Superman: Unchained #3 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jim Lee

This has been a brilliant series, as although it hasn't been quite what I expected, it has still been amazing, and looks to be building up to something phenomenal. That added with the fact that both my favourite artist, Jim Lee, and one of my favourite current writers, Scott Snyder are working on it have me hooked.

Plot

Superman squares off against Wraith, and appears to have met his match, but is everything as it seems?

Review

This was a brilliant issue, and the series is staring to take shape. Scott Snyder did a great job of making this an exciting, and interesting issue, which was also very entertaining. It was however not without it's faults, as although being one of the best issue yet, it had a few anticlimactic moments, with a slightly inconsistent pace. The amazing drama, and dialogue made up for that though, as along with the outstanding action sequence, and the mystery it made for a brilliant issue. I also loved all the other small developments throughout this issue, and Snyder is showing that he can write Superman just as good as he has been writing Batman.

The art was once again phenomenal, and I just can't get enough of Jim Lee's magnificent artwork. The detail throughout was simply magnificent, as although there were a few very minor imperfections, most of the art was outstanding, being very dynamic, and impactful. Lee's layouts were also superb, adding a lot of depth to the issue, as well as making it more dynamic, and dramatic. The action was probably however the best thing about this issue, as it was simply amazing, being very explosive, and exciting, with Lee being one of the best artists at action sequences. I also loved the emotion added to this, as it really added depth, as well as realism to the story, making it feel more alive.

The best thing about this issue was the fight between Superman, and Wraith, and the fact that Superman may have met someone more powerful than he is. Now the fight itself was brilliant, being very explosive, and exciting, having tremendous artwork from Jim Lee. It was however the dialogue that interested me more thought, as it was simply brilliant, showing the difference between Superman, and Wraith. I also loved how there is a bit of mystery about Wraith still, and I look forward to seeing how Snyder develops him as a character, as so far it's been brilliant.

General Sam Lane would make comments in this issue, with his interaction with Superman being extremely interesting. Now I won't go into too much detail as to avoid spoilers, but this showed a different side to Lane, showing that he dislikes Superman for different reasons than originally assumed. Besides this his interaction with Wraith was very interesting, and I'm sure that he will have an even more interesting part to play during the development of this story.

This issue would also continue to develop Lex Luthor's story in the background, with him making a couple of short appearances throughout. Now I will once again avoid going into any details as to avoid spoilers, but it appears that Luthor is continuing with his plans. I have to say this is one of the strangest things I've seen from Luthor in comics, but also one of the most interesting as well, as although it hasn't surpassed the amazing way Grant Morrison used the character in All Star Superman, it has been the best since, and I look forward to even more developments from this side of the story.

Final Verdict

This was an amazing issue, and better than last issue. It had amazing development, and action, as well as great drama, and outstanding dialogue. It also had a bit of mystery to it, with some suspense, and tons of excitement. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, and am really looking forward to the next one.

Rating: 8/10

Superman: Unchained #2 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jim Lee

This was a series that I was much looking forward to, as with Jim Lee being my favourite artist, and Scott Snyder being one of my favourite writers of recent times I wanted to see how they'd handle the Man of Steel. The first issue didn't disappoint, and I hope that the series continues to amaze me.

Plot

After Superman stops a terrorist attack in Dubai he goes to Batman for help with one of the broken satellites.

Review

This was a brilliant issue, but not quite as good as the first issue. Scott Snyder did a fabulous job on this issue, and the series overall is shaping up nicely, and although there isn't a great lot between this issue, and the first I felt I was slightly too generous with the first. Snyder does however do a great job with the dialogue, and thought boxes, and I loved how we got some analysis from Superman during his mission. It also had some amazing action near the start, and an interesting encounter between Superman, and Batman. It also had plenty of development for the future of the story/series, and although this slowed the issue down slightly it helps it overall, and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

The art from Jim Lee was once again phenomenal, and his art never fails to amaze me. The detail is simply superb, with next to no imperfections, and unlike the last issue that had one panel that didn't appeal to me, this entire issue appealed to me art wise. The action was also handled perfectly, adding a brilliant atmosphere to the issue, as well as excitement. The layout is also wonderful, adding more drama, as well as giving the issue some tone, and depth. I also loved the amazing Batcave that Lee drew, as well as the outstanding facial expression that showed exactly what the character's were feeling. The inks from Scott Williams, and colours from Alex Sinclair were also brilliant, making Lee's art look even more amazing.

The addition of Batman was nice, and with me being a huge Batman fan I really enjoyed seeing him feature in this story. I do however question if this is too soon, as with Snyder also writing Batman it's convenient to add him into this series. I did however love the new suit that Batman was wearing, and love the implications it holds towards Superman, as it's a different way of preparing for a rogue Superman. The discussion between the two was also amazing, feeling very natural, with the characterisations being spot on.

The lack of the other Superman like being, Wraith was however a bit disappointing, as with his introduction in the last issue I was hopping to see more from him in this one. It does however leave him for latter in the story, as there appears to be a lot going on, and it all needs set-up, so it's not easy to show everything, and not showing this will add much more suspense than not showing something else. I do however look forward to seeing Wraith, and Superman square off, and I'm sure that Snyder will handle it perfectly.

Lex Luthor would once again make an appearance in this issue, but it was the appearance of General Sam Lane that interested me the most in this issue. The interaction between Superman, and Lane was brilliant, and the emotion in Superman was perfectly handled by Snyder. I also loved how like usual nothing is easy when it comes to getting information from Lane, and the tension between the two character's was amazing. Luthor's actions in this issue were also interesting, but I'll say no more, as not to spoil anything.

This issue yet again had a two page Epilogue story at the back. This one was once again written by Snyder, with art from Dustin Nguyen, and would show Batman contemplating destroying his suit that stops Superman from seeing him. The art once again wasn't amazing which is a shame, as I know Nguyen can do better. It was also again a little unnecessary, but it does make me question whether we'll see Batman, and Superman square of in this series, with Batman using this suit, which I'd love to see.

Final Verdict

This was a brilliant issue, and the series is certainly looking good. It was however slightly slow in places spending too much time developing things, and although that will help the story as a whole, it doesn't help this issue much. The issue did however have some interesting, and exciting action, as well as an appearance from Batman, and the developments have me intrigued as to what will come next. I would highly recommend this issue, as although it's slightly slow it is shaping up to be one of the best Superman stories in the New 52 so far, if not the best.

Rating: 4/5

Superman: Unchained #1 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jim Lee

This has been a series that I've been looking forward to ever since it was announced. With Superman turning 75, DC has really pushed the boat out in celebrating, having two new series releases (this, and Batman/Superman), the Man of Steel film, and the Superman: Unbound Animated film. Besides Man of Steel this was however the one I was looking most forward to, as with my favourite artist, Jim Lee, and the brilliant writing ability of Scott Snyder, it's bound to be amazing.

Plot

When satellites start falling from the sky, Superman goes in search of the culprit, starting with the most logical suspect, Lex Luthor.

Review

This was a phenomenal issue, and a brilliant start to what I'm sure will be an amazing series. I always had high hopes that Scott Snyder would deliver on this series, as after having a fantastic run on Swamp Thing, as well as currently doing an outstanding job on Batman, I was sure that he's take the Man of Tomorrow, and give us the series that we truly deserve. To be honest when I started reading this issue I wasn't too sure if it was what I was hoping for, as the start was very different from what I expected, but the issue soon showed a perfect reason for this, making the unique start necessary. The thing however that Snyder probably handled the best in this issue was the dialogue, as everything felt so natural, and the character's were spot on, acting exactly as I'd expect them to. Snyder also did a brilliant job of adding mystery to this story, as well as drama, and excitement, which really lifted the whole atmosphere of the issue, making it much more interesting, and dynamic. The issue also had a bit of action in it, and although it wasn't a lot, Snyder handled it perfectly. I also liked how Snyder managed to add a 75th Anniversary motif in the story, showing that this is a special occasion. What made this more interesting however was that it was very subtle.

The art was phenomenal, just as I expected from Jim Lee. Although this series looked interesting, and Snyder's a great writer, it was the fact that Jim Lee would be working on the artwork that sold me on this series, as he's my favourite artist, and I could gladly buy a comic just for his art, even if the comics poor (luckily this one wasn't). The detail in Lee's art was as usual excellent, and to a very high standard, with everything looking pristine, with even the minor details being amazing. The character's were also handled perfectly, and I especially liked how he drew Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and obviously Superman. The thing I like most about this Lee drawing Superman, is that I've seen Lee draw Superman on four series now (Batman during Hush, Superman during For Tomorrow, Justice League, and this), and although it's always been obvious that it's Superman, Lee's always tweaked the way he's drawn him, having him more darker during For Tomorrow, and obviously re-designed for the New 52 in Justice League, but even this version looks slightly different than the Justice League rendition. The fold out page was also spectacular, and well worth the extra dollar, as it really made the issue feel that much more special (even if the writing on it was slightly awkward to read). I will however finish talking about Lee's artwork by saying the one flaw that bugged me, and that was that one panel was slightly too rough, which was disappointing, but it didn't take away from the remaining art which was amazing. The inks from long time Lee collaborator, Scott Williams, and colours from Alex Sinclair also really helped to bring the story to life, being very vibrant, and setting a brilliant tone to the series.

As I said this issue started fairly differently to most series opener's, with a boy looking into the sky with a pair of binoculars, and seeing some huge blue creature with glowing red eyes. Now although I wasn't initially sure if I liked this start, after a second read, being able to take it in much clearer I was able to understand it much more, and felt it was the perfect opener for this series. I just loved the lighthearted feel to it, and how it gave the very human natured feel that a Superman issue brings. I also found the creature that came from the sky very interesting, and look forward to seeing how Snyder develops him.

The issue would then go onto show Superman trying his best to stop random satellites from falling to Earth. Although a bit random, this was a brilliant way of adding mystery to the series, giving Superman, and his alter-ego, Clark Kent something to track down, and solve. This also leaves the question as to whether this blue creature is connected some way to this incident, or whether the two are unconnected (though I'd be surprised if they weren't). I also liked how with this added it gave time for Snyder to do some monologue with Superman, which was very interesting, and really added drama to the sequence, which was a nice touch.

Superman wasn't the centre of attention throughout the entire issue, as it would show you Clark working at the Daily Planet, alongside friends, and colleagues, Jimmy Olsen, and Lois Lane. The interaction between these character's in this issue was simply outstanding, as although we've seen the three interact in past stories, whether in Superman, or Action Comics, this has been the best so far, feeling much truer to the character's. I also loved how this added a bit of normality to the issue, showing that although Superman does go off fighting villains, he does also have a very normal life, that involve normal people, and I'm glad that Snyder's showing this in this series.

Another person that appeared in this issue was none other than Superman's greatest rival, and villain Lex Luthor, who's still in prison. Now although Luthor isn't my favourite Superman villain (far from it), he has been a great foe for Superman over the years, and it's always nice to see him make an appearance, as long as it's justified. I say this as Luthor is one of the most over used villains in comics, coming back every few weeks having already made many appearances in the New 52 between the various Superman series'. This appearance however was justified, as Luthor was the main suspect for the satellites coming down, and Superman went to question him. This just made for a great, and dramatic sequence, that was entertaining, and exciting, and although I don't want Luthor to have a significant role in this series, it would be nice to see this developed slightly.

This issue also had a two page Epilogue story at the back, which was also written by Snyder, but this time pencilled by Dustin Nguyen. This story would see Jimmy and Perry White talking about Perry's great-uncle's binoculars, whilst fishermen hauled in a mysterious man who was missing his eyes. Now this was an interesting epilogue, and although it was nowhere near as good as the main story, it did leave questions that need answers, making me look forward to the next issue even more than I already was. I was however not a fan of the art, as although Nguyen has never been one of my favourite artists, his work in the past on the likes of Batman: As The Crow Flies, and Batman: Heart of Hush were very good, whereas his art on this was just terrible. It was way too rough, and unrealistic, and although you could see character's facial expressions they too felt awkward, and unrealistic.

Final Verdict

This was an epic start to what will hopefully be a fantastic series. It had everything from action, to mystery, with even a bit of fun, and humour. All this along with the introduction of a mysterious blue creature made this a very memorable opening issue, and I for one can't wait to see how Snyder, and Lee will continue this. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this to anyone, as although there have been a few good Superman stories in the New 52, we've finally got the Superman series we deserve.

Rating: 5/5

Superman: For Tomorrow Review

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Jim Lee

I've been meaning to read this story for quite a while now, but it was a few things coming at the same time that pushed me to finally get it. The main thing was probably the upcoming Superman: Unchained series which will be drawn by the artist of this story, Jim Lee. I'm also a huge fan of his artwork, with him being my favourite comic book artist, and I also recently read, and reviewed Batman: Hush which is also drawn by Lee. With them three things all at once, plus the incline to try more of Brian Azzarello's work (got Joker, and Luthor to read, and I've also read, and reviewed Batman: Broken City), I decided to finally get this book.

Plot

A year has passed since the sudden, and unexplained disappearance of millions of people. In his quest to find answers Superman visits Father Daniel Leone to confess his sins. Throughout Superman begins to question his faith, and whether he was responsible for the vanishings.

Review

This was a brilliant story, and Brian Azzarello did a fabulous job of giving a unique, and meaningful Superman story. To be honest I wasn't too sure what I'd make of this story as it got a lot of people upset, which made me wary. I however loved it. Although it wasn't phenomenal all the way through the story was generally very well thought out, and always interesting. The only small complaint I had about the story was that it was a little bit confusing at times, but I think that was meant to help make the story more mysterious. Anyway as I read through more the confusing parts became very clear, and set ups some surprises I wasn't expecting. There was however some things in the story that I did expect. What I also liked about Azzarello's writing was how he took Superman on a moral journey, but I'll talk a bit more about that later.

As some of you may know, Jim Lee is my favourite artist, and that is the reason I've been wanting to read this book for so long. As usual he does a brilliant job, and I seriously think that he could take anything and make it look amazing. I first saw his art on Batman: Hush, and have loved it ever since. Talking about Hush, Superman also featured in that story, and Lee stated that he wasn't satisfied with the way he drew him. Although I loved the way he's drew Superman in Hush I do think that he's done so much more with the character in this story. I love that he's taken Azzarello's story, which is darker than most Superman stories, and has incorporated that in Superman's look, which is much darker than usual. I did however prefer Lee's art on Superman during his run on Justice League, but that was much after this story, plus with the task of reinventing Superman's look he'd have more room to play around with designs, as to make it his own. I also loved the way he drew all the other characters throughout this story, and the detail throughout if phenomenal. The action sequences are also great, and Lee makes them look amazing. The inks from long time Lee inker Scott Williams, and the colours from Alex Sinclair were also brilliant, and helped make Lee's already fabulous artwork look even better than it already does. I could continue talking about the art for a lot longer time, but I'll move on to more topics.

The main theme of the story centers around Superman's faith. Superman blames himself for the vanishings of over a million people, and he feels that his main sin is saving the world. As I said parts of this story confused me, but it revealed it's true meaning later in the story, and made for nice surprises. I did however think that Azzarello using the faith theme was very bold, and unique. It's also very fitting for a Superman story, as when your someone that everyone believes will save them, it must be hard when you disappoint. Especially when you've got the morels of someone like Superman.

Father Daniel Leone

When he's questioning himself Superman visits Father Daniel Leone to confess his sins. The sin that Superman apparently committed was saving the world. Again this confused me to start of with, but made sense later on in the story. Anyway the character of Father Daniel was very interesting, and suited this story perfectly. Father Daniel is in no great shape, as he's dying from cancer, and this is what makes him a fitting character. Don't get me wrong, it's not the fact he has cancer, as that's not a funny thing to have. The thing that makes him a fitting character is that due to his cancer he himself is questioning his faith, much like Superman, and you can't get anything bigger in that category that a man of god. Besides that I think that Father Daniel was a brilliant character, and Superman's conversations with him made for the perfect flashback set-ups.

Another interesting character that featured in this story was Mr. Orr. Mr. Orr is a mercenary that is working for a business man to retrieve the machine that caused the vanishing. Throughout the story Mr. Orr is very mysterious, and although his goals are very plain, his methods aren't. Although I liked the character to a certain extent, he wasn't as necessary as Father Daniel, but still helped to shape the story. What I especially liked about his appearance in this story was that he gave Father Daniel some hope, all be it in a weird manor. I also liked that Mr. Orr had his foot in everything, making everything to do with the vanishings his business, and especially when it was connected to Superman.

What the JLA Think

The Justice League of America also featured in this story. After being linked to a second lot of vanishings the JLA question Superman's actions, as he's taking the thing very personally. I really liked the addition of the JLA in this story, as like with Superman's appearance in Hush it adds a different view point, and it shows how much Superman has changed. I say this as the JLA have been the closest allies that Superman has had, and that if they notice a change in him then it means that it's big. I especially liked Batman's take on the events, as he's happy that Superman's taking it personally, as it shows that he's human, or at least human natured. It was also nice that certain League members, including Batman, and Wonder Woman made more extended appearances later in the story.

Superman vs. Wonder Woman

Later in the story there is a big fight between Superman, and Wonder Woman. Batman and Wonder Woman realize that Superman is about to make drastic actions, so Wonder Woman goes in an attempt to stop him. The fight was phenomenal, and although it wasn't quite as good as the fight between Batman, and Superman in Hush, it was still brilliant, and very entertaining. What I liked about the fight the most was that you could really see the emotions from the two characters, as Superman is fighting for something he believes in, and Wonder Woman is fighting to prevent Superman doing something she sees as stupid. What I think made this fight special was that it happened in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Now this isn't the first time a fight has broken out in the Fortress, and it would't be the last, but the setting always makes a fight look more thrilling, especially when it's between two powerhouses like Superman, and Wonder Woman. Another thing that I liked was that Wonder Woman didn't come unprepared, as she had a magic dagger.

There was also an even bigger fight between Superman, and Zod (highlight to reveal name) near the end of the story. My thoughts on the fight will probably be smaller than the Superman/Wonder Woman fight, but that's only to avoid spoilers. The fight was epic, and I always love seeing these two characters fight each other. Although at the same time this wasn't their best fight it was still phenomenal, and a brilliant way to close a fantastic story. I loved the artwork in the fight between Superman, and Wonder Woman, but again I felt the art was also better this time round. I also loved the verbal conflict between the two characters during the fight, as sometimes a visually stunning fight can be spoiled through dialogue, but this wasn't.

Final Verdict

Overall this was a brilliant story, and I was glad to finally read it. The mysterious nature of the story made the story interesting, and also unique. It also had some phenomenal fight sequences, and an emotional theme. I would easily recommend this to anyone, as although it may not be to everyone's liking it is worth the read, and visually stunning.

Rating: 4.5/5

Batman: Hush Review

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Artist: Jim Lee

Being a huge Batman fan I decided to start reviewing my collection in trade form (as it'd take forever to do individual reviews) starting with this volume. I also hope to eventually getting round to reviewing the entire collection till at least the start of the New 52.

Plot

Batman starts to notice that his rouge gallery of villains start to act different than their usual M.O. After noticing this with Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy Batman deduces that he's got either a new villain against him, or an old villain with new tricks. As the story takes him through other villains including, Harley Quinn, Joker, and others he can't quite grasp at who this new villain is. So the question is, who is Hush?

Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!

(The books been out for a long time, and it'd be hard to give a proper review without talking about subjects that have spoilers. The biggest spoiler will be Hush's identity, but besides that the spoilers aren't that huge)

As you'd have gathered from my introduction I think that this is a mindblowingly brilliant book, and have enjoyed reading it several times. A lot of people give Jeph Loeb a hard time saying that he's a bad writer, but he's not. Okay he's done a few bad stories in the past, with some of them being horrifically bad, but you can't expect everything a writer writes to be perfect, and you've got to remember the good stuff he wrote. Besides this brilliant story Loeb has also done other great stories including, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, Superman for All Seasons, Wolverine: Evolution, and Ultimatum just to name a few, but lots of people only seem to remember the bad stories he produces. In this story Loeb has managed to give a huge elaborate mystery, that's gripping, entertaining, interesting, and fun. Mysteries that are left open for twelve issues can sometimes become slow, and boring, but Loeb manages to avoid that by keeping the story interesting, whilst throwing in some action to keep the reader both intrigued, and entertained. Another thing I liked about Loeb's writing was how he was able to utilize all these great Batman characters. Not many stories manage to involve as many characters both heroes, and villains and pull it off, but this does.

Now Jim Lee, where do I start when talking about him. As some of you that have read my Justice League reviews may know is that Jim Lee is my favourite artist, and I just think the man's a genius. To be honest this was the first time that I'd seen Lee's artwork, but since I have managed to see his art in lots of different series' from this, to Justice League, to X-Men, and even recently I've bought Superman: For Tomorrow due to looking forward to his upcoming Superman title that he's working on with writer Scott Snyder. I just love that nothing lacks detail. To say that Lee's art was full of detail would be an understatement, as there isn't any page or panel that isn't oozing with detail. Over the years I've learned that Lee can draw any character, and make them look amazing, but for me I have always considered his drawings of Batman as his best. Maybe it's due to my love for the character, or that this story was where I saw his artwork first, but I've always especially liked Lee's art on Batman even more than his art on other characters, even when Lee was working on the Justice League. Anyway Lee did a brilliant job on all the characters, as he made them look perfect, with them both being highly recognizable due to him keeping their characteristics, whilst adding his own style. I also think that the inks from long time Lee inker Scott Williams, and colours from Alex Sinclair helped make Lee's already brilliant artwork even better than it already is. I'll finish of talking about the art by saying that my favourite artwork throughout the story was actually the flashback sequences. The way Lee drew it, along with Williams' inking, and Sinclair's colours made it look beautiful, and detached it from the other artwork, making it obvious that it was a flashback.

Thomas Elliot

Now I'll talk about the start of the book. The first issue is quite normal with Batman chasing Killer Croc, who is acting strange. Before the end of the issue whilst chasing Catwoman, Batman's batrope is cut and Batman falls hard, fracturing his skull. After being rescued by Huntress (Bertinelli) he is saved by childhood friend turned famous surgeon Thomas Elliot Bruce is healthy again. I've decided to talk about this first as it's how the character Tommy Elliot is introduced. Although Batman has been around for a long time, there aren't many stories that talk about his childhood, besides the ones that involve the death of his parents. I found it interesting that after years of not seeing each other that a manipulated accident could bring these childhood friends together. What I liked most however was how big a role Tommy would become, and how his relationship with Bruce, and their childhood would have a large affect on the story.

Lets talk about the characters in this story. As I said earlier in my review Loeb has included nearly every known Batman villain, and ally in this story, and that was one of the best things about the story. Although the mystery and suspense was the overall best thing about the story, it was all the different characters popping up from time to time that keep the story fresh, and exciting. As I also said having lots of characters in one story doesn't always mean that it's bound to be better, actually the opposite. With many different characters, all having their own fan base you have to portray them in a way that both their die hard fans, and newer fans can enjoy, whilst also working to the overall stories best advantage. I think that Loeb did this, as whether it was Batman against Killer Croc, or Batman interacting with Nightwing (Dick Grayson), or even the romance between Batman and Catwoman, it was all done perfectly, and helped the story out in more ways that you'd expect.

Batman and Catwoman Kiss

That last sentence moves me on nicely to my next topic, the romance between Batman and Catwoman. It's not a secret that there have been sexual tension between these characters in the past, and they have had ton's of on, and off relationships, but in my opinion this was the best relationship they had in a story. Batman's relationship with Catwoman in this story gave him some hope into his life. With most of his other relationships he can't keep up appearances as he has to go of and fight crime, whereas with Catwoman he can always bring her along with him. Although this isn't the first time that Batman has had a fellow superhero as a romantic companion it was in my opinion the most interesting, and I feel that Catwoman is the character that best suits the role as Batman's girlfriend cause she's both different, and similar to him, whilst being a strong, confident woman, not needing Batman to look out for her, or tip-toe around her. Anyway I really enjoyed seeing this in this story, and between Loeb's writing, and Lee's artwork I felt that these sequences were magical.

Batman vs. Superman

Now I'll talk about the best fight in the story, which was Batman vs. Superman. Although Batman and Superman have fought each other before this was probably the most interesting one. Superman has been put under Ivy's spell, and like any other man he has to submit to her whim. Batman isn't beaten easily as he came prepared with the Kryptonite ring that Superman gave him in Action Comics #654 (or at least I believe this is when he gave him it). Anyway, the fight was brilliant, and very exciting. I liked that it showed both characters advantages, whilst also showing that there was no reasoning with Superman. Although Loeb wrote the dialogue, and Batman's thoughts brilliantly during this sequence, it is Lee that makes the sequence phenomenal. To be fair due to comics being a visual medium, comics have to be visually stunning, and more so in huge action sequences. Basically if you have a good artist it's the art that will always shine in big action sequences no matter how good the writing is. There was also other fights that were very good in this story, but this was the best.

This book also left a hint for a following story, Under the Hood. During the later half of the story it was revealed that Jason Todd was back from the dead using a Lazarus Pit, and was in fact Hush. It was revealed that this person was neither Jason or Hush, but Clayface (Karlo) disguised as Jason. Whether it was already decide to bring Jason back from the dead at this point or not, DC landed up bringing the character back in the Under the Hood storyline as the new Red Hood, and he was brought back the same way as he supposedly returned in this story.

Hush

Now I'll finish my review by discussing who is Hush? This is the big mystery throughout the story, and although the identity is revealed several times the actual identity isn't revealed until the end. Any Batman fan will know the identity of Hush whether they've read this book or not, but just for the reviews sake I'll still talk about it (as the mystery's what the story's based around). I have to say on my first read through of this story I wasn't entirely sure who Hush was. I had hunches throughout, and although my first guess was eventually right Loeb did a brilliant job of making me question myself, which in turn kept the mystery. It was issue 613 during the opera sequence when I realized that Tommy was Hush. The way he got angry made me think that not everything is right with this man, which lead me to think, is Tommy Hush? Loeb however made me question this when he killed the character off, but he later brought him back revealing that the dead body was Clayface, in a similar role as he was when impersonating Jason. After another couple of read through's I notice some telltale signs from earlier in the story, but overall I have to say that Loeb did a good job of keeping it a mystery. Besides the mystery element of Hush, I think that Loeb created a brilliant villain, and one of the best new villains in the last 10-20 years. I have really enjoyed seeing Hush become a part of the Batverse since then, and hope that he manages to make his way into The New 52 at some point, preferably in the not too distant future.

In the introduction to volume one of this story Loeb says how his dad wanted the picture on his television to be just right during the Adam West Batman series, and that Loeb hoped that readers would see this story as just right. Well I have to say to Mr. Loeb that from this fans point of view that his wish has been granted then some, as this story isn't just right, it's phenomenal.

Final Verdict

Defiantly one of the best Batman stories of all time. This story didn't just introduce me to comics, it made me fall in love with them, and if ever Leob and Lee were to reunite to work on another Batman story I'm sure it'd be fantastic (although I don't see that happening). I would highly recommend this story to anyone, as it's beyond brilliant, and I'd be very surprised if you were disappointed by it.

Rating: 5/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: Broken City.