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haunted_air's review
3.0
This was...ok.
Heart of Hush, like the title suggests, delves into the background of Hush, which all and good (and needed because the original Hush didn't really do that). Unfortunately though, I realized I don't really care about the character so those parts did nothing for me. It was still worth a read because of Selina and the guest appearance by Zatanna. But I wasn't fond of the "bad guy goes after Catwoman to hurt Batman because she is the only person he truly loves!!!" thing. Although she gets payback and owns Hush by the end, which was awesome.
Heart of Hush, like the title suggests, delves into the background of Hush, which all and good (and needed because the original Hush didn't really do that). Unfortunately though, I realized I don't really care about the character so those parts did nothing for me. It was still worth a read because of Selina and the guest appearance by Zatanna. But I wasn't fond of the "bad guy goes after Catwoman to hurt Batman because she is the only person he truly loves!!!" thing. Although she gets payback and owns Hush by the end, which was awesome.
jakekilroy's review
3.0
The original Hush, the one that created the character, was described to me as the ultimate love-it-or-hate-it Batman tale. And, I don't know if I was really either, but "really like it" doesn't sound quite as gripping. I dug it because it was a fun mystery that involved all of the classic villains working intricately, some with others and some independently. There were a few holes, but the story didn't take itself serious enough to put weight on those holes.
The sequel, done by Paul Dini (co-creator of the favored 90s animated television series) instead of Jeph Loeb (the originator of Hush), kind of takes itself too seriously. Hush was never a whimsical character. He's built entirely out of anger. And there was never any theatrics to him, but there was a certain quality of humor or irony to him. In this one, he's just hate and not really that much fun.
However, he does continue to have one of the sickest costumes in comics, I think. Trenchcoat, body armor and face bandages with two guns that he loves shooting? Come on. That shit is rad.
Also, the Joker in both Hush storylines has been kind of my favorite. In the first one, he seem reasonable, but only because he's so inside his own insanity. He's fun and he loves violence, but he likes it on his terms and likes being Gotham's Number One Enemy. In this one, he's in jail and watches Batman pummel Dr. Crane. As he watches the violence, he says, "Better than Christmas. Swear to God."
The story evolves the dynamic of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, which is always solid. And it still had a lot of moments of intrigue. But, overall, it lacked the big pay-off and even the build-up I was hoping for or expecting. It was good and I wasn't really disappointed, but it seemed like it too itself way too seriously without having the edginess that's required for stuff like that.
The sequel, done by Paul Dini (co-creator of the favored 90s animated television series) instead of Jeph Loeb (the originator of Hush), kind of takes itself too seriously. Hush was never a whimsical character. He's built entirely out of anger. And there was never any theatrics to him, but there was a certain quality of humor or irony to him. In this one, he's just hate and not really that much fun.
However, he does continue to have one of the sickest costumes in comics, I think. Trenchcoat, body armor and face bandages with two guns that he loves shooting? Come on. That shit is rad.
Also, the Joker in both Hush storylines has been kind of my favorite. In the first one, he seem reasonable, but only because he's so inside his own insanity. He's fun and he loves violence, but he likes it on his terms and likes being Gotham's Number One Enemy. In this one, he's in jail and watches Batman pummel Dr. Crane. As he watches the violence, he says, "Better than Christmas. Swear to God."
The story evolves the dynamic of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, which is always solid. And it still had a lot of moments of intrigue. But, overall, it lacked the big pay-off and even the build-up I was hoping for or expecting. It was good and I wasn't really disappointed, but it seemed like it too itself way too seriously without having the edginess that's required for stuff like that.
just_fighting_censorship's review
3.0
2 1/2 Stars
Well it was better than [b:Batman: Hush Returns|107038|Batman Hush Returns|A.J. Lieberman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1280046270s/107038.jpg|103169] but that really isn't saying much. You know how in Spider-man 3 they had those flashbacks of the "Uncle Ben" incident and they revealed that Flint Marko was also involved in an attempt to make the audience care?
Aside from being really lazy writing, it felt forced, cheap, and trite....which pretty much sums up this 3rd HUSH arc.
The author attempts to add depth to the character with flashbacks but it's too derivative. Instead of making Hush more it makes him less, less believable, less relate-able, and less interesting. I didn't buy Hush's Bruce Wayne obsession this time around and the Catwoman melodrama didn't tug at my heart strings.
I am so tired of characters 'dying' and then reappearing. It is so annoying and really insults the intelligence of the reader. At this point Hush has died twice and come back each time to everyone's shock and awe. At the end of this book guess what... yep he 'dies' again, except there is no body found. Oh okay, so this guy that you've tried to get rid of twice has disappeared so your just going to shrug it off and assume you got him this time with absolutely no proof whatsoever...really!?
Overall, there was a ton of forced emotionality and I just wasn't buying it. All of the Aristotle quotes tried to make this into something philosophical and deep, they failed. The artwork was acceptable and there were a few great moments such as BAD ASS ALFRED and a funny Joker cameo. Despite several flaws this was enjoyable, however I often hear it lauded as one of the best Catwoman stories and it is no where near the top of that list.
Well it was better than [b:Batman: Hush Returns|107038|Batman Hush Returns|A.J. Lieberman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1280046270s/107038.jpg|103169] but that really isn't saying much. You know how in Spider-man 3 they had those flashbacks of the "Uncle Ben" incident and they revealed that Flint Marko was also involved in an attempt to make the audience care?
Aside from being really lazy writing, it felt forced, cheap, and trite....which pretty much sums up this 3rd HUSH arc.
The author attempts to add depth to the character with flashbacks but it's too derivative. Instead of making Hush more it makes him less, less believable, less relate-able, and less interesting. I didn't buy Hush's Bruce Wayne obsession this time around and the Catwoman melodrama didn't tug at my heart strings.
I am so tired of characters 'dying' and then reappearing. It is so annoying and really insults the intelligence of the reader. At this point Hush has died twice and come back each time to everyone's shock and awe. At the end of this book guess what... yep he 'dies' again, except there is no body found. Oh okay, so this guy that you've tried to get rid of twice has disappeared so your just going to shrug it off and assume you got him this time with absolutely no proof whatsoever...really!?
Overall, there was a ton of forced emotionality and I just wasn't buying it. All of the Aristotle quotes tried to make this into something philosophical and deep, they failed. The artwork was acceptable and there were a few great moments such as BAD ASS ALFRED and a funny Joker cameo. Despite several flaws this was enjoyable, however I often hear it lauded as one of the best Catwoman stories and it is no where near the top of that list.
jennmarshall27's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this but I really struggled just getting through it and finally abandoned it. The story and art just didn't seem to go together.
birdmanseven's review
2.0
I feel like they should have stopped with the original Hush story. It was so good. I've found the rest of them to be pretty lackluster. This one definitely let me down.
We discussed favorite Batman stories in a special episode of the All the Books Show podcast: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-30-batman-v-all-the-books
We discussed favorite Batman stories in a special episode of the All the Books Show podcast: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-30-batman-v-all-the-books
seeliequeen's review
5.0
This story is all about Batman, Hush and Catwoman as the cover shows. I really enjoyed this, Hush is one of the villains I enjoy and I'm trash for BatCat.
drasticpear's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
libra17's review
5.0
I think I like this better than the original Hush storyline.
I think I like this better than the original Hush storyline. The art isn't as photorealistic, which is fine by me; I like heavier lines anyway. I like the action and I especially like how - even though Selina is a damsel in distress for a good chunk of the story, what with her heart being removed and all - she is the one to deal Hush the coup de grace and seriously impede his future ability to engage in villainy.
What kind of bothers me is how Hush's knowledge of the batcave is basically ignored. Hush himself makes one comment about it - that, now that he knows where it is, he can come back at anytime - but we never see any precautions being taken to prevent this. Selina has made sure Hush is broke - that he doesn't even have two nickels for bus far, to paraphrase her message to him - but that won't prevent Hush from helping himself to the batclan's supplies without changing some security protocols and adding in more barriers than an antique grandfather clock. Maybe this is dealt with a later issue, but it is not referenced or pictured here, so that's a big lose end that he authors left dangling.
Overall, though, I really, really like Heart of Hush. I like the story, I like the characterizations, and I like the art. This is a book that I would highly recommend to others.
I think I like this better than the original Hush storyline. The art isn't as photorealistic, which is fine by me; I like heavier lines anyway. I like the action and I especially like how - even though Selina is a damsel in distress for a good chunk of the story, what with her heart being removed and all - she is the one to deal Hush the coup de grace and seriously impede his future ability to engage in villainy.
What kind of bothers me is how Hush's knowledge of the batcave is basically ignored. Hush himself makes one comment about it - that, now that he knows where it is, he can come back at anytime - but we never see any precautions being taken to prevent this. Selina has made sure Hush is broke - that he doesn't even have two nickels for bus far, to paraphrase her message to him - but that won't prevent Hush from helping himself to the batclan's supplies without changing some security protocols and adding in more barriers than an antique grandfather clock. Maybe this is dealt with a later issue, but it is not referenced or pictured here, so that's a big lose end that he authors left dangling.
Overall, though, I really, really like Heart of Hush. I like the story, I like the characterizations, and I like the art. This is a book that I would highly recommend to others.
mtoddweb's review
4.0
I like Dini's Batman in graphic novel form as well as animation. I only wish the story had been a few issues longer.