bad or he will come and get you.
Thank you for your wonderful review. I hope you make videos suggesting arcs or runes for specific writers that are really good on Batman, and perhaps in the future for other characters.
16:07 that droning sound used as a background... I've heard it on starbounds moons... It fully establishes 6 things: Narrow, Suffocating, Dark, Eerie, Creepy, and an air of Hopeless Dread which can paralyze a player in their tracks... The droning taking on an tune of it's own you could say, an tune that says "Stay away from this area"...
Thanks a lot for this review, it feels great to watch someone review it objectively without constantly calling it "overrated". With the amount of newer fans throwing dung daily as this storyline, how can it be overrated anymore? If anything, it became underrated as years passed by... I'll be honesty, up until the Arkham games came out, I was a pretty big Batman fan, but since I lived in France it wasn't easy to get my hands on the comic books in English. I owned a few random Batman comics, like the adaptation of "Mad Love", and some crossovers with Spawn (I love Spawn so much) and Superman, but nothing major. So "my" Batman was the one from the movies, from Batman:TAS (I had every episode on VHS) and the Justice League cartoons & the rest of the DCAU ("Static Shock", "Batman Beyond", "The Zeta Projected"... I would buy VHS tapes and ), from Matsuda's 2004 "The Batman" (who, interestingly, wanted to make a "Batman vs Hush" movie after "Batman vs Dracula", but the studio wanted him to make movies pitting Bruce Wayne against various classic monsters like Frankenstein's monster or the Mummy, not a recent Bat-rogue like Hush) to Nolan's Batman Begins & *The Dark Knight* ... This movie, and Heath Ledger's Joker in particular, really reignited my love for Batman, so when just one year later *Arkham Asylum* came out, damn... I still remember watching the trailer with my friends, and how hyped we were. I started to buy some classic Batman stories like the Killing Joke, the Long Halloween, Frank Miller's TDKReturns, the 2008 Joker by Brian Azzarello (which was a follow up to the much superior, IMHO, "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" from 2005), but it wasn't until 2011 with the video game *Arkham City* that I became aware of the character Hush (still my favorite side mission of the whole game) and I immediately bought the collected edition of *Batman:Hush* Much like you, the drawings blew my mind and it was pure joy to read, and sure the mystery felt shallow (especially since that Arkham City mission spoiled it for me) but I still loved it. Like you, I loved how Bruce reacted at the end when Selina told him _hush..._ before kissing him, showing the mental effect that this adventure took on him... My only real issue? Something that I would tweak? When Batman punched Riddler in the interrogation room, I wish that the riddle Batman told him wasn't "what time is it when an elephant sits on your fence" etc etc I really wish he had tied it all together by asking *"What belongs to you but others use more than you do?"* (a riddle that Nygma himself asks Amanda Waller in the badass little movie "Batman: Assault on Arkham" from 2014) It would have been so cool, he wouldn't even had needed to explain more, just say "exactly" and leave after Nygma says "You name. Everyone knows that one. It's worthless." And while Batman leave (after punching him, or not) we could see Riddler losing his mind in the back... When it comes to Tommy Elliot, I'm partial to Paul Dini's *Heart of Hush/Hush Money/House of Hush* series. I also liked him in "Gates of Gotham" "Hush Returns" is a weird one, it's entertaining I'll give it that, but it turned one of my favorite Justice League rogues, Prometheus, into a joke that would take a long time to redeem as a real threat. And honestly, it made Tommy waaaaay too strong for no reason. Ok, essay over, keep up the good work Salazar!
I love Hush, I'll be honest. I do see how this caused issues for the character going forward but I think that's the case for an seminal comic. I could also argue that The Dark Knight Returns was just as good for Batman as it was good...same for The Killing Joke.
I'm a fan of your vids and watch them when I exercise! I got the Absolute Version of Hush for the sick Jim Lee art. It's been a while since I've re-read the thing but I do know people are mixed on it. It has enough moments in it for me to look at it favorably.
This has to be one of your absolute funniest recaps to date. Oh my god. The jokes!! 😂❤ like first off, you’re doing excellent analysis of the art and how beautiful and meaningful a lot of the small, even hidden decisions are, great focus on panel layout/page design, while also ripping the “checklist-y” ness of the writing a new one as it so rightly deserves. 😂❤It’s so worthwhile waiting for your uploads, because you don’t just cover the comic itself, you focus on the industry at that point in time, you include information and context about the “political”/editing room/bottom line aspects of a graphic novel or large omnibus, and you make me laugh the whole way through. Your content is so great, keep it up!❤
Ok, my third Batman comic when I was a child, 8 years-old, was BATMAN (original ongoing), 615, part of this story arc. I lost it, but now that I read the whole story, just like my two Ed Brubaker's comics, despite them being my childhood, I don't miss them at all. Childhood memories aside, "Hush" is so overloaded, convoluted, and full of contrivances. Its beginning is solid, but it all falls apart after Thomas Elliot is killed. It doesn't help that I don't find mystery in this arc, and I can't stand The Riddler at all. And yet, despite all of this (and my disgust at Jeph Loeb as a comic writer, whose only good Batman work is THE LONG HALLOWEEN), "Hush" is far from a bad comic book. It has the best Jim Lee art ever (which would get even better in the abysmal ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN as the only redeeming quality of that series) and great moments, my favorite being where Batman was close to killing The Joker as revenge for Elliot's murder, until Jim Gordon appears and stops Batman from killing The Joker, and is a perfect strating point to those who want to read a Batman comic book.
I was just rewatching this video and goddamn I love the moment where Jim stops Batman from killing the Joker because he’s literally the only person who can look him in the eye and communicate “I know EXACTLY how you’re feeling right now, but you cannot give in to this madman or he wins,” and it’s actually true and can convince Batman not to kill him. It’s so good. Hush, man-what a mixed bag, but goddamn is it good looking the whole way through. And as much as it is concerned with “moments” over the bigger mystery, in my opinion, it’s just too gorgeous to not acknowledge it for what it did for Batman’s overall image at the time, which was in dire need of a visual reset in the comics.
salazar knight, i have a few questions 1. will you ever do a live stream? it can be awesome. you could do a qna or talk about stuff you want to talk about, but you think wouldn't do well as a video. you could also do watch parties of batman movies and shows or play a batman game. 2. what is your opinion of the classic robin costume from 1939? i really like it personally 3. what is your favorite batman serial from his serial show from the 40s? 4. what is your favorite superman comic? thank you for reading and answering, and feel BATter soon!
I also enjoy Hush, but, like you, I think it shot itself in the foot by the way DC wanted Loeb to bring in a brand new villain, and how this was the beginning of an era of Batman that continues to this very day. Don't get me wrong I love certain parts of Grant Morrison's run on Batman, and I enjoy The Court of Owls, and even Under the Hood/Under the Red Hood, but each writer who came to write for the Batman titles tended to cherry pick what parts of the continuity they would use in their run, however long the run was.
In The Batman (2004) episode: Rumors, it was meant to be the animated debut of Hush. But for unknown reasons, he was replaced Rumor, a cheap ripoff of Lock-up.
Hush was DC's answer to Marvel Ultimate. That's the proper context to understand it. A fresh story that reintroduces the key characters was a more interesting choice than yet another origin reboot. I also think you're wrong about Hush being the cause of the undoing of Batman's consistent continuity. Infinite Crisis was teased as early as Superman/Batman #6 in March 2004, just six months after Hush ended. Writers at DC knew they were headed into another universe reset. Then in the Grant Morrison era the continuity was so painfully consistent that new readers coming in from the Nolan movies found it incomprehensible, which was one of the motivations for rebooting again with Flashpoint. The reason Hush came to be disliked in retrospect is that Tommie Elliott became one of DC's lamest villains in follow-up stories. Even Paul Dini ruined the best story, Heart of Hush, with the meandering continuation during the Graybat era. If you compare Hush to the original stories for classic villains, it's not on par with Ra's al Ghul but still far above average.
Lamest dc villains? pathetic notion of everything. Hush bested joker in all aspects, maybe you dont know that hush can broke batman morale when Batman try to kill Tommy with help of joker and both failed (the main target of joker, he make cry joker and defeat batman, in what? everything? you need read more hush before say these stupid things ) you dont understand nothing and like an bigmouth, you talk Ignorant talking about dont know...Nothing new
@@Sr.Green. I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards his villains in Hush especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
Jeff Loeb writing on Batmna is really great at the moment to moment, but the second you use your brain (probably will happen near the end, as it's where he is at his worst) the more you realize that it is barely coherent series of events with little thematic or narrative depth, where Batman characterization is bland and pretty much machoman who uses fists, all the while the revelation makes you question taste of general comic books fans who gaslight people into believing that THE LONG HALLOWEEN is good story and not hard carried by Tim Sale (RIP) unique art. Honestly, The LH and Dark Victory was such disappointment that I regret bying them instead of Batman: Cult.
@@HMNCLunar ah yes, a story where we need to believe that average woman who got blown up and was in the hospital in critical condition managed to sneak out and kill a man. I honestly try to not believe it that writing is that bad and by the numbers because of how people hype up, but reality that fake out death was so telegraphed from first issue that you need to be illiterate to not see it, all the while logic of the story becomes dumber and dumber that Penguin who wasn't in the story, suddenly makes cameo in the end. Dark Victory straight up makes me question why it's exists because it mostly series of events than coherent narrative and which would be better in 6 issues. Calendar Man redesign is pathetic Hannibal Lecter which mostly yaps than doing actually worthy of hype.
The Darkness is a video game franchise that later became a comic series, not sure which main character batman fights but yeah, he comes from a xbox360 game
Hush imo is one of the most underrated and overhated characters, he never got a fair chance at being a standalone villain without one of the other more popular villains overshadowing him. Him being Bruce childhood friend and having such a depraved and obsessive hatred for Bruce is so good and has tons of potential to be explored, I firmly believe he could be Bruce arch rival and get to him on so many levels if they’re willing to actual take the time and add depth and explore the character.
Paul Dini did a great job with him during his Detective Comics run, but that run got overshadowed by Grant Morrison’s, which was going on at the same time (and was way weaker than Dini’s IMO)
Hush already defeat batman in everything. In fact, in an objetive way, hush bested joker, only need read hush saga to understand this Buuut the people is stupid and even understand his motivation wrong and talk about dont know
Quite a few interesting points you made. Here are few of mine 1) i never noticed the much shorter ears on the cowl until you mentioned them. Batman just looked great in Jim Lees art, nothing of that grotesk, constipated looking Batman Kelley Jones. 2) fighting Superman, was all I ever wanted to see of that fight, including the acknowledgment that Batman can only due to Superman holding back. 3) I was utterly relieved to find out Jason Todd was not alive, I wanted to keep him dead, and have not changed my opinion on this. I loved the book, despite the very odd ending.
The original Hush comic is one of the most overrated Batman stories ever, carried by the iconic artwork. It's no wonder why MOST future adaptations of Hush in media base him off the Heart of Hush story and not the original. Heart of Hush is excellent
Eh, I think it does its job of reintroducing Batman and his mythos to a modern audience, his relationships, his flaws, his strengths, how he operates I feel it all works perfectly in that regard with gorgeous art. I don’t love Hush for its story, I love Hush because the story is an excuse to see Batman’s world.
@@thomasjohnson1885 I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards villains in Hush especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
Great video as always Salazar !!! RIP Benny the Comicstorian. He was a Great guy and made a lot of comic book fans and people in general very happy. God bless Benny. We will see him again in Heaven, but not any time soon at all I pray !!! To Benny ! The Comicstorian, the LEGEND !!!
I don't understand who the Riddler set this up; or Thomas Elliot's motivation: he was angry at Bruce's father saving his mother's life? it doesn't make any sense, but how does that fit into the Riddler's plan?
Batman: Hush's biggest strengths are also the source of its biggest issues: It's baby's first Batman story. It goes over basically everything the character has to offer, but doesn't excel at any of them and carries most of the series' baggage. It really comes down to whether or not you can take the good with the bad or not.
Hush may not be all that but I think this is your best script yet, fantastic work and likewise great video. Eagerly awaiting your next video, no matter the subject try choose to tackle. I’d love to see a video comparing and contrasting the various main stay artists over the years. To my own surprise it’s Aparo who in retrospect I enjoy the most, even if at the time I liked the work of Breyfogle, Nolan and Adams more.
Does this video have Major Spoilers? I’ve only got into comics a few years ago and I’ve been pushing off reading hush for a while now. But was planning on reading it soon after learning Sal was doing a video on it. But been working a lot and haven’t got to it. Most likely next weekend I’ll have the time. But wondering if I should wait till after I’ve read it to watch this video. Any suggestions? Thanks
@@SalazarKnight I just finished Hush, Finally!!! I thought it was a great story. Although not perfect. But now I can’t wait to see what Sal has to say about it!!! Im gonna watch it literally right now!!!
Honestly, i actually really like Hush. The comic arc, not the character. Everything EXCEPT Hush himself was actually pretty interesting IMO, but Hush himself and his reveal ruined the whole thing
The final reveal is kinda weak, but it is funny that the big mystery mastermind is being manipulated by someone else. In the scene in the alley, weren't the thugs saying the same things the thugs said in the same scene in Batman 89? And I agree with you on pineapple pizza, but the biggest moment of 2004 was Bucky turning out to be alive.
Hush's vibes are off the charts. It works like a sandbox campaign that way, like the plot is held together by sheer sequence, but every character and part of the lore you visit is dripping charisma. This was the story which showed Amanda Waller talking down to Batman and she's fully an NPC in this story.
I am also still very annoyed by how they killed off Harold. (The Grant / Breyfogle era is still an all-time favourite, so I am admittedly biased.) This is a very fair appraisal. Visually, it’s incredible. The writing is all over the place, but you put that into perspective well, as even the best intentions can’t overcome executive meddling.
I was so over Hush by the time they got to the Jason "reveal" that I didn't go on with it. Jason coming back was never something I jived with; let the boy stay dead. Just like Peter Parker's uncle Ben dying, Jason being so callously murdered by the Joker was one of those things that gave the bat books a certain weight and gravitas. It was the first time we saw that Batman cannot save everyone, even his closest companions, and it was something that haunted him. It was a reminder that this gig wasn't fun and games, there were real risks to donning that uniform and keeping to the vow. And allowing the Joker to defeat Batman enhanced both characters and the Joker became a deadly threat instead of a comic menace with cheesy plots and cheesier traps, and his actions have lasting consequences, turning him into one of Bruce's most TERRIFYING villains. Hand-waving away Jason's death like this--not just once, but multiple times--negated the sacrifice of his life in the first place. (And sure, maybe I'm a little biased because I -_-never-_- like Jason back in his original run and I'm one of the 15 year-olds who voted by 900 phone number to kill off the mean little disrespectful punk.) Jason's death was one of the few comic book deaths that was intended to -*-stay permanent-*- -- at the time of "A Death in the Family"'s publication, Denny O'Neil said that "it would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back". He was RIGHT, and Judd Winnick was wrong to bring him back after Hush. But the Clayface angle never made sense. Sure, he got the story he referenced wrong, but he knew too much that he shouldn't have known. And overall this story is rather infamous for making a big swing, then taking it back in the next issue; Selina's part of the group now, now she isn't; Jason's alive, no he isn't; Harold's back, and he can talk now; but now he's dead; and so on and so forth. This story gave me whiplash, and I was so over it. I think I skimmed the final issue in the comic book store to see if it all made sense at the end and if I should buy the issues I missed; I didn't bother. The art is fantastic! The story clearly had no direction.
It'd be interesting to hear your take on "As the Crow Flies". The immediate follow up to the phenomena that was Hush in the regular Batman title. Whether one liked or disliked Hush, it was a definitely a hard act to follow.
You describe the auteur writer-driven era of Batman as if it was bad, while it gave us the Morrison and Snyder runs, which are pretty much universally considered the best Batman runs ever (and also the most affectionate for the character and his continuity).
Batman Hush is not a very deep story but it summarizes everything I love about Batman. He’s versatile, he can be a detective, a master combatant, a globe trotter, a fellow hero among hero and a dark avenger. His relationships with his friends and family are showcased.
It’s the perfect starter Batman comic without being just his origin or starting years.
All these things, plus technowizardry, indominatable grit, and great villains. (though not Hush). I only disagree that detective work seems quite lacking in this run. In all, it’s a series of marvelous short stories with a unifying thread.
I wish the movies would do this stuff as well, but they only make him a dark and brooding lone wolf. Its so boring what they keep doing to him.
Basically, what if Batman was an early '90s Image comic? HUSH is the most fantastic looking, awfully written story of Batman ever.
@@juniorjames7076 pretty much like most Jeff Loeb books.
I don't think Batman is skilled enough at basketball to be a Globetrotter
Riddler is Jeph Loeb's favorite villain.
Jeph Loeb was Matt Reeves' screenwriting teacher.
Riddler is the villain of The Batman directed and written by Matt Reeves.
Everything makes sense now.
"Jeph Loeb was Matt Reeves' screenwriting teacher"
WHAT
HOW
WHY
@@НикитаДенисов-у9ы True story, Reeves himself confirmed, Loeb was the one who encouraged him to be a screenwriter.
@@oppenheimer6321 Yeah, I found the tweet.
Now i am even more confused with results of reeves work.
The last act of The Batman where Riddler floods Gotham is also ripped straight outta Zero Year. Reeves really likes the Roddler
@@SaberRexZealot tbh, now reeves's movie looks like frannkenstein between court of owls and zero year story arcs
The heart of hush comic did this character far better then the original comic ever did. Hush just feels like an attempt at making another anti Batman to fit the new edgy 00s
The hush saga turn Batman in catwoman simp, like is modern Batman in the Tom king saga
Yep. Heart of Hush made hush a character. Before that he was just a boring plot device
Heart of hush misses the point of hush which is that he is intentionally a shallow character. He’s the ultimate red hearing because the riddler is the true mastermind
@@paulakroy2635 it seems that you missed a lot of points. It is not bad to reinvent or reimagine characters. The hush mission in Arkham city was one of the best but without heart of hush this mission would be non existent. There are other countless examples i can give you where reimagining did good. So stop your narrow thinking. The original hush story was garbage at the end of the day.
@@paulakroy2635 your actually right but the thing is that in HOH almost sort of plays with the idea that he’s not actually as badass as he thinks he is. Like he finally gets into Wayne manor and starts acting like a child at a candy store and “dies” to a goofy helicopter youd see in the Adam west show
Despite the mixed reviews, Hush is still one of my all time favourite Batman stories. Jim Lee's artwork is so stunning and recognisable.
literally its only saving grace the story was complete clown shoes.
In my Opinion Jim Lee's Artwork is What Saved All Star Batman and Robin from Total Failure.
@@bastait why do people hate the story, because Batman is ruthless to his villains who were unapologetic for what they did?
Imagine if villains tended to recruit Riddler for their big plans, not to help them, but to distract him so he doesn't give the whole operation away. You have to lie to him about the plan and give him some useless makework to do, because in his own way he is easily the biggest snitch in Gotham.
As a hardcore Batman fan, I thank you so much for this video and the ending of it where you break down the fall of Batman comics after this story. You really hit the nail on the head.
Also, Paul Dini doesn’t get enough credit for what he did with Hush during his run.
What did Paul do? i haven’t the slightest notion.
now i'm confused.
At around this time, i had stopped buying Batman and would merely browse over issues in comic shops or bookstores. I remember thinking.....so if Batman was an Image Comic from the early '90s, this is what it would look like!
He basically gave Hush a background and origin story. And more of a motivation. He still wasn’t a GOOD character, but he was better !
batman and every comic sucked after new 52 started the only bearable one was batman and thats because IT DIDNT CHANGE.
Hush is like a popcorn movie, it’s a thrill ride with great moments and fantastic visuals. But when you stop to think about it you’re like, “wait a minute”.
The original has the beautiful art, but heart of hush by paul dini has the awesome story.
I never notice all the details you mentioned regarding background characters and the shape of panels. Additionally I had no idea the original master planner was supposed to be Jason. This is why I love your videos so much. As I always say, THE Batman channel on YT. Thanks Salazar 🦇.
even though this story has a lot of problems the reveal of the Riddler being behind everything the fight with the Joker and the reveal of Jason Todd setting up under the Red Hood are some of the best Batman moments ever in my opinion!
Hush being the riddler was only for the animated movie
@@JohnJohnson-cc9wy no I meant he was the one that figured out Batman's secret identity he was the mastermind behind all the villains including hush.
@MarvelKnight-tw9hb oh damn my bad man. It's been a while so I forgot about quite a few things
@@JohnJohnson-cc9wythe riddler literally calls himself hush and the mastermind of the whole plot in the comic
@@MarvelKnight-tw9hb Batman, hush and daredevil guardian devil have a bit in common
A friend of mine described Batman: Hush as "Baby's first Batman Comic" and I'd say that's a fairly accurate summary of it
I'd call it "Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, but Batman".
Hush is a story that's better for new fans to the Batman comic mythos. Once you've been reading various Batman stories from the prior years, you see more cracks in the story than when you first read it. I agree that it is more style over substance, but there is a degree of substance. If it hadn't been tampered with by the higher-ups at DC, it could have been a story for the ages. Agree with the last couple minutes of this video as to the consequences of the comic. Hope you're doing well man. Looking forward to when you get to Paul Dini's run on Detective Comics.
What do you mean tampered with?
The most notable story where the villain's plot is driven by his childhood friendship with Bruce Wayne...and the villain isn't Black Mask?
Poor Roman can't catch a break
yeah he got jipped out of appearing in arkham serious house and the arkham games at large (in a big way) he always gets jipped somehow
his design in brave n the bold was cool though
I remember an old forum post where people were arguing about the best and worst Batman stories and I still remember one post that I thought summed up Hush's quality pretty well:
A great entry point for a Batman fan who is just getting into the comics side of things, but holds up less and less the more and better Batman stories you read.
You get great value with the Hush trade as a new comics fan: Jim Lee art, an appearance from all the classic rogues you'd know from the animated series, and the pacing is fast and full of action and excuses for splash pages (which plays to Jim Lee's strengths). The characterization is... OK for the most part, with everyone's personality again being somewhat consistent to what a casual fan would remember from the animated series. And the mystery itself isn't too bad, with plenty of twists, and to the average new reader the Thomas Elliot reveal probably doesn't come across nearly as telegraphed as it does to long time readers because the way he's talked about makes it seem like he's a long time supporting cast member who's been around a while (Loeb tells you he's Bruce's childhood friend, so naive new comics readers would probably assume that this isn't the first story he's ever appeared in), whereas long time readers who have been seasoned by lackluster writing and thus familiar with the common pitfalls of lazy mystery plotting saw it coming from a mile away.
If it was one of the first five or so Batman stories you ever read, you probably loved it. If you'd been reading Batman for at least a few years and read a lot of the fan-favorite classics that preceded it, then you were probably at least a bit underwhelmed by Loeb's writing on this story.
If I had a nickel for every time Jim Lee's art saved a mediocre story by an acclaimed Batman writer, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.
What’s the other? All star? Because even his art couldn’t save it
I hate that meme so much, it is way overused 😅
I have a big soft spot for Hush because it's the first Batman comic I ever read, so it's very nostalgic for me.
Go Salazar🔥🔥🔥🔥 We want you to cover batman in the 10s all the way to the most recent comics!
Quality content once again. Hush was the first storyline I ever collected and read back in the day, I still have a soft spot for it.
Chuck Dixon explained his frustration on this issue when writing stories when his ideas got nowhere with editors after O’Neil I feel like if we had an editor that could’ve guided the writers instead of let them do their own thing with all Batman titles we’d expect better from this story when it comes down to continuity
But the problem here was the opposite... Editorial mandates dragged it down.
Your whole section about the Joker chapter was beautifully narrated and constructed. It got me emotional. Superb video as always.
It’s nothing high concept but Hush is honestly just a joyride of spectacle and classic Batman adventuring. I definitely enjoyed rereading it recently despite the plot holes. This book pretty much defined the look of the character for the new millennium - you can see the inspiration in the Nolan movies and especially the Rocksteady games.
0:48 lol very important zoom in I see
Joel Schumacher
Excellent Video, as always! Hope you recover and feel much better!
I think the best way to decribe this story is "Its Babys first Batman". Its not overwhelming and if read in diligence, can be a smoothe and fun time. But if you go into is as a seasoned Batman fan. Youll see most of all the twists. I was always suspicious of Elliot. And even more so when he died. Nobody *Dies* in Batman media for nothing lol. But I would recommend the comic over the movie though. That movie was....something.
Funny you call it “baby’s first Batman”. I had a couple DC picture books as a kid that told modified snippets of the story (the one that jumps to mind is the Killer Croc fight in the beginning) as standalone Batman stories
American comics are just “baby’s first manga”
@kman9884 Not entirely true. I would argue that Manga is just comics but mostly Japanese and asian influenced and extremely long-form. Dragonball Z and Goku is inherently is inspired by Superman in a way. But they differ fundamentally. I think that can vary. Both are either very good or just horrible. But we can all agree that comics and Manga as a whole is great
@galactic1776 Also yea! They used and re used Hush over and over through its original run just because it was SO POPULAR
@@kman9884american comics are better
If Loeb (or editorial) had stick with Jason Todd being Hush, this story would be regarded today as one of the best Batman stories ever written, up there with TDKR and Year One. There's no doubt in my mind. The minute they reveal Todd was actually Clayface and Elliot wasn't dead all along the story falls apart for me.
I agree. the fact that the Riddler was revealed to be the mastermind behind it seemed very anti-climactic to me. it wasn't motivated at all, nor was it explained how he'd somehow managed to manipulate all these other villains into behaving so bizarrely
@@RichardHunter-qr4hw also Tommy Elliot coming out of nowhere set up a lot of alarms, everyone knew he was Hush from the get go. Joker killing him was both surprising and exciting. Him not being dead in the end made everything feel so lame.
@@caronte008 I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards villains especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
Ehh. It’s smarter but truth be told I actually like the red hood story we got better
I think Hush is kind of like that nostalgic 80s or 90s cult classic gets a 2020 remake. Sure you want to like it cause it's hitting on all the favorite notes - you get Batman versus Superman, Batman versus Joker, Batman and Catwoman are finally Boyfriend and Girlfriend, Batman swordfights with Ras. It's all the classics but has none of the substance that the originals had. It's Jeph Loeb at his most average storytelling - "Yeah I want to pull out all the stops, do this, do that" and then he realizes he's written himself into a corner, pulls a wildcard that we never would have guessed when we were all solving the mystery and then goes "yep I wrote a mystery no one could solve it I"m a genius," when in reality . . . it was just a bad ending with some cool moments along the way.
The video was very informative, as always. Thank you.
I believe Hush's popularity largely stems from Jim Lee's artwork, which carries the series. His portrayal of Batman and Gotham is some of the best ever. On a personal level, his interpretation of Batman has been somewhat transformative; it has become my default image of Batman in conversations or thoughts about the character. It's that impactful to me.
Hush is the Broly of Batman. Hush epitomizes "But...that's really dumb. B-but he's so cool! But that's so dumb!" His motivation is only a step above "But you don't understand! The Legendary Super Saiyan is motivated by a crying infant! He is a literal giant f**king baby!" But like, his design, his planning, his manipulation, and yet... that. Broly.
That ending really sums up my complicated relationship to the story. I cannot stand it anymore, but it was one of my first Batman comics. However my second or third was Knightfall followed shortly by No Man's Land. I fell in love with 90s Batman and that era of continuity that you talked about. Almost instantly I resented Hush for killing of Harold, poor sweet Harold.
It’s a good day when a new SK Bat vid drops
“The Batman of the Opera.”
Very good.
This time you really upped the humor, didn't you? Not that I mind...
A fun story but a greater introduction to the Batman comics to new readers.
Or at least the second or third comic for new readers.
Awesome video as always bro 🤙 I’d love to see you continue your history of Batman series 🤙
Here's what nobody gets about this story: It actually isn't a mystery at all, and once you realize that, a bunch of the criticism goes away. I forget if it was marketed that way at the time, but regardless of how DC Editorial tried to market it, the story absolutely isn't a mystery to anyone except Batman himself within the story.
Most of the negativity centers around the story being a "terrible mystery", what with the predictable reveal and many things being hidden in plain sight, combined with the exposition dump at the end where Riddler reveals a ton of things the reader couldn't have known about beforehand.
But the story isn't even written as a mystery to begin with, which becomes glaringly obvious upon repeat readings. It is a TRAGEDY, the theme of which is that Batman/Bruce cannot ever fully trust anyone, because everyone he gets close to either dies or betrays him, and that's the curse of choosing to be Batman. Furthermore, by having Thomas Elliot be the very first one to do so, back when they were kids, it frames this theme of betrayal as one of the central themes to Bruce's entire life. Even his earliest, most innocent childhood memories aren't left untainted by the fact that he has never truly had any real allies, save Alfred.
This changes the Superman issue, for example, from being "pointless" to being paramount. It illustrates how one way or another, Bruce will inevitably be in conflict with everyone he cares about, even his closest friends. Showing off the Superman supporting cast illustrates just how different they are, as Clark has a network of people around him that he knows he can trust, something Bruce simply can't fully commit to because being Batman won't allow for that.
The reveal of Hush as Elliot is done so we the reader can stop trying to "solve the mystery" which isn't there and simply go along for the ride the story takes us on. The chaos and confusion the reader feels as the story goes on is meant to parallel the same things Batman feels as he tries to force the pieces to fit and constantly fails, because he doesn't have the crucial details. The story tries to get us inside his head, to make us feel what it must often feel like to be Batman, projecting outward confidence while inside knowing that things just don't make sense and constantly wondering what will go wrong next..
The ending with Selina pretty much gives the entire thing away. The entire story teases a happy ending for Bruce and Selina, only for it all to fall apart with one careless word. Was it "just" a slip of the tongue, or was she secretly in on the con from the start, playing him like all the others? He can never truly know, which is why he breaks it off with her and can never settle down with her. Absolute trust is simply not a luxury Batman can afford; that is the tragedy and theme of the story.
If you read it as a mystery, then yeah, it's not very good at that. If you read it simply as a tragedy about how many different ways it sucks to be Batman, primarily constantly being attacked from all sides by various maniacs while also always being afraid that your closest friends will turn on you, then it reads completely differently and becomes quite a lot better.
@RikkiRoxxNWS thank you for this analysis, we need more like you
I had the ending spoiled way before reading, and when I finally got around to it I loooooved it. So there's a big truth to this 🙌🏼
Outstanding work my dude! You pointed out some details that I’ve missed for years. Hush will always hold a special place in my heart despite some of its shortcomings. I remember collecting those issues every month and reading them in my car before I even left the parking lot of my local shop. That’s how hot that book was at the time. And it’s totally fine to look back in retrospect at some of the narrative holes but for me, the total body of work outweighs those. The overall ride was a blast. Hush in my mind is iconic and one that any new Batman reader should read. As you said, at least once. ❤
Well for Jason's knowledge of Poe, we do have to keep in mind during the 80s, he was always a character in flux. If he was written by max allen Collins, he's a bright kid brought up from a shitty background. If it was jim starlin and it didn't involve a massive cult, chances were he was going to face character assassination
you worded it perfectly
@@maskedcrusaderings thank you
@@jaredgarcia8638 sure thing daddy
For anybody who says that Hush is only popular because of the art, people have any of you making those claims read All Star Batman and Robin?
the difference between Batman: Hush and All Star Batman and Robin is that Hush's writing is still trying to be a serious Batman comic, it's just that the story didn't work for everybody, especially in hindsight. With ASBAR, that books writing bordered on parody and cemented Frank Millers current output as somewhat nonsensical, having fallen off since his glory days. The writing was too ridiculous compared to Hush, which is mostly an inoffensive trip through Batman's rogues gallery.
It's still only popular because of the art.
@@kevinbergman3784 I like All-Star, but i’m a rare character who likes borderline parody , provided it’s not canon.
@@kevinbergman3784 Except if that was the case then All Star Batman and Robin would be considered the best Batman series by just as many people. Instead of the worst.
@@jajejake5784 Frank Miller got old and ran out of ideas. By the mid 2000s were we getting any more stories from Marv Wolfman? Chris Claremont? Mike W. Barr? Walt & Louise Simonson? These people were POWERHOUSES of talent back in the 1980s, but all mostly gone late '90s. TDKR saved Frank Miller's career and extended it into the new 2000s era when it was probably his last creative hurrah. IMO.
If only we can get that Jeff Matsuda "the Batman vs. Hush".
I would be so happy if they made it now and have the cast and crew return Maybe even have two face and scarecrow introduced into the show's continuity! I bet it would be so much better than Batman hush (2019)
Especially considering they had no Two-Face, Scarecrow or Ra's Al Ghul. And the concept art added Mr Freeze and Penguin to the line-up
@harshakiarraathhallah2222 I need to know who at Warner Bros canceled Jeff Matsuda’s The Batman vs Hush??
@@Seasonal-Shadow_4674 No it was Scrap because the Studio wanted to make the Batman vs. other Universal Monsters.
@@harsyakiarraathallah2222 who at the studio did that?
ive been binging your videos and they are highly entertaining! cant wait for you to cover the court of owls storyline
Hush was the first ever graphic novel I got, and was my introduction to the pre-52 continuity of Batman. And I just thank my lucky stars that my mother didn’t buy me Return of Hush. Cause if she did, then I’m quite sure I’d have never read another comic book again
Great video SK! I was hooked from the start.
Damn dude, you're killing it with the simping jokes. Still as a kid, I loved this in middle school. It was my sought after book next to dkr. As an adult while I appreciate both, i recognize the flaws. Hush is what encouraged me to pursue drawing comics. As well as All Star Batman.....I was a middle schooler😅
Love your narrative, men. Always fan of your videos.
“What is Batman: Hush
How is Batman: Hush”
I’ll do you one better. Why is Batman: Hush? Sorry I couldn’t resist.
"what master do I serve? What am I supposed to say - Bruce Wayne?" - Alfred
Something I just thought of-imagine Riddler made up the motivations of the other villains to make himself look superior, more sinister. New head cannon 😵💫
I think I was in 8th grade with Hush came out. It was a little surreal reading something that felt so empty and like a rehash of The Long Halloween (and Dark Victory...) but that DC had spent SO MUCH MONEY advertising... meanwhile over in Detective Comics, one of the best 3-issue Batman team-up stories ever written was being published to very little notice, "Made Of Wood". Really made me take notice that it was, after all, a business.
I still found enjoyment from it though, and I have wonderful memories involved with getting those books. Just didn't feel as weighty as the hype had pushed.
I'm not sure who writes your script but MY GOODNESS it's SO GOOD!!
Especially the rhyme at 28:34
Thank you! I really put a lot of work into it.
Ah, hush and tower of babel which gave rise to the "bro batman can beat anyone with prep time bro" bs which has actually turned the character from someone who used to be one of my absolute favorites to someone I can barely stand right now thanks to his fanboys.
The stories didn't say that. It were the readers who intrepeted it as that.
Truth be told, by this era I had long stopped buying Batman (or any DC and Marvel IP's) but would still browse issues once in awhile in stores. My impression was.....basically, Hush is "what if Batman was an early '90s Image Comic?"
Yeh😮
@@Pikashades yes and no, have you forgotten Morrisons batgod mode.
Batman should never be able to stand face to face with darkseid.... That was complete bullshit
I actually really liked how Hush handled Batman fighting Superman. Like, it wasn't "Batman prepared for months" bullshit, he got surprised; Batman didn't for a second think he could win; and Superman was not at full strength but holding back while struggling against mind control. I think it's a fight that really respects both their characters. Batman because he improvises a battle plan on the fly that includes a bunch of tools and tactics and actually manages to slow down Superman by a few minutes; and Superman, because it shows that slowing him down for a few minutes is the best a mere mortal could realistically hope for.
21:47 think you might confused batman with superman there. sup is the one who is ment to inspire to do better, batsy is the one who is ment to scare you away from doing bad or he will come and get you.
Thank you for your wonderful review. I hope you make videos suggesting arcs or runes for specific writers that are really good on Batman, and perhaps in the future for other characters.
I love listening your lengthy, in-depth analyses. But for those who don't have the time, one quote will suffice: "pure eye candy".
People really want Hush to be in "The Batman 2"
Like why?
That's literally the Riddler in the first one
16:07 that droning sound used as a background... I've heard it on starbounds moons... It fully establishes 6 things:
Narrow, Suffocating, Dark, Eerie, Creepy, and an air of Hopeless Dread which can paralyze a player in their tracks... The droning taking on an tune of it's own you could say, an tune that says "Stay away from this area"...
Thanks a lot for this review, it feels great to watch someone review it objectively without constantly calling it "overrated". With the amount of newer fans throwing dung daily as this storyline, how can it be overrated anymore? If anything, it became underrated as years passed by...
I'll be honesty, up until the Arkham games came out, I was a pretty big Batman fan, but since I lived in France it wasn't easy to get my hands on the comic books in English.
I owned a few random Batman comics, like the adaptation of "Mad Love", and some crossovers with Spawn (I love Spawn so much) and Superman, but nothing major.
So "my" Batman was the one from the movies, from Batman:TAS (I had every episode on VHS) and the Justice League cartoons & the rest of the DCAU ("Static Shock", "Batman Beyond", "The Zeta Projected"... I would buy VHS tapes and ), from Matsuda's 2004 "The Batman" (who, interestingly, wanted to make a "Batman vs Hush" movie after "Batman vs Dracula", but the studio wanted him to make movies pitting Bruce Wayne against various classic monsters like Frankenstein's monster or the Mummy, not a recent Bat-rogue like Hush) to Nolan's Batman Begins & *The Dark Knight* ...
This movie, and Heath Ledger's Joker in particular, really reignited my love for Batman, so when just one year later *Arkham Asylum* came out, damn... I still remember watching the trailer with my friends, and how hyped we were.
I started to buy some classic Batman stories like the Killing Joke, the Long Halloween, Frank Miller's TDKReturns, the 2008 Joker by Brian Azzarello (which was a follow up to the much superior, IMHO, "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" from 2005), but it wasn't until 2011 with the video game *Arkham City* that I became aware of the character Hush (still my favorite side mission of the whole game) and I immediately bought the collected edition of *Batman:Hush*
Much like you, the drawings blew my mind and it was pure joy to read, and sure the mystery felt shallow (especially since that Arkham City mission spoiled it for me) but I still loved it.
Like you, I loved how Bruce reacted at the end when Selina told him _hush..._ before kissing him, showing the mental effect that this adventure took on him...
My only real issue? Something that I would tweak?
When Batman punched Riddler in the interrogation room, I wish that the riddle Batman told him wasn't "what time is it when an elephant sits on your fence" etc etc
I really wish he had tied it all together by asking *"What belongs to you but others use more than you do?"* (a riddle that Nygma himself asks Amanda Waller in the badass little movie "Batman: Assault on Arkham" from 2014)
It would have been so cool, he wouldn't even had needed to explain more, just say "exactly" and leave after Nygma says "You name. Everyone knows that one. It's worthless."
And while Batman leave (after punching him, or not) we could see Riddler losing his mind in the back...
When it comes to Tommy Elliot, I'm partial to Paul Dini's *Heart of Hush/Hush Money/House of Hush* series.
I also liked him in "Gates of Gotham"
"Hush Returns" is a weird one, it's entertaining I'll give it that, but it turned one of my favorite Justice League rogues, Prometheus, into a joke that would take a long time to redeem as a real threat. And honestly, it made Tommy waaaaay too strong for no reason.
Ok, essay over, keep up the good work Salazar!
I love Hush, I'll be honest. I do see how this caused issues for the character going forward but I think that's the case for an seminal comic. I could also argue that The Dark Knight Returns was just as good for Batman as it was good...same for The Killing Joke.
I'm a fan of your vids and watch them when I exercise! I got the Absolute Version of Hush for the sick Jim Lee art. It's been a while since I've re-read the thing but I do know people are mixed on it. It has enough moments in it for me to look at it favorably.
This has to be one of your absolute funniest recaps to date. Oh my god. The jokes!! 😂❤ like first off, you’re doing excellent analysis of the art and how beautiful and meaningful a lot of the small, even hidden decisions are, great focus on panel layout/page design, while also ripping the “checklist-y” ness of the writing a new one as it so rightly deserves. 😂❤It’s so worthwhile waiting for your uploads, because you don’t just cover the comic itself, you focus on the industry at that point in time, you include information and context about the “political”/editing room/bottom line aspects of a graphic novel or large omnibus, and you make me laugh the whole way through. Your content is so great, keep it up!❤
Your videos are always worth the wait!
This is so fortuitous for me, as I’m in the middle of re-reading “Hush” for the first time in 20 years or so.
The GOAT sis back!
Hush as a villain is a poor man's Conduit.
28:00 major props on the rhyming schemes
Batman Hush was a Summerized for All Batman History and his storyline till this Day!
Ok, my third Batman comic when I was a child, 8 years-old, was BATMAN (original ongoing), 615, part of this story arc. I lost it, but now that I read the whole story, just like my two Ed Brubaker's comics, despite them being my childhood, I don't miss them at all.
Childhood memories aside, "Hush" is so overloaded, convoluted, and full of contrivances. Its beginning is solid, but it all falls apart after Thomas Elliot is killed. It doesn't help that I don't find mystery in this arc, and I can't stand The Riddler at all. And yet, despite all of this (and my disgust at Jeph Loeb as a comic writer, whose only good Batman work is THE LONG HALLOWEEN), "Hush" is far from a bad comic book. It has the best Jim Lee art ever (which would get even better in the abysmal ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN as the only redeeming quality of that series) and great moments, my favorite being where Batman was close to killing The Joker as revenge for Elliot's murder, until Jim Gordon appears and stops Batman from killing The Joker, and is a perfect strating point to those who want to read a Batman comic book.
Great video. Do you think You’d cover Heart of Hush By Paul Dini? I think he’s the only writer that could make an interesting story about hush.
He is the one who made Mr. Freeze the absolute legend, after all.
@@HMNCLunar He also made Kevin Conroy sing in JLU.
I was just rewatching this video and goddamn I love the moment where Jim stops Batman from killing the Joker because he’s literally the only person who can look him in the eye and communicate “I know EXACTLY how you’re feeling right now, but you cannot give in to this madman or he wins,” and it’s actually true and can convince Batman not to kill him. It’s so good. Hush, man-what a mixed bag, but goddamn is it good looking the whole way through. And as much as it is concerned with “moments” over the bigger mystery, in my opinion, it’s just too gorgeous to not acknowledge it for what it did for Batman’s overall image at the time, which was in dire need of a visual reset in the comics.
I loved Hush more than any other Batman story I have ever read in my 52 years of reading Batman and Detective
He said the number!
You did an amazing job explaining why people love it, and also why people like me hate it!
It would have been *the perfect Batman story* if it'd ended with Jason Todd being Hush.
salazar knight, i have a few questions
1. will you ever do a live stream? it can be awesome. you could do a qna or talk about stuff you want to talk about, but you think wouldn't do well as a video. you could also do watch parties of batman movies and shows or play a batman game.
2. what is your opinion of the classic robin costume from 1939? i really like it personally
3. what is your favorite batman serial from his serial show from the 40s?
4. what is your favorite superman comic?
thank you for reading and answering, and feel BATter soon!
I also enjoy Hush, but, like you, I think it shot itself in the foot by the way DC wanted Loeb to bring in a brand new villain, and how this was the beginning of an era of Batman that continues to this very day. Don't get me wrong I love certain parts of Grant Morrison's run on Batman, and I enjoy The Court of Owls, and even Under the Hood/Under the Red Hood, but each writer who came to write for the Batman titles tended to cherry pick what parts of the continuity they would use in their run, however long the run was.
28:28 Excellent rhyming !!!
In The Batman (2004) episode: Rumors, it was meant to be the animated debut of Hush. But for unknown reasons, he was replaced Rumor, a cheap ripoff of Lock-up.
Hush was supposed to be a movie
Hush was DC's answer to Marvel Ultimate. That's the proper context to understand it. A fresh story that reintroduces the key characters was a more interesting choice than yet another origin reboot. I also think you're wrong about Hush being the cause of the undoing of Batman's consistent continuity. Infinite Crisis was teased as early as Superman/Batman #6 in March 2004, just six months after Hush ended. Writers at DC knew they were headed into another universe reset. Then in the Grant Morrison era the continuity was so painfully consistent that new readers coming in from the Nolan movies found it incomprehensible, which was one of the motivations for rebooting again with Flashpoint.
The reason Hush came to be disliked in retrospect is that Tommie Elliott became one of DC's lamest villains in follow-up stories. Even Paul Dini ruined the best story, Heart of Hush, with the meandering continuation during the Graybat era. If you compare Hush to the original stories for classic villains, it's not on par with Ra's al Ghul but still far above average.
Lamest dc villains? pathetic notion of everything. Hush bested joker in all aspects, maybe you dont know that hush can broke batman morale when Batman try to kill Tommy with help of joker and both failed (the main target of joker, he make cry joker and defeat batman, in what? everything? you need read more hush before say these stupid things ) you dont understand nothing and like an bigmouth, you talk
Ignorant talking about dont know...Nothing new
@@Sr.Green. I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards his villains in Hush especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
Jeff Loeb writing on Batmna is really great at the moment to moment, but the second you use your brain (probably will happen near the end, as it's where he is at his worst) the more you realize that it is barely coherent series of events with little thematic or narrative depth, where Batman characterization is bland and pretty much machoman who uses fists, all the while the revelation makes you question taste of general comic books fans who gaslight people into believing that THE LONG HALLOWEEN is good story and not hard carried by Tim Sale (RIP) unique art. Honestly, The LH and Dark Victory was such disappointment that I regret bying them instead of Batman: Cult.
The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are awesome wtf dym???
@@HMNCLunar ah yes, a story where we need to believe that average woman who got blown up and was in the hospital in critical condition managed to sneak out and kill a man. I honestly try to not believe it that writing is that bad and by the numbers because of how people hype up, but reality that fake out death was so telegraphed from first issue that you need to be illiterate to not see it, all the while logic of the story becomes dumber and dumber that Penguin who wasn't in the story, suddenly makes cameo in the end. Dark Victory straight up makes me question why it's exists because it mostly series of events than coherent narrative and which would be better in 6 issues. Calendar Man redesign is pathetic Hannibal Lecter which mostly yaps than doing actually worthy of hype.
@@mikhaelgribkov4117nothing wrong with Batman using fists, he did the same in Frank Miller’s Year One and broke the cop’s ribs
The Darkness is a video game franchise that later became a comic series, not sure which main character batman fights but yeah, he comes from a xbox360 game
Hush imo is one of the most underrated and overhated characters, he never got a fair chance at being a standalone villain without one of the other more popular villains overshadowing him. Him being Bruce childhood friend and having such a depraved and obsessive hatred for Bruce is so good and has tons of potential to be explored, I firmly believe he could be Bruce arch rival and get to him on so many levels if they’re willing to actual take the time and add depth and explore the character.
Paul Dini did a great job with him during his Detective Comics run, but that run got overshadowed by Grant Morrison’s, which was going on at the same time (and was way weaker than Dini’s IMO)
Hush already defeat batman in everything. In fact, in an objetive way, hush bested joker, only need read hush saga to understand this
Buuut the people is stupid and even understand his motivation wrong and talk about dont know
Quite a few interesting points you made. Here are few of mine
1) i never noticed the much shorter ears on the cowl until you mentioned them. Batman just looked great in Jim Lees art, nothing of that grotesk, constipated looking Batman Kelley Jones.
2) fighting Superman, was all I ever wanted to see of that fight, including the acknowledgment that Batman can only due to Superman holding back.
3) I was utterly relieved to find out Jason Todd was not alive, I wanted to keep him dead, and have not changed my opinion on this.
I loved the book, despite the very odd ending.
To me Jim Lee and like 2/3 artist are the only ones who can pull off drawing short ear Batman.
He dropped!🎉
The original Hush comic is one of the most overrated Batman stories ever, carried by the iconic artwork. It's no wonder why MOST future adaptations of Hush in media base him off the Heart of Hush story and not the original. Heart of Hush is excellent
Eh, I think it does its job of reintroducing Batman and his mythos to a modern audience, his relationships, his flaws, his strengths, how he operates I feel it all works perfectly in that regard with gorgeous art.
I don’t love Hush for its story, I love Hush because the story is an excuse to see Batman’s world.
@@thomasjohnson1885 I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards villains in Hush especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
Great video as always Salazar !!!
RIP Benny the Comicstorian. He was a Great guy and made a lot of comic book fans and people in general very happy. God bless Benny. We will see him again in Heaven, but not any time soon at all I pray !!! To Benny ! The Comicstorian, the LEGEND !!!
I don't understand who the Riddler set this up; or Thomas Elliot's motivation: he was angry at Bruce's father saving his mother's life? it doesn't make any sense, but how does that fit into the Riddler's plan?
Batman: Hush's biggest strengths are also the source of its biggest issues: It's baby's first Batman story. It goes over basically everything the character has to offer, but doesn't excel at any of them and carries most of the series' baggage. It really comes down to whether or not you can take the good with the bad or not.
@Hawktana I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards villains especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
Hush may not be all that but I think this is your best script yet, fantastic work and likewise great video. Eagerly awaiting your next video, no matter the subject try choose to tackle. I’d love to see a video comparing and contrasting the various main stay artists over the years. To my own surprise it’s Aparo who in retrospect I enjoy the most, even if at the time I liked the work of Breyfogle, Nolan and Adams more.
Does this video have Major Spoilers? I’ve only got into comics a few years ago and I’ve been pushing off reading hush for a while now. But was planning on reading it soon after learning Sal was doing a video on it. But been working a lot and haven’t got to it. Most likely next weekend I’ll have the time. But wondering if I should wait till after I’ve read it to watch this video. Any suggestions? Thanks
You should definitely read the story first :)
@@SalazarKnight Thanks 😊
@@SalazarKnight I just finished Hush, Finally!!! I thought it was a great story. Although not perfect. But now I can’t wait to see what Sal has to say about it!!! Im gonna watch it literally right now!!!
Honestly, i actually really like Hush. The comic arc, not the character. Everything EXCEPT Hush himself was actually pretty interesting IMO, but Hush himself and his reveal ruined the whole thing
I actually did enjoy Batman though being ruthless towards villains in Hush especially how he knocked riddler off his chair in the ending
The best thing Batman Hush has ever given us was the mafex figure line
Great analysis. Your right the the at distracted me from the plot
The final reveal is kinda weak, but it is funny that the big mystery mastermind is being manipulated by someone else.
In the scene in the alley, weren't the thugs saying the same things the thugs said in the same scene in Batman 89?
And I agree with you on pineapple pizza, but the biggest moment of 2004 was Bucky turning out to be alive.
@TheGuyInTheCheapSeats I think Batman Hush and Daredevil Guardian Devil have a bit in common
Salazar hating on Joker Last Laugh :(
We ain’t gonna talk about how sexy Jim Lees artwork is? Huntress, Ivy, Harley, Catwoman? All 10/10”s
He's been mentioning that whole video dude
Excellent job. I'm of the side that thought the whole mess of Jim's work was borrowed from Frank Miller's concepts. So it means nothing 🦇❤️
Hush's vibes are off the charts. It works like a sandbox campaign that way, like the plot is held together by sheer sequence, but every character and part of the lore you visit is dripping charisma. This was the story which showed Amanda Waller talking down to Batman and she's fully an NPC in this story.
Also love love love the work you are doing! So grateful.
@@parikshithshashikumar849this story and Daredevil guardian devil share similarities
37:27 i like your choice of music. Darksiders are the greatest of all time
I am also still very annoyed by how they killed off Harold. (The Grant / Breyfogle era is still an all-time favourite, so I am admittedly biased.)
This is a very fair appraisal. Visually, it’s incredible. The writing is all over the place, but you put that into perspective well, as even the best intentions can’t overcome executive meddling.
Hush story be damned. I brought all the issues to see Jim Lee drawn DC characters. And he killed it. Every page was phenomenal. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I was so over Hush by the time they got to the Jason "reveal" that I didn't go on with it. Jason coming back was never something I jived with; let the boy stay dead. Just like Peter Parker's uncle Ben dying, Jason being so callously murdered by the Joker was one of those things that gave the bat books a certain weight and gravitas. It was the first time we saw that Batman cannot save everyone, even his closest companions, and it was something that haunted him. It was a reminder that this gig wasn't fun and games, there were real risks to donning that uniform and keeping to the vow. And allowing the Joker to defeat Batman enhanced both characters and the Joker became a deadly threat instead of a comic menace with cheesy plots and cheesier traps, and his actions have lasting consequences, turning him into one of Bruce's most TERRIFYING villains. Hand-waving away Jason's death like this--not just once, but multiple times--negated the sacrifice of his life in the first place. (And sure, maybe I'm a little biased because I -_-never-_- like Jason back in his original run and I'm one of the 15 year-olds who voted by 900 phone number to kill off the mean little disrespectful punk.) Jason's death was one of the few comic book deaths that was intended to -*-stay permanent-*- -- at the time of "A Death in the Family"'s publication, Denny O'Neil said that "it would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back". He was RIGHT, and Judd Winnick was wrong to bring him back after Hush.
But the Clayface angle never made sense. Sure, he got the story he referenced wrong, but he knew too much that he shouldn't have known. And overall this story is rather infamous for making a big swing, then taking it back in the next issue; Selina's part of the group now, now she isn't; Jason's alive, no he isn't; Harold's back, and he can talk now; but now he's dead; and so on and so forth. This story gave me whiplash, and I was so over it. I think I skimmed the final issue in the comic book store to see if it all made sense at the end and if I should buy the issues I missed; I didn't bother.
The art is fantastic! The story clearly had no direction.
It'd be interesting to hear your take on "As the Crow Flies". The immediate follow up to the phenomena that was Hush in the regular Batman title. Whether one liked or disliked Hush, it was a definitely a hard act to follow.
You describe the auteur writer-driven era of Batman as if it was bad, while it gave us the Morrison and Snyder runs, which are pretty much universally considered the best Batman runs ever (and also the most affectionate for the character and his continuity).
39:48 Best Part of The Video Special Feeling Bad For The Dead Of A Support That Now One Ever Remember
Talking about black mask, can we expect a video on War Games event.