Batman HUSH by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee and Scott Williams

Full disclosure: big Batman fan, as I'm sure I've told you before. For Christmas, LilBro went off-list and purchased for me the Batman Hush duology. I was elated and stayed up until 6am Christmas morning devouring them. This review will be short; I shall spare you, dear reader, my effusive praise of all things Batman.

Let's chat a little, instead, about the fringes of what makes the Batman mythos so very compelling. At least for me.

1) Most of the rogues' gallery makes an appearance, with all my favourites checking in.

2) Things are dark, things are dismal, things are very very bleak. I love this comic.

3) Superman gets pwned. 'nuff said.

4) We get to listen in to Batman's thoughts (not just his sarcastic humour or his deep timbre - his actual thoughts).

5) The art is fabulous. Not too over-the-top (a la Todd McFarlane) but not too glossed over (a la Batman: Animated series) ... it's just right. Standouts include Catwoman, Ivy and Scarecrow. This is the way I picture my Gotham world.

It really was a pleasure to read; I hope that Loeb/Lee/Williams will continue to collaborate and bring us more Batman-done-right.