Detective Comics #848 Review

The Revolution has enjoyed Paul Dini’s work on Batman, starting with the animated adventures and continuing through Detective Comics. This month features part 3 of Heart of Hush. The first two parts were good and I expect this to be another great Dini story. Fans of the Hush from the Loeb/Lee series should like Dini’s work on filling out the background of Hush in this storyline.

Creative Team
Writer: Paul Dini
Pencils: Dustin Nguyen
Inks: Derek Fridolfs

Art Rating: 4 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: Catwoman is getting dressed. She is looking in a mirror when she spots Hush in the reflection. He says boo. She kicks him through a large window. They fall out of the building. As they land, she calls him Dr. Elliot or Hush. He will pay for invading a lady’s privacy. Hush can’t believe that she calls herself a lady.

Hush hits her from behind. He pulls out his 2 guns. Hush supposes that “he” likes to “dance with a forbidden partner”. If “he” would embrace everything that Catwoman stands for, it would destroy him. Catwoman swings out of the way as Hush opens fire. Hush wonders how far “he” could be pushed if he would really loose her.

Catwoman swings over him and kicks him from behind. Catwoman says she is not going anywhere. She claws Hush’s face and rips open his bandages. She tells Hush that he is heading back to Arkham. They will wrap him up in a new set of bandages. When she sees his face, Catwoman exclaims “No! It can’t be…” Hush stabs her in the stomach.

Batman is driving the Batmobile through a forest. He is thinking about the 10 year old orphan boy who was undergoing therapy when the Scarecrow kidnapped him. The message Scarecrow sent to Commisioner Gordon’s office was for Batman to come alone to the Bald Hills Caverns. As he gets out of the Batmobile, he thinks “Another madman’s round of hide and seek”.

Batman yells for Crane (Scarecrow’s real name). Scarecrow tells him he does not need to shout. Batman wants to know where the boy is. Scarecrow tucked him in a crawlspace. The boy is claustrophobic. With all of his mental problems, the boy needs to be lobotomized. Batman says the only one having their head ripped open will be the Scarecrow.

Scarecrow says that his colleague knows how to get to Batman. Batman’s weakness is children. Scarecrow has long suspected that was lost and scared as a child. But his colleague remains silent about certain of Batman’s secrets. Batman responses that it must be Hush.

Batman sets off a smoke bomb to prevent Scarecrow from tracking his movements. He tracks down the boy but he is scared of Batman. Scarecrow says he forgot to mention that the boy suffers from an acute fear of bats. Fortunately, he has provided something to help him cope.

The boy starts screaming. Batman sees that Scarecrow is pumping the venom toxin into the boy. He suddenly grows and attacks Batman. The Scarecrow watches while the two fight. The boy starts to choke Batman.

Meanwhile, in an operating room Hush askes a nurse if things are ready. He picks up a scapel and prepares to operate on Catwoman. He thinks how he has always been an expert in matters of the heart.

Hush thinks back to a party. All of the girls are commenting on Bruce. Someone comments on what a stunning young man he is. It is Hush’s mother. She says how bold Bruce is. Not at all like her son. Bruce asks if Tommy is ok. He wanted to meet up with him in Venice.

Tommy says it must be nice to write your own ticket with no family to take care of. But, for now,his mother needs him. He can’t do anything to jeopardize her leting him go to medical school. A girl approaches Tommy and comments on the trapped look in his eyes. She sees the same look in her own eyes every day. Her name is Peyton Riley.

As Batman drives off in the Batmobile, he receives a message from Oracle. An ambulance pulled into Gotham Central. Batman wants to know who was in the ambulance. Oracle says it was Selina (Catwoman).

Batman rushes to the hospital. Gordon meets him at the entrance to intensive care. He wants to know how Selina is. Gordon says that somehow she is still alive. As he enters the unit, Batman sees that Hush removed Selina’s heart.

Comments

I am also very curious about what Selina saw when she exposed Hush’s face. I am sure Dini will be addressing this mystery in the final two parts of this story.

Did the picture of Hush stabbing Selina remind anyone else of the classic Bullseye stabbing Elektra scene in Daredevil?

Overall: A good storyline that is damaged by the artwork. With a different artist, this would have been a more dramatic story.

Rokk’s Take:

The Good: Detective Comics #483 was a well plotted issue. Dini has impressed me with his ability to deliver excellently crafted one-shot issues and two issue story arcs over the vast majority of his run on Detective Comics. This current story arc involving Hush has been the longest one that we have gotten on Dini’s run.

The real magic of Dini’s Detective Comics is that despite the fact that Dini has been eschewing long six issue decompressed story arcs; this title still delivers satisfying reads with plenty of substance. Dini continually progresses long running themes through out all of his one-shot issues and two issue story arcs.

This is seen once again in the flashback scene where Peyton Riley makes another appearance on this title. Peyton was the new Ventriloquist who appeared back during Dini’s beginning of his run on Detective Comics. I dig that Dini continually references and brings back characters and themes from previous issues. This gives Detective Comics a nice tight continuity.

The flashback scene was also an excellent way to further flesh out the Gotham socialite circle that Bruce travels in. Dini has done an impressive job accentuating the socialite aspect of Bruce’s character. Dini has made a commitment to developing the circle of Gotham socialites in order to provide more depth to Batman’s world.

As always, Dini turns in another excellently paced issue. Dini’s Detective Comics is the perfect remedy for readers who are sick of the decompressed style of storytelling that dominates most titles on the market.

Detective Comics #848 treats to plenty of action as we kick off the issue with an exciting brawl between Hush and Catwoman and then get another quality brawl Between Batman and Colin.

Dini cranks out plenty of fine dialogue and good character work. Dini has an excellent feel for Batman’s villains. Dini always pays attention to the psychology of Batman and the villains that he goes up against.

I am curious to learn what Catwoman saw when she ripped off Hush’s bandages on his face. Clearly Hush’s identity stunned her. Dini certainly grabbed my attention with this little teaser.

Dini ends Detective Comics #848 with a great hook ending. I was not expecting this. I am eagerly awaiting the next issue.

The Bad: Like Thom, I am just not that crazy about the artwork. Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs create a bit of a sloppy looking issue. Nguyen’s art is too messy for me and he gives each character incredibly generic faces.