[Comics Review] Batman: The Complete Hush (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Someone is taking Batman's enemies and teaching them new tricks.

Killer Croc kidnaps a child for ransom.

Poison Ivy exerts her hold over Catwoman and has her steal Croc's ransom, giving it to her.

Harley Quinn interrupts an opera to rob the patrons and Joker is arrested for killing Doctor Thomas Elliott, one of Bruce's childhood friends.

Huntress thinks that Catwoman is a younger version of herself.

Who's doing it and, most importantly, what do they want?

The comic starts with Killer Croc having received a ransom of $10 million dollars in exchange for the kid he kidnaps. Batman swings into action, stopping Croc -- Croc's bigger and meaner than ever and all Batman can get out of him is that someone was going to give him an antidote.

When the police arrive, Batman discovers that Catwoman has taken off with the ransom and he proceeds to follow her with the intentions of returning the money to its rightful owner. His grapnel line is cut and he falls. He falls HARD. Smack dab into Crime Alley (where his parents were murdered when he was eight). Catwoman gives the money to Ivy and we see that she's under Ivy's spell.

It's announced that Bruce Wayne has been in a terrible accident and has called in a neurosurgeon named Thomas Elliott in for a surgical procedure. We learn that "Tommy" was once Bruce's best friend when they were growing up. While they were young, Elliott's father and mother are in a car wreck, Bruce's father (a surgeon) trying deperately to save them both. He is able to save the mother but not the father. Bruce promised Tommy that things would be okay and Tommy breaks down because he thinks Bruce has lied to him. They grow apart as a lot of kids' early friendships do.

Ivy runs off to Metropolis and Batman and Catwoman team up to catch her. But first... a kiss. A kiss that appears to have been the first between the two and one that Batman has a hard time forgetting. During the comic, this relationship between Batman and Catwoman is forged extremely carefully, Batman even deciding to reveal to Catwoman (Selina Kyle) his true identity as Bruce Wayne and even invites her to the Bat Cave.

Batman as Bruce Wayne goes to visit the Daily Planet and return Ivy to Gotham City. But Ivy takes control of Superman with her powers and we have a massive fight on our hands. Superman vs. Batman and Catwoman. Fortunately, Batman has a ring with a green Kryptonite K in his belt and, with it and some other tricks, they're able to get Superman, the eternal Boy Scout, out from underneath Ivy's spell.

Harley Quinn, Riddler, Huntress... everyone's behaving so oddly...

Batman pieces together what has happened and who was responsible for kicking these criminals into high gear.

And the ending -- even if you've gone through the Batman: Arkham City videogame -- will still surprise you.

I actually read this comic twice to get a good feel for the story. Batman is often sad, but thoughtful and moody as he is wont to be. His decisions aren't made lightly and, even though Alfred lets Selina know this, his thoughts, the narration of the story is so well written that we, the audience, already know the painstaking care he has put into deciding whether to continue a relationship with Selina.

One of my favorite parts was amusing because of a quip that Batman says in Heroes in Crisis #2 that he doesn't have Kryptonite in his belt, and come to find out, in both stories, he definitely had Kryptonite in his belt.

Batman may call Superman the Boy Scout but he's definitely prepared for everything.

From Heroes in Crisis #2

From Batman: The Complete Hush

I really enjoyed that the writers took the time to plant the clues that Batman needed to discover who it is that's giving more power to his enemies.

It's hard to describe a comic book for a review. It always feels that there's so much going on and I just want to tell you who did it and why and why it's not going to be who you think it is. BUT you should go out and read it and enjoy it for yourself.

And my favorite photo...