Batman: Hush 1 (HC)

"Bruce. If you wanted to get together after all this time -- you didn't have to try to kill yourself to do it."

- Thomas Elliot

Batman: Hush, Volume 1 is a comic book hardcover collection and trade paperback published by DC Comics. It reprints issues #608-612 of the first volume of the Batman comic book series, which comprises the first half of the "Hush" storyline. The volume was written by Jeph Loeb with artwork by Jim Lee and Scott Williams, who also provided the cover art illustrations for the original issues as well as this trade paperback. Coloring was provided by Alex Sinclair and lettering was by Richard Starkings. The issues were edited by Morgan Dontanville and Bob Schreck. The collections were edited by Robert Greenberger and Sean Mackiewicz. The hardcover collection had a retail price of $19.95 (US). The volumes were also released in a hardcover slipcase Absolute Edition in 2005. Volume 1 of the "Hush" storyline went to second, third, fourth and fifth printings. Both volumes 1 and 2 were also combined for the standard Batman: Hush trade paperback edition.


 * Batman 608
 * Batman 609
 * Batman 610
 * Batman 611
 * Batman 612


 * Batman: Hush (HC)
 * Batman: Hush (TPB)

"The Ransom"
A physically altered Killer Croc kidnaps Edward Lamont, IV, heir to the Lamont Chemical fortune. He is holding him for a ten million dollar ransom. Batman tracks the boy down and rescues him and gets into a fight with Croc. Batman defeats Croc by using a hyper-sonic device that sends Croc reeling over with pain. During the fight however, Catwoman arrives and sneaks off with the ransom money.

Batman takes off swinging after Catwoman. He's hot on her tail, but Catwoman leaps from rooftop to rooftop always two steps ahead of him. As Batman closes in for the capture, something cuts through his batline. He falls all the way to the street below and is knocked unconscious. The fall, and his recent battle with Croc severely injures him.

Catwoman meanwhile meets up with Poison Ivy and hands her the ten million. Something is definitely odd here, as Catwoman appears to be submissive to Poison Ivy's charms.

As yet, no one knows who cut the batline.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Huntress


 * Killer Croc
 * Poison Ivy
 * Catwoman
 * Carlos Valdez
 * Nails Nathan
 * Spider Hancock
 * Tommy Harper


 * Martha Wayne
 * Thomas Wayne
 * Edward Lamont, IV


 * Central Intelligence Agency
 * Irish Republican Army


 * Mutated humans


 * Gotham City
 * Gotham City Shipyard
 * Gotham Tower Apartment
 * Park Row


 * Batarang
 * Batline
 * Utility belt


 * Huntress' motorcycle


 * Mind control
 * Pheromone control
 * Superhuman strength

"The Friend"
Huntress screeches to a halt with her motorcycle in the middle of Park Row. Deploying her battle staff, she launches into the thugs surrounding Batman's body. While beating her opponents back, she maintains radio communication with Oracle, who in turn uses remote control to bring the Batmobile to their location. Huntress loads Batman's unconscious body into the empty vehicle, whereupon it returns to the Batcave.

Elsewhere, Poison Ivy takes the money-filled attaché case that she received from Catwoman and gives it to a shadowy figure at an undisclosed location.

At the Batcave, Alfred Pennyworth labors around the clock to save Bruce's life, but there is little even his impressive skills can accomplish. Bruce is suffering from a severe skull fracture. Though barely conscious, Bruce manages to tap out the name "Thomas Elliot" in Morse code. Thomas Elliot is a brilliant neurosurgeon and a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne.

Alfred takes Bruce to Gotham City Medical Center and Doctor Elliot manages to save his life. During the operation, Bruce dreams of his childhood. He recalls playing games of strategy with young Tommy Elliot, and remarking at Tommy's keen analytical mind.

Alfred has Nightwing wreck one of Bruce's sports cars, and stages the story that Bruce injured himself while racing throughout the neighborhood of Bristol. The operation proves successful, and Bruce is released.

Later, Bruce dons the guise of Batman and visits Killer Croc at Arkham Asylum. He wants to know what Croc wanted the ten million dollars for, but Croc refuses to cooperate. More mutated than ever, Croc flies into a rage and smashes through the glass panels of his cell.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Catwoman
 * Huntress
 * Thomas Elliot


 * Hush
 * Killer Croc
 * Poison Ivy


 * Jimmy Olsen
 * Lois Lane
 * Martha Wayne
 * Oracle
 * Thomas Wayne


 * None


 * Humans
 * Mutated humans


 * Gotham County
 * Arkham Asylum


 * Gotham City
 * Bristol Township
 * Crest Hill
 * Batcave
 * Gotham City Medical Center
 * Gotham Tower Apartments
 * Park Row
 * Wayne Manor


 * Gotham Gazette newspaper
 * Huntress' battle staff
 * Utility belt


 * Batmobile
 * Huntress' motorcycle


 * Superhuman strength

"The Beast"
Killer Croc has been taken to Arkham Asylum. Batman visits his electro-cell and tries to figure out who put Croc up to kidnapping the Lamont boy. Further, he needs to determine what happened to the ransom money. Croc is more beastly than ever and he refuses to say anything. He breaks free of the electro-cell and attacks Batman. He easily mangles Batman as well as the guards and makes his escape.

Amanda Waller of the Office of Meta-Human Affairs arrives and tells Batman that he has until midnight to find and stop Croc or else her people are moving in. Batman and Waller do not have a good working relationship with each other.

That evening, Dr. Thomas Elliot visits Wayne Manor. Bruce is down in the Batcave and instructs Alfred to tell Thomas that he isn't home. Alfred hasn't seen Thomas since he was a child, and recalls the night that Thomas' father died in an auto accident when he was very young.

That evening, Batman scours the streets of Gotham in the Batmobile looking for signs of Croc. A shot is fired, and the Batmobile blows a wheel, sending the car into a crash. The Batmobile tires are specially treated and should not blow out under any circumstances.

Killer Croc meanwhile traces the money trail back to Catwoman who has been spending time in Poison Ivy's greenhouse apartment. He breaks through the greenhouse windows and attacks her. Batman arrives and tries to convince Croc that he is being manipulated. Croc reveals that he wanted the ransom money to fix his current physical condition. But before Batman can get even further with him, Waller's people arrive in helicopters and spring electrical nets on top of Killer Croc. They swoop him up and take off with him. From across the street, the mysterious Hush watches everything that is transpiring.

Catwoman thanks Batman for saving her and tells him that she was manipulated by Poison Ivy. She plans on tracking Ivy down to her safe-house in Metropolis. Batman and Catwoman share a passionate kiss.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Amanda Waller
 * Thomas Elliot


 * Catwoman
 * Killer Croc


 * Martha Wayne
 * Thomas Wayne
 * Clarence
 * McQuaid


 * Office of Meta-Human Affairs


 * Humans
 * Mutated humans


 * Gotham County
 * Arkham Asylum


 * Gotham City
 * Gotham Towers
 * Bristol Township
 * Crest Hill
 * Wayne Manor
 * Batcave


 * Electro-cell
 * Electrical nets


 * OMHA helicopters


 * Superhuman strength

"The City"
Bruce Wayne flies to Metropolis. He needs to find Poison Ivy in order to discover her involvement in the Edward Lamont ransom case. As he disembarks from the plane, he recalls the first time he came to Metropolis.

As young children, Bruce Wayne and Thomas Elliot witnessed a fight between the original Green Lantern and the first Icicle. They disobeyed Thomas Wayne's instructions to remain by the limousine.

Bruce visits his newspaper the Daily Planet under the guise of checking in on his investment. But what he really needs to do is talk to star reporter, Clark Kent (Or rather, his alias, Superman). Bruce flirts with Lois Lane and chats with Perry White for a bit – but his thoughts are actually on the kiss he shared with Catwoman the prior evening.

He then visits the Lexcorp offices as Batman and speaks with CEO Talia Head. He inquires about a dangerous chemical compound that Lexcorp dabbles in – a compound developed by Lamont Chemicals. Before Talia can speak at length however, Batman is called away as he discovers that Catwoman is in town as well and hot on the trail of Poison Ivy.

Catwoman breaks into Poison Ivy's headquarters and pretends that she is still under her thrall. But Poison Ivy instantly recognizes the deception and the two begin fighting. Batman arrives seconds behind Catwoman and saves her from being strangled by one of Ivy's sentient vines. But Poison Ivy has another notorious personage under her thrall – Superman. As the top of Ivy's greenhouse collapses, Superman is seen hovering, ready to protect her.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Lois Lane
 * Perry White
 * Superman
 * Talia Head
 * Thomas Elliot


 * Catwoman
 * Poison Ivy


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Green Lantern Alan Scott
 * Thomas Wayne


 * None


 * Humans
 * Kryptonians
 * Mutated humans


 * Gotham County
 * Gotham City


 * Metropolis
 * New Troy
 * Daily Planet
 * LexCorp Tower


 * Green Lantern Ring
 * Kryptonite lipstick


 * Thomas Wayne's limousine


 * Energy constructs
 * Energy projection
 * Flight
 * Mind control
 * Ice generation
 * Plant control

"The Battle"
Batman and Catwoman retreat to the lower levels of Poison Ivy's penthouse. Batman removes a Kryptonite ring from his utility belt in preparation for dealing with Superman. Superman smashes through the wall, and Batman immediately takes the offensive, battering him with a flurry of blows, while the Kryptonite in his hand steadily weakens Superman. Although he is under Poison Ivy's control, there is still a part of Superman's true intellect that keeps him from using his full strength against the Dark Knight.

Batman baits Superman into following him topside. On the top of one of the neighboring skyscrapers, Catwoman has Lois Lane hostage. Batman draws Superman's attention to them, just as Catwoman drops Lois from the top of the building. If need be, Batman knows that Catwoman can reach Lois in time, but fortunately, she doesn't have to. The shock of seeing Lois in danger breaks Ivy's hold on Superman and he flies up and catches her.

Superman, Batman and Catwoman go to Poison Ivy's penthouse to confront her. Ivy attempts to escape, but Krypto is present to block her path. Catwoman lays her out with one solid punch to the jaw.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Krypto
 * Lois Lane
 * Superman


 * Catwoman
 * Hush
 * Poison Ivy


 * Oracle undefined


 * None


 * Humans
 * Kryptonians
 * Mutated humans


 * Metropolis
 * New Troy
 * Daily Planet


 * Kryptonite
 * Green kryptonite
 * Kryptonite ring


 * Utility belt


 * None


 * Enhanced strength
 * Flight
 * Mind control
 * Pheromone control