In the winter of 2002 and 2003 I got into the Hush storyline from Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams. Wizard had shown a preview that showed Batman dealing with Killer Croc. Hungry for more, I trekked through some Boston snow to follow this arc. It's primarily a great book for any Batman fans. Many members of the the Batfamily and Batman rogues get worked in.
Killer Croc, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Joker, Harley Quinn, Riddler, Scarecrow, Harvey Dent, Clayface, Ra's, and Talia...... What type of mastermind can manipulate all these villains into his debut? It's what everybody was wondering when they saw the man with a head wrapped in bandages seemingly calling the shots. It all primarily took place in Gotham aside from trips to Metropolis, and North Africa. Searching for the answer, there was a red herring that stirred up speculation and dredged through Bruce Wayne's past.
Okay, so SPOILERS time. Here's a brief synopsis.
I'm not going to pore over every detail here, but most. The closer to the beginning, the more it seemed that each issue was a story on its own all while playing a part in something larger. The first part was where Batman and Catwoman rescue a child from Gotham's upper class who had been kidnapped by Croc. The boy's family had made their money through a chemicals company (now a subsidiary of Luthorcorp). Their noted recent product, (RC-60) was a napalm that can be desguised as lipstick. Kidnapping and asking a ransom was out of character for this reptilian foe, which gave Bats an idea that someone bigger was orchestrating all this. We dig deeper and find Poison Ivy. Seduced by Ivy's toxins, Catwoman stole the ransom money and delivered it to Isley. This brings in some assistance from Huntress. After a brutal slugfest with Killer Croc, Batman makes it just short of the Batmobile's safety. Someone had cut a battling Bruce was swinging on, Batman fell down to Gotham's alleyways. He's about to get attacked by some thugs when in rides the Birds of Prey's resident badass. Bruce gets back to the batcave but in critical condition. A surgeon who Bruce knew from childhood (Tommy Elliot) was flown in to his aid. During this issue we begin to see some scenes from the past indicated by watercolor paintings. we learn that Bruce and Tommy's friendship predated the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Thomas and Martha look on as the boy's play a Stratego-ish game. There is some strong foreshadowing. We learn that Tommy can think more steps ahead than Bruce. The adults see what could be a lifelong friendship unless tragedy should strike.
Resiliently, Batman is soon back in the cowl and interrogating Croc. Enraged, Killer Croc escapes from Arkham. Croc takes off after Catwoman. It's Batman's first impulse to go after him personally, but Amanda Waller also wants in on the hunt. The boy who had been kidnapped was the child of people supporting President Luthor's campaign. In another flashback, we learn of another part of the Wayne/Elliot friendship. Tommy's parents were in a car accident. Thomas Wayne tried to save both of Tommy's parents but the father didn't make it. Back in the present, a captured Croc gets handed over to Checkmate as Bruce travels to Metropolis to learn more of Luthor's involvement.
In Metropolis, whoelse should we find other than Tommy Elliot. In a flashback, we see a some great memories of when the duo went to Metropolis as children. They got to see firsthand the golden age Green Lantern (Alan Scott) battling Icicle. Wayne pays Lois a visit at the Daily Planet with Clark walking in on some mild sexual chemistry. With Lex in the White House, Talia had taken control of Luthorcorp. Oracle identified the key ingredient in RC-60 and and informed Bruce. Talia told Bruce how this chemical was an exotic botanical extract from the Amazon. Now he goes after Poison Ivy. She's got Catwoman and Superman. She had some green-K lipstick for the last son of Krypton. We know that Batman's willing to fight dirty and he had a kryptonite ring for just such an occasion. The two fight it out as Ivy's lair gets destroyed and the toxins slowly make their way out of Superman's system. Part of Ivy's hold losing effectiveness is about chemicals. The other part is motivation. Batman had Catwoman stage a hostage situation to bring Superman to Lois's rescue. GCPD captain Maggie Sawyer arranged with her old friends with the Metropolis PD to bring Poison Ivy back to Gotham.
With everything seemily solved, Bruce and Selina join Tommy for an opera. The performance goes awry when Joker, Harley, and their henchman take the stage. Selina and Bruce spring into action (and into costume). Among the people in the Joker's captive audience, Tommy gets robbed by Harley. She takes an important keepsake from Tommy's mother and he goes after Joker & company as well. By the time Batman catches up, Joker is standing over what looks like a dead Tommy with a smoking gun. The following issue is about Batman pummeling the Joker. As memories of Barbara getting shot, and Jason Todd getting killed (both by the Clown Prince of Crime) few can pry the enraged Batman off Joker. Harley can't and it takes a confrontation from Jim Gordon. If Jim can show mercy to the clown, so should Batman. In the shadows we see someone dressed as Hush flipping a coin with a scratched out head alluding to a possible identity.
In Metropolis, whoelse should we find other than Tommy Elliot. In a flashback, we see a some great memories of when the duo went to Metropolis as children. They got to see firsthand the golden age Green Lantern (Alan Scott) battling Icicle. Wayne pays Lois a visit at the Daily Planet with Clark walking in on some mild sexual chemistry. With Lex in the White House, Talia had taken control of Luthorcorp. Oracle identified the key ingredient in RC-60 and and informed Bruce. Talia told Bruce how this chemical was an exotic botanical extract from the Amazon. Now he goes after Poison Ivy. She's got Catwoman and Superman. She had some green-K lipstick for the last son of Krypton. We know that Batman's willing to fight dirty and he had a kryptonite ring for just such an occasion. The two fight it out as Ivy's lair gets destroyed and the toxins slowly make their way out of Superman's system. Part of Ivy's hold losing effectiveness is about chemicals. The other part is motivation. Batman had Catwoman stage a hostage situation to bring Superman to Lois's rescue. GCPD captain Maggie Sawyer arranged with her old friends with the Metropolis PD to bring Poison Ivy back to Gotham.
With everything seemily solved, Bruce and Selina join Tommy for an opera. The performance goes awry when Joker, Harley, and their henchman take the stage. Selina and Bruce spring into action (and into costume). Among the people in the Joker's captive audience, Tommy gets robbed by Harley. She takes an important keepsake from Tommy's mother and he goes after Joker & company as well. By the time Batman catches up, Joker is standing over what looks like a dead Tommy with a smoking gun. The following issue is about Batman pummeling the Joker. As memories of Barbara getting shot, and Jason Todd getting killed (both by the Clown Prince of Crime) few can pry the enraged Batman off Joker. Harley can't and it takes a confrontation from Jim Gordon. If Jim can show mercy to the clown, so should Batman. In the shadows we see someone dressed as Hush flipping a coin with a scratched out head alluding to a possible identity.
Dick and Tim join Bruce at Tommy's funeral. Bruce reflect on how Tommy went to med. school inspired by Thomas Wayne. The more Batman rues about these events, the more he wonders what this has to do with Jason Todd. Nightwing offers empathy and tries lighting the mood. They thwart an armored car heist . While it involved Riddle, it seemed irrelevant to the larger Hush story. Someone dressed as Hush appears in front of Joker's cell at Arkham and unwraps the bandages. It appears that Hush had been a Two-Face who had freshly undergone cosmetic surgery. Batman and Talia have an air-to-sea rendezvous as Bruce wants to know what Ra's has been up to, but Talia doesn't seem to know. Someone does, because a sword from the League of Assassins is found lodged into a Batcave computer console. Batman goes to North Africa seeking Ra's al Ghul as Catwoman goes after Talia. Sat Batman duels Ra's in a sword fight, Lady Shiva comes to save Talia from Selena. Ra's knew that Talia had been captured and sent Lady Shiva. If Ra's was to lose his duel with Bruce, he would contribute what he knows of this underlying story. Batman comes through and Ra's tells of a Lazarus Pit that had been defiled and asking who from the past would want to come back from the dead. Lady Shiva beats on Catwoman, but Talia shows that she doesn't want her father's help.
After Alfred has provided medical assistance to bruce and Selena, Bruce checks on Jason's grave and finds that the remains have been stolen. Tensions rise, Tim Drake doesn't like Catwoman getting inside information and neither does Huntress. Doing her own thing Huntress chases down Catwoman. Batman fights her off As he surmises that Scarecrow is behind Helena's actions, Scarecrow rides in on Huntress's motorcycle. Batman tries getting answers out of Crane when he sees someone who looks like Hush holding Tim Drake in headlock. The bandages fall away to reveal what looks like a theoretically older Jason Todd. With how brutally and bitterly, "Jason" expresses his anger towards Batman and third Robin, Batman realizes this couldn't be Jason. soon he's revealed to be Clayface. Bruce pays a visit to Oracle. Huntress is a teammate of her's and Barbara may be able to help with an electronic relay found in the Batcave computer. Barbara finds that it was an inside job involving a programmer who helped Bruce. When Batman tries contacting this man, the programmer gets shot dead by someone with a bandaged head who holds a pair of smoking guns.
This figure has Tommy's keepsake. As he and Brussel fight, it's revealed that Harvey's behind these bandages. Harvey owns up to shooting Tommy, but says that Tommy was ultimately behind this, and behind his his facial work. Batman denies it, but is challenged to exhume the body and find that it was a clay duplicate. It all ends with Batman consulting with Riddler, with all these questions but few answers. Riddler had used a pseudonym when seeking Tommy's help regarding a terminal carcinoma in the brain. The only thing that could cure him was a lazarus pit. The recovery from cancer had intrigued Tommy and his closeness to Wayne. We close not knowing what's happened to the body of Jason Todd.
This was a very gripping story. It clawed through Bruce's past and had everyone asking questions. Jeph Loeb has since brought his storytelling to Marvel and works in their live action department. Jim Lee's a co-publisher at DC Comics and recently talked with Kevin Smith on a podcast about how much detail he put into Batman's gear during Hush. Scott Williams continues his award winning career as an inker.
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