Loeb and Lee return to Gotham City with a superb debut installment. Loebs writing constructs a layered chess match. Lee, Williams and Sinclair put on an incredible display of storytelling with their art. It covers up some of the foretelling plots. Readers will have much to discuss with this chapter. Read Full Review

It's difficult not to get caught up in the excitement of Loeb and Lee putting the band back together. But Batman #158 is undoubtedly a solid first chapter which goes a long way to justifying the two-decade long wait for more Hush storytelling. Read Full Review

Batman #158 delivers a thrilling, well-crafted start to Hush 2, with Jim Lee's art shining as a major highlight. The story sets the stage for deeper mysteries, compelling action, and Batman's ongoing moral struggles. However, Hush's presence is minimal, making this feel more like a Joker-focused issue than a true sequel at least for now. Read Full Review

Batman #158 is a perfect encapsulation of the Caped Crusaders greatest struggle in the last few years as even one of the most influential writers on the character cannot escape the shadow of history. Pair that with technically sound but seemingly rushed visuals, and you have a sequel to one of DC's highest selling graphic novels that fails to live up to anything other than short-term sales numbers. Read Full Review

Batman Issue 158 is more than just a reunion tour. The old band is back together, and the comic combines those talents again. But the story itself feels new and improved. The story isnt just Batman: Hush retold, its Batman: Hush evolved. Read Full Review

Batman #158 is not the exciting kickoff to the Hush sequel that was expected. Jeph Loeb's writing is so stuck in the past that he goes with the most basic approach with how characters are presented. This comic book reads like Loeb is letting his name and the fact this is a sequel to a iconic story to carry narrative. This lack of refinement in the writing impacts even Jim Lee's artwork that is not as detailed or dynamic as it has been. With so many quality comics right now, both within the DC Universe and Absolute Universe, this Hush sequel fails to present itself as the premiere story all Batman fans should be reading. Read Full Review

This eagerly-anticipated sequel grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go in this first chapter. I did find that Batman got taken out a little too easily at the start, mainly because the plot required this to happen. Also, Talia makes a very random appearance and then disappears, again because the plot required someone to help the Caped Crusader. The art is great, but not Jim Lee’s best compared to his prime. These are all relatively minor annoyances, meaning don’t think about things too hard, in what is otherwise a great first chapter that tops the last 3 years of Zdarsky’s work. It’s nice to have the band back together!

I am a huge Jeph Loeb fan. This underwhelmed. I re-read the original Hush to prep for this. It's a masterclass in comic book writing. Although, truth be told, it takes a bit for everything to click.

As such, I have faith this will increase in quality. I'm not going to write it off in 1 volume like an inflammatory child with an agenda against the writer.

as much as Chip Zdarsky run on Batman was somewhat underwhelming at times, I was still disappointed when I found out it was going to end to make way for what I expected to be nothing more than a cash grab, devoid of artistic inspiration. sadly, this has turned out to be the case. Lee's work is still impressive, but he's clearly just going through the motions at this point. his work has acquired what I can only describe as an "academic" quality: technically brilliant but creatively void. the story is shaping up to be pretty much a retread of the first series and it's a struggle to care "who dunnit". all the more depressing that I was offered a special protective sleeve for this book in the comic shop, confirming suspicions that the target audience for this are speculators and plastic tomb collectors more

Exactly as expected.