This is the first issue of the long-awaited Jim Lee & Jeph Loeb version of Batman. A lot has been said, a lot has been speculated… time to find out if it’s all true.

The book begins on a nice note by taking us straight into the first person, we see the world through Batman’s eyes, as he meticulously despatches his enemies. The technical overlays and computer readouts in this first fight scene are right up my ally. I love to see something a bit different in terms of design in mainstream books.

The story itself does not drive this book, if you like the detail driven artwork of Lee then it’s worth looking into. Although I have said that the story does not really grasp me, it is still good enough to keep you turning the pages, it has its normal set-up points [being the first of a twelve issue run, this is expected], but does not really suck me in.

Although nice, the artwork also has a few weak points. The “Harry Potter “ look alike kid being held for ransom seems out of place with the drawing style in the rest of this book. He looks like a cute J.Scott Campbell character, complete with freckles, stuck into the dirty, grimy shipyards of Gotham, the two art styles just don’t fit together in my opinion. Overall though the art is great, apart from Killer Croc, who looks more like Godzilla or some cheap B-Grade horror character, but I guess a new design always keeps the mundane characters fresh.

I love Lee’s use of panel layout in the chase scene between Batman and the Black Cat. I really think he uses Batman’s cape to full effect to give depth to the visuals. Batman takes a beating and his cape tears apart, his shoulder breaks etc. He doesn’t just fall twenty storeys and jump back up looking as fresh as a daisy. One other little thing which I enjoyed was the way Lee drew the FBI team that comes in to save the kid. They actually look good. A lot of Police and FBI / SWAT teams look kind of weak in comics, here the attention to detail and clothing design looks real nice, well, apart from the 80’s skateboarding elbow pads.

The colour really suits the environment in which this story is set. The docks and shipyards have been enhanced with a nice touch of realism through the use of some good texturing work on the metal surfaces. The use of greys and dark muted blues mixed in with gentle white/yellows makes the reality of Gotham City by night stand out in the aforementioned chase scene. A nice touch is the dark grey moody colouring of the clouds by night. The inks do the job, nothing really stands out for me, and you can see the pencil work of Lee shining through. I suppose that the sketchy-style inks are a good thing, considering that this comic is all about Lee in the first place.

Overall I was impressed with this comic. I had read a few articles surrounding the hype of this release, but not being a real Jim Lee or Batman fan, I was not overly expectant. I really enjoyed the artwork and colouring, and the details Jim Lee has employed in his style are great. I guess the only fair judgement so far as the story goes will be made further on in the story arc, it’s just far too early to make a call now. All in all a satisfying but not mind-blowing start to HUSH!

Score 7/10
Reviewed By:Iain Duncan