This week: In a special bonus edition of DC Roundup, we’ll see Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee return to the first chapter of H2SH, Dark Knight in Batman #158.
And don’t miss the regularly scheduled DC roundup, it’s an absolute Mars Manhunter #1!
Note: The review below contains spoilers. If you need quick spoiler purchase/pass recommendations for the manga in question, please see the bottom of the article for the final verdict.
Batman #158
Author: Jeff Roeb
Penciller: Jim Lee
Inker: Scott Williams
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Richard Suit
Cover Artists: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair
Early in Batman #158, the long sequels of “H2SH”, Jeff Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Richard Suit, their current classic “Hash” storyline, The Dark Knight seems to be on the Joker trail frequently. Batman meditates on what the Joker is doing, pointing out that it clearly appears to be recreating a previous crime. Batman said, “Why do you repeat old jokes?” as he hits his face with the Joker’s long-time weapon, Clover.
The caption for the following story is about how the Joker brings chaos and Batman is there to restore order. This is roughly the same as the narration line from the original “Hush.” During the following underwater sequence, Batman tries to force a mask to activate the electrical defenses he has against it, zaps the laughing fish trying to eat him. These defenses are repeated from the original “hash.” This time, Batman is electrocuted with Batman and then retreated.
I’m not sure if this is intended to return to one of the most successful projects by Loeb, Lee and Company. We could see Joker repeating past crimes as jokes. However, repeating elements from the original storyline doesn’t necessarily feel intentionally reflexive, but if you haven’t read the original recently, it probably won’t be something that will be picked up right away. But for readers who returned to that original story before picking up the sequel, it certainly is an interesting way to get things started. And backfiring the mask removal gimmick… well, what once worked doesn’t necessarily work for the second time.
The question of why Loeb, Lee and Company are back together is simple. A parent company like DC and its parent company, the original “Hush” is an absolute juggernaut and a lasting standout in the publisher’s back catalogue. “H2SH” has already proven to be equally large, with retailers ordering more than 400,000 copies ahead of its release. From a business perspective, the answer is simple.
But from a storytelling perspective, it’s a bit blurry. We live in Grant Post Morrison, Post Tom King World. Batman was recovered and rebuilt by at least a half dozen between the 2002 release of “Hush” and the release of today’s sequel. Again, the original story did not specifically attempt to reinvent the wheel. Instead, over the course of 12 issues, he presented a highly action-oriented “Greatest Hits” playlist for Batman and his Rogues gallery. With one issue of Six under the belt, it appears that Loeb and Lee have similar goals in mind this time, but not without some differences.
The Loeb script here seamlessly takes the feel of the original storyline. Batman’s internal monologue frames every scene he exists and sets the tone from the jump. It also creates areas where “H2SH” does what stands out. This issue has multiple scenes where Batman is not present, and it happened sparingly in the original story. The scene between Nightwing and Batgirl nods towards how much the Bat family has grown over the past 20 years, but the conflict between Hash and the Joker doesn’t reveal that Thomas Elliott is back, but rarely sets up the Dark Knight dilemma.
Visually, the works of Lee, Williams and Sinclair are as sharply stylized as ever. The storytelling is solid and the characters are generally good physical, but there are some images of Batman, which makes me feel like they are pose statically, with less energy than they once did. The appearance of Talia Al Ghul feels that Lee is being tucked to make excuses for portraying women in a skin-tight suit. The first appearance of the new character’s silence is certainly impressive, even if the character’s designs are rather boring overall. Honestly, what is there anything that hasn’t been said about this team? That’s exactly the job they’ve been doing together for decades, either you either love it or you don’t do it at this point. As it stands, it fits perfectly with the look and feel of the original “Hush” storyline.
But that “identity” is probably what the project aims for. Unfortunately, rather than being a fun throwback, it gives everything a tired, dated atmosphere. What I found modern and exciting in 2002 is now old and derivative. Repeating elements from the original storyline certainly doesn’t help. A bit about Joker repeating his past jokes takes place later in the matter as he walks through the virtual “memory lane” of the horrifying things Joker has been doing over the years.
But then, why don’t you bother to bother when your old favorites sold so well?
Final Verdict: View.
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