Batman:Hush - Batman vs. Superman

[panelsarewindows]

(Despite starting with Batman #611, this cover is from #612, since it kinda fits the theme more)

I have conflicting feelings towards Hush. I enjoy reading it, but not thinking about it. The story isn't very good, but I think he characters are well written. The art sticks to very stereotypical body shapes, where everyone kinda looks the same, but it's Jim Lee, so it's gorgeous art. Hush himself WOULD have been an interesting villain, if his 'reveal' wasn't so obvious (but also very confusing). It reminds me a lot of Jeph Loeb's other big Batman work 'The Long Halloween', where the characters and set-up are pretty good, but the resulting story and payoff... aren't.

Anyway, after seeing the new Batman vs. Superman teaser (which, IMO, looks pretty lame), I though about this confrontation which happened in the middle of the Hush story-arc (issues #611 and #612). I think these two work best together in a story when they begrudgingly work together rather than out-right fight, but I do think it's one of the better done fights between them.

(BTW, this is my first time posting, so although I've tried to follow the rules and get everything right, I apologise if the scans are hard to read, or I've done anything wrong. If you have any tips on how I can do better, please say in the comments. Thanks! On with the show)

Context: Poison Ivy used Catwoman to steal some ransom money, so Batman decides to follow her to Metropolis. Catwoman comes with him (pretty upset about the whole mind control thing).

#611...



Bruce's old-best-friend-who-we've-never-seen-before, Tommy Elliot, 'mysteriously' shows up, we get a little flashback to the first time Bruce came to Metropolis, and Bruce decides to swing by the Daily planet.






Catwoman and Batman track down Poison Ivy, who realises Catwoman is no longer under her control. She fights off Catwoman, but she is rescued by Batman. Ivy says The kitten brought a champion. Good. I've brought mine, too.




#612...

Most of this issue is the fight between the two (which I think is cool, since the first issue was them as their secret identities). Superman blasts at them, but Batman and Catwoman manage to escape. Ivy is pretty upset at this.




Batman and Catwoman escape into the tunnels, where he gathers his anti-Superman defense kit (complete with kryptonite ring). Catwoman leaves to get a hostage as Superman catches up to them, wishing Bruce good luck.




They fight in the tunnels for a bit, Batman saying how Superman can't use heat vision, or he'll explode a gas main under the Daily Planet (although he later reveal he lied about that). What I like about this fight is how relentless Batman is against Superman, since he knows if he lets up, even for a second, he's doomed. Batman manages to get Superman to punch into the city grid, stunning him, while he gets to the surface.




Catwoman has Lois hostage at the top of the Daily Planet. She falls off, but Superman overrides the mind control, and catches her. They manage to track Poison Ivy down, leading to possibly my favourite reveal ever.






So that's that. What I really like about his fight is, despite Batman having the upper hand for most of it, the comic really emphasises how powerful Superman is, and how much he's holding back. It shows the respect Batman has for Superman, and vice-versa. Ultimately, Batman doesn't 'win' because he's cooler, or was more prepared or whatever, but because of how good Superman is, and how he will always do the right thing.

I'm not sure that's how it's gonna be in the film.

Comments

[sagrada]

Oh, it was Clayface all along using his shapeshifting powers and acting skills? Huh. I was convinced I'd forgotten some really intricate plan with body-doubles and altered memories shoved into the end of the fight. Thanks Lucean comrade, I do feel ashamed now! You're a real pal. :)

And agreed entirely on the bizarre path Jason's taken. I'm not sure if it's unheard of for hero-characters who die to come back as antagonists, but it was kind of neat that Jason was so radically changed by his death and resurrection, changed enough that he outright defied the philosophy held by often-infallible Batman. It was annoying that everyone was all "That Todd boy was a bad egg from the start!", and the fact that he came back to life to be a murderous vigilante is kind of unpleasant in a predestination kind of way given his background, but it fit. It made him distinct. Now he's just Gunbats and super-boring. Like Johnny Storm after he stopped being Susan's dick kid brother.

[lucean]

Yeah and the Todd direction is frustrating because they took something central to the Batmythology without giving anything in return.

Before resurrection Todd was a symbol of soldiers fallen in the war, a sign what the Batclan did required casualties. Then, when they brought him, they managed to make it about Batman having lost the battle for Jason's soul, showing that you can fall in the war more ways than one. Now, there's nothing. There's just angry Jason running around somewhere doing things that no one really cares about.

I was actually astonished when I saw that they are bringing the Red Hood comic back after Convergence as they have already cancelled titles that were selling a lot better than it is and/or had better critical reception. I guess they're being stubborn about their decision.

On Hush, Clayface's abilities were kind of awesome in it as he was also able to pose as the dead Tommy Elliot so well that it fooled the medical examiners at the scene, which is somewhat mind-blowing.

[mrstatham]

Except 'poor little angry Jason' running around pre-Flashpoint was going nowhere fast and his goal was never going to be achieved - they were even nudging him closer to being a hero under Bruce's watch anyway, as indicated by the fact that he took over Wingman's identity in Batman Inc.

Angry Badass!Jason wasn't going anywhere fast, though, and the characterisation was just bland. Bruce was never going to accept his demands and compromise himself morally, and Jason was never going to kill the Joker. It was just dull.