Batman: Heart of Hush
- Apr 4, 2013
- 3 min read
Writer: Paul Dini
Artists: Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs
Hush is back, and with a vengeance!
Ranking: 5 stars
Hush, aka Thomas Elliot, has easily become one of my favorite Batman villains! Jeph Loeb created a classic character in his masterpiece BATMAN: HUSH. Thomas, or "Tommy" Elliot, was a former childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, the only true friend Bruce had ever had before his parents were murdered. Both came from rich families, but unlike young Bruce, Tommy was a dark parallel of his friend. A childhood sociopath, Tommy severed the brake lines to his parent's car on a stormy night, hoping to gain their inheritance once they were killed in the crash. Both of Tommy's parents were rushed to the hospital, and Bruce's father was only able to save Elliot's mother. Angry that his mother was allowed to live, Tommy swore vengeance on the Wayne's for the wealth independence that he was denied. Today, Elliot is now Hush, a man who has wrapped his face in bandages, quotes Aristotle, and has only one thing on his mind: THE DEATH OF THE DARK KNIGHT!!!
Everything Jeph established about Hush made the character sensational!!! The idea that he was Batman's former friend gave us insight on Batman's early childhood, how he elaborately used Batman's enemies like chessboard pieces made him a strategist almost as brilliant as Bane, and his quoting of philosopher Aristotle gave him an remember able trademark. The only thing I felt Hush lacked in his initial story was a motive for his vendetta. Revenge over not gaining his parent's money, didn't seem to be a powerful enough motive for him to kill Batman. But in the third chapter of the Hush Saga, BATMAN: HEART OF HUSH, veteran writer of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Paul Dini, not only has Hush orchestrate a new, and bitter plan against his former friend, but also goes back to Hush's past, and expands on the origin Loeb established!
I'm not going to spoil way too much of Hush's origin (as it will ruin the shocking secrets you will learn), but one important detail is that Hush wanted revenge on Batman not just because he lost his chance of gaining wealth, but also because he lost something else as well. Something even more important: Freedom and Independence from his parents control, as we find out that Thomas Elliot had an abusive father, and a mother who would do nothing to defend her son from her husband's wrath. Meanwhile in the present, as the Black Glove is trying to destroy Batman (HEART OF HUSH is actually part of the BATMAN R.I.P. storyline), Hush has returned, and plans to strike at his hated enemy at the heart. A Catwoman's heart that is!
Paul Dini writes an amazing sequel to Jeph Loeb's original story arc! He expands on Thomas Elliot's past in a similar manner as Alan Moore did with Joker (BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE), providing valuable insight on what made Tommy the vengeful man that he is today. Plus, the romance between Batman and Catwoman is continued, but what truly made this book sensational, was that Hush has become a more dangerous opponent for Batman, than even the dark knight had realized, making the Batman, and those he cares about the most more vulnerable than ever before! Some people believe that Loeb didn't create an in-depth villain in the first story, but I believe that he established all of the necessary elements to make Hush a sensational villain, and was only lacking the one element that would make him an ultimate villain. Paul Dini adds that element in HEART OF HUSH, making Hush easily one of the greatest foes that Batman has ever faced! It was like when Stan Lee created the original five X-Men. They were amazing characters, but they lacked the elements that would make them sensational. The X-Men reached that level of sensation when Chris Claremont introduced new members like Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. It's the same process for Hush. Loeb created a sensational villain, while Dini transformed the character into an ultimate villain.
-"Revenge is a dish best served warm-and still beating!"
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