In this review of Batman #161, Batman faces off against old enemies and partners (again).
Batman #161 main cover by Jim Lee (DC Comics)
Batman #161
Written By: Jeph Loeb
Art By: Jim Lee
Inks By: Scott Williams
Colors By: Alex Sinclair
Letters By: Richard Starkings
Release Date: July 23, 2025
This comic book review contains spoilers
Batman #161 opens with Batman freeing Damian from Hush’s grip using sonar to attract a swarm of bats, ala Batman: Year One. Hush escapes with his goons and Batman punches out Bane and instructs Damian to return him to Blackgate Penitentiary. Batman then comes across an abandoned warehouse with a Gotham City game board and all his friends and family as little cardboard pieces.
Meanwhile, at the Gotham lighthouse, Joker tries to shoot Nightwing and Red Hood but they dive into the harbor. Batman spies on Batgirl as she visits her father in the hospital. Jim Gordon tells her that if Batman saved Joker’s life then he had a good reason to do it. Then Hush detonates an explosion where Batman is perched and Batgirl catches him. She fights him and confronts him about continuing to save Joker’s life. The fight is then broken up by the group of Nightwing, Huntress, Robin, Catwoman and the Riddler.
Analysis
Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s long awaited return collaboration continues to be a tremendous disappointment. I’ll start with the writing even though there’s really very little to say beyond that. Every issue so far, and especially Batman #161, has been made up of a series of clunky action set pieces strung together with little to no substance in between. Beyond the introduction of Damian, Jason, Barbara’s return as Batgirl, and Alfred’s death, there is no acknowledgement given to the decades of stories written between the last Jeph Loeb Hush and this one. Batman’s internal monologue gives us bullet points of the most consequential moments of post-crisis Batman, and throws out all the other context that I’m sure Loeb is unfamiliar with.
The character motivations, such that they exist at all, are bizarre. We’re kind of getting a Bat-family vs Batman story and the crux of their beef seems to be that Batman tried to save Joker’s life. The Batman-Joker fixation is one of the most grating aspects of modern comics which really skyrocketed to popularity during Judd Winnick’s run and DC hasn’t been able to let go of since. There’s really no new spin put on it here other than that Hush seems to be orchestrating the conflict somehow and the Bat-family suddenly feels like Joker’s life was saved one time too many so every one of them’s default plan is to literally try and fight him. Nevermind that not a single one of them would stand a chance and they know that.
It’s so lazy, it’s so half-baked and boring that it barely feels thought out at all. The tired and convoluted plot is occasionally interrupted with a few panels such as the board game scene to remind us this is still a Hush mystery. I’m not even sure what the mystery is at this point, just what is Hush planning? I’m sure Loeb is doing one of his ‘what you think is the mystery ISN’T the real mystery’ things he loves to do but I don’t even know what the mystery is supposed to be.
Jim Lee is also not putting forth his best work here. There are some closeups of Batman that look good, but his staging and blocking for the actions is stiff and flat. Bane’s design is shockingly boring and he just stands in the background and does nothing. I find the coloring and general layout to be garish and uninteresting. Other than the one flashback page, I see nothing to recommend this book on visually either.
Final Thoughts
Hush 2 does not hold a candle to the original visually or narratively. It’s safe to say this has been a disappointment.
