Comic Review: Batman #161 – “Hush 2” and the Art of Doing Everything Wrong

Sometimes a comic can surprise you, even when it’s part of a long-running series bringing fresh ideas, guiding its characters well, and subverting reader expectations. Batman #161 is unfortunately not one of those cases. Instead, it’s a textbook example of how, in just a few issues, you can dismantle years of carefully built character consistency while dragging the Bat-Family into a plot that has neither sense nor purpose.

Hush 2 should have been an intriguing continuation of a classic story. Instead, it’s with all due respect Hush 2: Mischaracterization Boogaloo, where characters act like caricatures of themselves and the script exists solely so Batman can once again trade punches with his own allies.

Story — Chaos, Contradictions, and No Logic

The issue opens right where the last one ended: Hush holding a blade to Damian’s throat, Joker aiming a gun at Nightwing and Red Hood, and… Bane fighting side-by-side with Robin against Hush. At this point, the plot loses all credibility Damian and Bane on the same team simply makes no sense given their history.

Robin uses a tactic inspired by Batman’s Year One, deploying mechanical “robot-Robins” an idea magically provided to him by his mother. Hush escapes in a helicopter, Batman leaps after him, falls, and is saved… by Damian. Then we find out that Damian broke Bane out of prison because “he owed him something.” No explanation, no consequences Bruce just knocks Bane out and ships him back to Blackgate.

Meanwhile, Joker tries to shoot Nightwing and Red Hood. Dick saves Jason, they both fall into the water, and then Jason… disappears from the story.

Tracking Hush, Batman finds a model of Gotham with paper Bat-Family figures in his hideout. He then witnesses Barbara talking to her father in the hospital. And here begins one of the most nonsensical sequences of the issue: Barbara, wearing her Batgirl costume, decides to fight Batman because he saved Joker’s life. She’s armed with new gadgets including… invisibility. After a flurry of blows (yes, Bruce actually punches her in the face), part of the Bat-Family shows up: Huntress, Nightwing, Damian, Catwoman, and for some reason Riddler. Cassandra Cain? Nowhere to be found.

Characters — Familiar Costumes, Unfamiliar Faces

The biggest problem with Batman #161 is the complete distortion of the characters. No one acts like they should.

Damian risks everyone’s lives by freeing Bane.
Barbara abandons reason, attacking Bruce in a senseless situation that endangers her father.
Selina and Riddler appear on the team for inexplicable reasons.
Batman talks about his family as a “weakness” that Hush can exploit, completely forgetting decades of stories where the Bat-Family was his strength.

The only character who remains consistent is Jim Gordon. He’s the sole figure capable of rationally explaining Batman’s decisions, based on their long-standing relationship. The rest? A jumble of traits and moods serving only to push the plot into yet another equally absurd fight.

Narrative — Fourth Battle, Zero Progress

This is already the fourth issue in a six-part story, yet it still feels like we’re stuck in the prologue to something bigger. Riddler, Catwoman, and Huntress do practically nothing. Hush has no clear plan, aside from vague hints about “something bigger.” The whole thing reads like an endless introduction — tiring, slow, and aimless.

On top of that, Batman constantly stops the action to remind the reader of character backstories — as if we didn’t know who Barbara, Jason, or Jim are, or what their connections to Joker might be. As a result, the dialogue feels forced, and the plot loses flow.

Artwork — The Only Thing Keeping This Issue from Total Disaster

Jim Lee can still impress his art is dynamic, and the new Batman suit design with a yellow emblem on a black-and-gray base truly stands out. That said, Lee’s style, while still striking, shows its age compositions are a bit predictable, though still of high quality.

It’s the visuals alone that save Batman #161 from a 1/10 rating. Without Lee’s talent, this issue would be almost unbearable, even for die-hard fans.

Final Thoughts

Batman #161 is a narrative disaster wrapped in stunning artwork. Story decisions seem made purely for shock value or to provoke conflict, regardless of logic or character history. Instead of tension and intrigue, we get absurd alliances, nonsensical motivations, and yet another rehash of the “Batman vs. the Bat-Family” formula.

This is one of the weakest issues in years perhaps even decades. If the final two parts of Hush 2 are to deliver a spectacular redemption, the writer will have to work miracles. For now, this story is proof that gathering fan-favorite characters in one place doesn’t automatically create a good narrative.

Pros:

+Excellent, dynamic art by Jim Lee

+Strong new Batman suit design (yellow emblem on black and gray)

+Jim Gordon written consistently and true to character

Cons:

-Complete lack of logic in character motivations

-Illogical alliances (Damian & Bane, Selina & Riddler in an “anti-Batman” team)

-Repetitive “Batman vs. Bat-Family” conflict

-No plot progress despite being the fourth issue in a six-part arc

-Overexplaining characters’ histories in dialogue

-Characters reduced to caricatures

-Inconsistent tone and no clear plan from Hush

My Rating: 3/10