This is one of those stories that started with huge potential then failed horribly. I will first write good things about it. The art style is sleek, which gives Gotham that noir dark ambience while capturing the vibrant essence of Metropolis. The character design is very good ngl. Catwoman and Poison Ivy especially. They look so freaking charming, sexy. The chemistry between Bruce and Selina was done beautifully and you'd be eager to see how it unfolds later in the series. The dialogue, particularly at the last few panels, was witty, sharp and clever, which gave us a pretty good look at Batman, and I won't say whose character. It kinda reminded me of the interactions between Littlefinger and Varys from Game of Thrones. Now for the bad part. The writing fell apart hard. One of the biggest letdowns in Batman: Hush is how Bruce Wayne acts out of character. This is a character that is built on discipline, contingency, etc. But sometimes you'd wonder, "What the hell is this man doing?" He throws logic out of the window for emotional, impulsive decisions. I mean that might have worked in Elseworld stories but not in something trying to be part of the canon. This comic tries to deconstruct what Bruce Wayne is but in a very way without any proper plot developments. Certain plot mechanics just don't work. Some actions are taken that don't logically follow the previous events. Those 'How' and 'Why'behind key moments are either under-explained or left vague or just leave everything up to the reader's interpretation, but not in any mysterious or satisfying way. It ends up feeling like holes are being papered over rather than explained meticulously.

Read Batman: Under the Red Hood. And honestly, I'm impressed. This was a masterclass in setting up a character arc. The whole detective vibe was on point. Batman was how I expected him to be. The Batman I'm familiar with- intelligent, hella calculated, conflicted with grief and trauma and moral crap he gotta wrestle with. The writers balanced that out perfectly. Ngl, I loved pacing the most. They didn't rush nothing. Every single thread was connected so cleanly, like a puzzle falling into place. Watching Bruce struggle with the fact that Jason is back from the dead was a stroke of brilliance and gave us a proper look at Bruce's inner struggles. The emotional conflict was off the charts and it felt authentic. Also, the way Bruce digs into mystery, travelling cities and piecing clues together, it's classic Batman at work and it was freakingly beautiful to watch. One thing that kinda threw me off was the whole backstory behind Jason Todd's revival, and honestly, it was lazy writing. They kinda slapped everything together to make it work. But I can't give much thought to this as it's related to Infinite Crisis and I haven't read that. And in a Universe where godlike beings exist, I'm cool to overlook that. I mean the story is strong enough to make you forget about that. I was also thinking about how loosely it is connected to Batman: Hush. Like some connections don't quite line up perfectly. In my honest opinion, it was a pretty unnecessary move. The difference between Batman in this comic and Batman: Hush was huge. Hush was a product of messy and lazy writing and this comic did that part and everything far better than Batman: Hush. No contest Overall, it was a really enjoyable read and I'd highly encourage everyone to read this as it sets up Red Hood's character and is essential to read Batman and Robin(2009) or Red Hood and the Outlaws. 8.5/10