Batman #608 (December, 2002)
"Hush, Chapter One: The Ransom"
Writer - Jeph Loeb
Pencils - Jim Lee
Inks - Scott Williams
Colors - Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editor - Morgan Dontanville
Editor - Bob Schreck
Special Thanks - Mark Chiarello
Cover Price: $2.25
I've been meaning to revisit Hush for awhile now... for whatever reason, it's always an arc I wind up forgetting about. It's actually one of those arcs I haven't given a second look to since it originally hit the shelves.
I remember the reaction being... sorta polarized, but nothing extreme. I saw folks write the whole thing off as a series of fight scenes... which, I mean... there's something to that. I recall that I just received it as a fun bombastic romp through Batman's rogue's gallery... with some purty nice art.
After a few years of that Chip Kidd trade-dress era... Batman definitely needed a shot in the arm (creatively and saleswise), and I think this story achieved that. This was one of those books people had a hard time tracking down. I nabbed it right away, but I remember a lot of curious folks having to visit multiple shops to get their copy.
Let's see how this one held up!
--
We open at the Gotham City Shipyard. Batman has deduced that he's got 73 seconds to get in and out for a clean retrieval. Retrieval of what? We'll get there. Past the locks, there are several armed men watching the perimeter. Batman tactically takes 'em all out.
Finally after working his way through the squad of goons, Batman comes across a port door... which he blows off it's hinges. When the dust clears, we can see he'd gone in to rescue a young boy.
The terrified boy takes his hand, and they bat-line out of the area. Unfortunately, it looks like Batman misoverestimated his timeframe, 73 seconds wasn't quite long enough... because as they make their escape, they run smack dab into... Killer Croc! It's just as well, really... Croc is carrying a suitcase Batman very much might want.
Batman and Croc spend the next several pages brawling... during which, that briefcase gets nyoinked away. In realizing he will not be able to overpower the beast, Batman pops a hypersonic beepy-thing on Croc's neck... and let's that put him out of commission for awhile.
With Croc all grogged out, Batman ties him to a beam... and the young boy ain't scared no mo'. Then, the F.B.I. shows up to ream Batman out about his methods. Sure, they're happy he retrieved the child (who is, by the way, Edward Lamont IV, heir to the Lamont Chemical fortune)... but, wattabout the briefcase full'a money?!
Well, Batman has a few ideas where that briefcase might've gone... and within minutes he's hot on Catwoman's... tail. She has the money, naturally... and they flirtatiously chase one another for a few pages.
Until... someone cuts the bat-line!
Batman falls all the way to the ground, only once breaking his fall with a stone gargoyle... which also breaks, sending him KRASHing into a gang-filled alley. They don't look all that happy to see him. On the other hand, they might be really happy to see him!
Catwoman reaches her destination... and we learn that she stole the briefcase under the control and orders of... Poison Ivy!
--
Not much to it, is there? A few simple scenes... a fun fight... dynamic action, awesome art... but, really... not much yet to sink our teeth into. I mean, "Chapter One" is part of the title, and I guess it lives up to that!
I'm trying to recall whether or not we knew what "Hush" was at this point. Did we know that Hush was going to wind up being a person? Oh, by the way... Hush winds up being a person. I guess this is as good an opportunity as any to finally make use of some of my ephemera... and justify why I have several hundred pounds worth of Diamond Previews catalogs upstairs! Worth noting that Hush was a big enough deal to get a cover... two actually (we'll get there).
If we look at Previews Vol. XII #8 (August, 2002)...
We can take a look at the original solicitation...
No mention of whether or not "Hush" is a new character. Buuut, that might just be because DC Comics wanted to break that news the following month in Wizard! The solicit above actually makes reference to a "Wizard: The Comics Magazine preview"
And so, if we were to take a peek at Wizard: The Comics Magazine #134 (November, 2002) we'd actually get a look at the mummy-wrapped baddie.
So... I suppose it's possible that as of the release of Batman #608... we might not have known that Hush was going to wind up actually being a new character. I'm just trying to figure out whether or not Batman's batline being severed was a "whodunnit" when this first came out. I think I'd probably just assume it was a Poison Ivy thug at this point, and leave it at that.
Overall... this is a breezy read, won't take but a few minutes to get through. On a positive note, DC Comics did not raise the cover price here! It's still $2.25... which is, prrrrretty unbelievable, ain't it? I'd figure they could've easily cranked this one up to at the very least $2.99... perhaps even $3.99, and gotten away with it. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't try! They actually keep the price at $2.25 for the entire Loeb/Lee run!
Could I recommend this? As a single issue... probably. As a collection... definitely (despite my recalling that it ends very predictably). This is a fun one... and the art, as mentioned, is pretty amazing. Naturally, it's been collected a number of times... and is available digitally.
--
Interesting Ads:
986
Superman: Birthright #1 (September, 2003)
Writer - Mark Waid
Pencils - Leinil Francis Yu
Inks - Gerry Alanguilan
Colors - Dave McCaig
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editors - Dan Raspler & Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.95
Superman's origin... we really... really... really... really mean it this time.
What was that? Geoff Johns on line 1?
Oh well, publish it anyway!
--
We open on Krypton... go figure. Jor-El is having a bit of a test-flight with one of his "gotta get off the planet before it pops" rockets... and it bursts into flames. He continues tweaking the trajectory... but, finds the entire endeavor to be somewhat hopeless. He rants a bit to Lara about the Science Council being a bunch of boobs who refused to heed his warnings, and laments that the only rocket in their "fleet" is the prototype... which would be barely large enough to carry their infant son, Kal.
From here, we get a bit of the quick 'n dirty on Krypton. They were a people who grew tired of war... and so, became enlightened. The unified Krypton focused on science, and would prosper for ten-thousand orbits. But... that's all about to end.
After a bit of soul-searching, and coaxing from Lara... Jor loads baby Kal into the prototype rocket... and even gives him a Kryptonian iPad to keep him entertained for the trip! Okay, okay... it is a tablet, but it's the entire history of Krypton.
From here, bada-bing, bada-boom... baby Kal is fired off just as Krypton goes to pieces. It's worth noting... we're already to the staples. Remember, decompression isn't a thing that exists. It's all in your mind, maaaaaan.
In a pretty neat, and cinematic dealie... the tip of the proto-rocket morphs into a bullet... which segues us into our next scene of, Clark Kent catching a bullet meant for a Mr. Kobe Asuru. It is 25 years later.
Ya see, Clark's in West Africa... and tensions are pretty high. It appears that this Kobe fella spends most of his time dodging assassination attempts. Kobe's Ghuri Tribe pals aren't so sure they can even trust Clark... despite his just throwing himself in front of a bullet for the man.
He eventually wins them over, and they go out for drinks. It's here we learn that even in a place without racial barriers and tension, there are still ways people can be divided and discriminated against. There are always going to be disparate "classes" and territories... and, it would seem, they will always let their differences inform their relations.
Clark learns that, not too long ago, another reporter had come through West Africa... one Lois Lane. Clark says he's never had the pleasure of meeting her, but would really like to.
After some more chatting about tribal histories... there's a drive-by shooting! Without thinking, Clark once again dives in front of a slew of bullets. Despite this, an old woman is still hit.
Clark shoos the likely target, Kobe, out of the bar... and uses his heat vision to close the wound on the older woman. He then realizes... duh, the rival tribe probably wanted Kobe outside!
And so, he finishes fixing the old woman's artery... and dives in front of some more bullets meant for Kobe! This time, taking a back-full of ballistics. When he's not injured... or even scratched, the rivals assume that he's wearing a vest.
He hops into Kobe's Volkswagen bus... and they take off into the night. They discuss the Turaaba, which is the rival tribe... and we learn that there is about to be a National Election in two days time.
--
Ehh...
Such an unnecessary story... and kind of a dull one, at that.
I can only assume... and it's a big assumption, that since this was very, very early in the days of Didio, that Dan wanted to shove out the "official-official" "definitive" "we really mean it this time, you guys" origin of Superman to mark his arrival. We've talked about what his arrival meant for some other books and characters here and again... but, I gotta wonder if this to be "his" Superman (ya know, for the five or so minutes that it was in continuity).
Back when I was in the corporate world, I referred to this as the "Dinty Moore dilemma". If you remember the old cans of Dinty Moore Stew... they had the giant thumbprint of Dinty Moore on the top of each one. If you don't remember... well here, take a look:
Back then, it seemed that any time someone got a promotion to yet another level of middle-management, the first thing they'd want to do is "put their thumbprint" on anything they could... just to show that they were in their new (more powerful) position.
Changes could be sweeping... or embarrassingly tiny (usually the latter), but those changes would be made... because "dammit, there's a new person in this seat". That's how I feel about so much of the early months of Didio. The Superman books of the Berganza era had all but established that much of the "S.O.S." (Silver-Age Shhtuff) was being brought back into the mythos... that this series feels kind of redundant. Maybe Mark Waid just had a story about warring tribes that he wanted to tell... and this was as good a place as any to stick it.
This might sound silly, but despite how dull I found this... I can't really blame the story. It's really the format that kills it. If Birthright really needed to be "a thing", it probably should have been an original graphic novel... or a prestige format gimmick. Doing this monthly does it zero favors. Indeed, I was so bored by this fifteen years ago, that I dropped it a few issues in. For a fella who loves "lore" and adding things to the mythos like I do... if I walk away... I mean, I don't walk away from much.
In 2018... this still bores me. The scene where Jor-El and Lara send Clark Earthbound lasts... fourteen pages. Is that really necessary? I mean, again... if this were an original graphic novel, who'd even notice... but as a monthly periodical, this is almost an irresponsible waste of paginal "real estate".
So no... I didn't like it. It's not the worst thing in the world, but I didn't like it then... and I don't like it now. Good thing it only stuck around for about five minutes. The art, it's worth noting... is quite good! I first "met" Leinil Yu when he was working on Wolverine with Warren Ellis and Chris Claremont. I recall that he had the habit of signing every single page... and that kinda bugged me. He also added a lot of extra lines to the art... which bugged me as well. We don't get any of that here... and that's a good thing.
Overall... I mean, it's a story that might read better in collected edition. I couldn't recommend seeking out the singles though.
--
Interesting Ads:
985
Aquaman (vol.5) #1 (November, 2011)
"The Trench, Part One"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Pencils - Ivan Reis
Inks - Joe Prado
Colors - Rod Reis
Letters - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Sean Mackiewicz
Editor - Patrick McCallum
Cover Price: $2.99
Going to take a look back at a book I'd missed when it hit the shelves... because I was at the very start of my post-Flashpoint temper tantrum.
I have read this issue a few times though... a few years back, I happened across the trade paperback for like two-bucks, and decided to give it a shot.
I'm excited to see how well it's aged. Let's take a look!
--
We open underwater with some piranha-looking beasties awakening... they head toward the surface. At the same time, on the surface, the Boston Police are in hot pursuit of a stolen armored car... when, suddenly Aquaman shows up in the middle of the road! The would-be robbers think this is pretty hilarious (this is the theme of the issue, by the way).
The robbers fear no fish(man), so they hit the gas figuring they'll just run him down where he stands. This doesn't work out all that well for them, as Aquaman jams his trident into the grill of the truck and basically suplexes the sucker over.
One of the baddies scurries out of the van and unload a few guns into Aquaman's torso... this is also rather ineffective, though Arthur does get a nick above his right eyebrow. It doesn't end well for the crook.
The police are thankful for Aquaman's assistance... yet, give him the normal battery of "hurr hurr" Aquaman questions... ya know, "what are you doing on dry land" and "do you need a glass of water". It's not as aggressively annoying (nor as damned repetitive) as it would be in Aquaman: Rebirth. Either way, Aquaman hops away.
We rejoin him at Sam's Seafood... where the other patrons are absolutely shocked to see him belly up to a booth. Ya see, he's Aquaman... and he's going to eat seafood! Doesn't that make him a cannibal or something?!
A nervous waitress heads over and takes his order. Fish and chips, he says. An irritating blogger (bloggers are the worst!) tells him he can't offer fish and chips... because, say it with me: he talks to fish! Hurr hurr. Aquaman corrects the geek... he doesn't talk to fish, he can only telepathically "push" them to assist him.
That blogger then hops into Arthur's booth... and asks for an interview. Aquaman, though clearly annoyed, answers a few questions. He chose this restaurant because it's where his father used to take him when he was a child. The blogger clarifies, Aquaman's human father... which is a good way to tip off new readers.
Then, our tactful internet journalist asks what it feels like to be Aquaman... what's it like to be a joke... a punchline... what's it like to be nobody's favorite superhero?! Aquaman gets up and leaves, giving the waitress a tip of a few doubloons on his way out.
Back at the Lighthouse that night, Aquaman flashes back to his childhood. His reflection is interrupted by the arrival of Mera... and they discuss the future. Aquaman has decided to have a go at living "up here", and letting Atlantis find themselves a new king... they never liked him much anyway. Mera thinks this is a great idea.
We wrap up with three whole pages featuring some fishermen being attacked by those crazy piranha-looking beasts!
--
This was really good... though I'm pretty sure I "received" it better the first time around.
This is the first time they seriously tackled the "Aquaman as the butt of the joke" concept, and really worked hard to debunk it. Since this issue, however, it feels like they just won't stop harping on it. They want so bad to recreate this moment... Aquaman acting like a badass... Aquaman dealing with a public that takes him less than seriously... that it's kinda taken the "oomph" out of this one for me.
Still a great scene... and a long-time coming. I never really saw Aquaman as a jokey character... though, I didn't come up during the SuperFriends era, which is where I think much of that comes from. I also don't get my "witty" observations from Family Guy, so I guess there's that too.
What we do get here is a pretty great introduction to the character for all of the... um... "new readers" of The New-52! The eight or nine who didn't just hoard, bag 'n board all of the new #1's, that is. What's more... this issue could have just as easily taken place in the pre-Flashpoint/post-Brightest Day DC Universe... which is always a plus to me. Then again, for all I know, this might've originally been intended as the post-Brightest Day volume of Aquaman... just held off a few months to slide it into The New-52! initiative.
The art here is pretty spectacular... I gotta say, I love the shiny armor look for Aquaman! The whole package is top-tier... and we've come to expect nothing less from Johns and Reis. This issue has been collected and is available digitally (for 99-cents!). It's a very breezy read, but it's well worth checking out!
--
Interesting Ads:
984
