Comic Review: Batman #159 Lost Identity, Unnecessary Sequel, and Senseless Shock Value

 

Batman #159, the second chapter of the long-anticipated (and already widely criticized) sequel to Batman: Hush, aims to continue one of DC's most iconic stories. Unfortunately, what it delivers isn’t an homage — it’s a parody. A caricature of a legacy it barely understands. This issue doesn’t just lack narrative sense; it feels like it was written completely detached from the current DC continuity. And no, that’s not a compliment.

Old Story, New Frustration

Hush 2 had potential. Even if issue #158 stumbled, there was still hope that later chapters would find their footing. Batman #159 crushes that hope — both literally and narratively. The story tries to juggle flashbacks with chaotic present-day action, but every scene feels artificially inflated and morally incoherent.

The core problem remains Jason Todd — shoehorned into the narrative not because it makes sense, but because someone clearly decided "Red Hood = instant drama." His conflict with Bruce reads like a cheap knock-off of Under the Red Hood, stripped of the emotional weight that made that story resonate. Jason acts like all his growth over the past decade was wiped clean. And Batman? He pulls a gun and aims it at his own son’s head.

Shock Over Substance

No, that’s not a metaphor. Bruce doesn’t just flirt with the line — he blasts right through it. The gun scene isn’t just shocking — it’s a blatant betrayal of the character’s most fundamental rule. Batman doesn’t use guns. Even in his darkest moments, his moral compass kept him grounded. But here? He reaches for the firearm like it’s just another Bat-gadget.

There’s no sensible justification. Sure, Jason was aggressive, but since when does Batman respond with deadly force to a misunderstanding with a family member? What happened to the “World’s Greatest Detective,” the guy who can see in the dark and outthink gods? Loeb turns Bruce into an emotionally unstable sociopath — and sadly, it’s not the first time.

Disjointed Storytelling and Continuity Wreckage

The whole comic feels off. The Riddler suddenly looks like a bulked-up Ted Grant, knows Batman’s identity (even though Three Jokers made it clear he didn’t), and behaves like he forgot everything that happened just a few issues ago. Meanwhile, Leslie Thompkins is apparently meeting Bruce for the first time... after his parents’ murder? Seriously?

Then there’s Silence — the supposed heir to Hush — who does absolutely nothing. She’s neither scary nor intriguing. She’s just there, bland in both design and presence. And where, exactly, is the real Hush? Two issues in, and there’s no sign of Thomas Elliot. This is a sequel with no central villain. It’s like making The Dark Knight 2 without the Joker.

Dialogue Written by AI?

The dialogue here is its own disaster. Characters speak like grammar textbook examples — overly formal, no contractions, no natural rhythm. When someone says “cannot” instead of “can’t,” it reads like a high school essay, not a real conversation. Bruce repeating the same inner thoughts three times within two pages only adds to the frustration.

Reading the lines in your head, you almost instinctively rewrite them to sound more human — and that says a lot.

Loeb Is Stuck in the Past

Jeph Loeb once brought us Hush, The Long Halloween, and some legendary Batman moments. But Batman #159 reads like a lost script from 2003, pulled out of a drawer without checking what’s happened in the DC Universe over the last 15 years. The lack of cohesion with modern runs — Zdarsky, King, even Tynion — makes this feel like high-budget fanfiction, completely non-canonical.

Bruce is written as a maniac, the Bat-Family reduced to background noise, and Joker? He’s back again, half-dead again, while the story circles the same tired moral question: “Should Batman kill him?”
How many times can we do this?

Artistic Brilliance, Narrative Wreckage

Thankfully, one thing saves this issue from total disaster: the art.

Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair are in top form. The flashback scenes have a ghostly, ethereal beauty, while the lighting and shadow work in present-day sequences do more to create mood than the script ever does. The panel of Jason, bleeding in his tattered costume against Gotham’s neon skyline, is especially powerful.

But it’s like photographing a train wreck — it may look stunning, but you feel bad for staring.

Final Verdict: Batman on Autopilot

Batman #159 is a painful example of what happens when a publisher tries to live in the past without understanding the present. The comic pretends to continue the legacy of Hush, but in truth, it severs itself from everything that made that story work.
No emotional core.
No mystery.
No purpose.

If Batman: Hush 2 wants to redeem itself, it needs a massive course correction — fast. Right now, it’s less a Batman story and more a high-budget ragebait issue masquerading as a sequel.

The Good:

+Jim Lee’s artwork is phenomenal — stunning linework and expressive composition

+Some flashbacks have emotional resonance

+Loeb tries to introduce a moral dilemma for Bruce (even if he butchers the execution)

The Bad:

– Batman pulling a gun on Jason = total misunderstanding of who Bruce is

– Chaotic narrative and no continuity with the broader DCU

– Robotic, unnatural dialogue full of stiff grammar and needless repetition

– Jason Todd reduced to one-note aggression with zero psychological nuance

– Silence as “new Hush” is bland and forgettable

– Loeb feels entirely out of touch with modern Batman storytelling

– $7 CAD for a comic with no soul? Hard to justify

Score: 5/10

Not the worst Batman comic ever — but definitely one of the most disappointing. All style, no substance. All shock, no story. A sequel with no reason to exist.
Batman deserves better.