Batman: Hush 2 (HC)

"I made a promise on the grave of my parents that I would rid this city of the evil that took their lives. Tonight... I nearly became a part of that evil..."

- Batman

Batman: Hush, Volume 2 is a hardcover collection published by DC Comics. It reprints issues #613-619 of the first volume of the Batman comic book series, which comprises the second 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, Michael Wright and Bob Schreck. The collection was edited by Robert Greenberger. The hardcover collection had a retail price of $19.99 (US). The volumes were also released in a hardcover slipcase Absolute Edition in 2005. Both volumes 1 and 2 were also combined for the standard Batman: Hush trade paperback edition.


 * Batman 613
 * Batman 614
 * Batman 615
 * Batman 616
 * Batman 617
 * Batman 618
 * Batman 619


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

"The Opera"
Bruce Wayne goes to the Gotham City Opera House along with Tommy Elliot, Selina Kyle and Leslie Thompkins. During the opera, the main actor begins acting strangely until it is revealed to actually be Harley Quinn in disguise. Harley's masked henchmen take control of the orchestra pit and begin spraying the room with gunfire. Bruce, Selina and Tommy all move to conduct crowd control. Harley tries to steal a pendant from around Tommy's neck – an important heirloom he had since he was a child.

Bruce quickly ducks away to turn into Batman. He is surprised to see Harley acting in such a violent fashion – a fashion that is quite uncharacteristic of her. While Batman intercepts Harley, Selina changes into Catwoman. Catwoman and Harley bounce all across the stage trying to catch each other, but ultimately Harley shoots Catwoman. Batman races to Catwoman’s side as Harley makes her escape.

Catwoman's wound is superficial and she chastises Batman for letting Harley get away. Batman runs outside, but the villain is nowhere to be found. Suddenly he hears a gun shot coming from a nearby alley. Running towards the sound of the gun he finds the Joker standing over the bleeding body of his friend Tommy Elliot.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Catwoman
 * Leslie Thompkins
 * Thomas Elliot


 * Clayface
 * Harley Quinn
 * Joker


 * Unnamed opera patrons


 * None


 * Humans
 * Mutated humans
 * Shape-shifters


 * Gotham County
 * Gotham City
 * Gotham City Opera House


 * None


 * None


 * Shape-shifting
 * Superhuman agility

"The Joke"
Batman flies into a rage and begins pummeling the Joker. The Joker keeps muttering the word, "Stop", but Batman isn't listening to him. Harley Quinn tries sneaking up behind him with a giant hammer, but Batman sidesteps the blow, and Harley accidentally smashes the Joker's arm with the hammer. Batman gives Harley a kick to the gut to get her out of the way, then continues to beat on the Joker. Images of Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd and Sarah Essen flash through his mind – all victims of the Joker.

Catwoman, slowed by the bullet lodged in her shoulder, attempts to restrain Batman with her whip. She recognizes the look in the Dark Knight's eyes, and realizes that he plans on killing the Joker. Batman swings about, punching Catwoman in her wounded shoulder. The shock from the pain causes her to slump over.

As Batman continues to wail on the Joker, former police commissioner James Gordon shows up behind him. He draws his weapon and fires two warning shots, telling Batman to calm down and think it through. Gordon is horrified as he realizes Batman already has thought it through. He coaxes Batman away from the Joker, reminding him that he is about to cross a line that can never be forgiven, and that if Batman becomes a killer, Gordon will lead the hunt for Batman himself. Shocked that the only other man who could want the Joker dead more than Batman himself wants him to live, Batman calms down, and the Joker is taken away.

From a rooftop high above, Hush witnesses the event while flipping a scarred silver dollar in his hand. Talking to himself, he admits that the Joker was actually innocent in the death of Tommy Elliot.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Catwoman
 * James Gordon


 * Clayface undefined
 * Harley Quinn
 * Hush
 * Joker


 * Barbara Gordon
 * Robin, Jason Todd
 * Sarah Essen-Gordon


 * None


 * Humans
 * Mutated humans


 * Gotham County
 * Gotham City
 * Gotham City Opera House


 * Catwoman's whip
 * Two-Face's silver dollar


 * None


 * None

"The Dead"
Funeral services are held for Doctor Thomas Elliot. Attending are Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Selina Kyle and Leslie Thompkins. Bruce Wayne speaks during the service, reciting one of his favorite poems.

Later, Bruce is back in the Batcave, pouring over all of the evidence associated to Tommy's murder. He deduces that the Joker is actually innocent, and that someone went out of their way to make Batman believe him guilty. Nightwing drops by and shows concern over Bruce's wellbeing. He knows that Bruce has been seeing Selina, and encourages him to reveal his secret identity to her.

Before long, Oracle radios Batman and Nightwing, informing them that the Riddler has just hijacked an armored car. The two heroes set aside their investigation to quickly nab him. Racing through the streets of Gotham in the Batmobile, they use the vehicle's battering ram feature to force the armored car off the road. The Riddler tries to flee, but Batman easily nabs him. Investigating the scene for further evidence, Batman is surprised to find ash from a Lazarus Pit near the wreckage of the armored car.

Elsewhere, Harvey Dent, garbed in a trench coat and bandages, springs the Joker out of Arkham Asylum. Removing the bandages, he reveals that his face has been completely healed of the gruesome scarring that earned him the sobriquet, Two-Face.

Later, Batman meets Catwoman at the Gotham City Zoo. Taking her into his confidence, he removes his cowl, revealing the face of Bruce Wayne.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Catwoman
 * Harvey Dent
 * Leslie Thompkins
 * Nightwing
 * Tim Drake


 * Hush
 * Joker
 * The Riddler


 * Oracle
 * Thomas Elliot




 * Humans


 * Gotham County
 * Mercey Island
 * Arkham Asylum
 * Crest Hill
 * Wayne Manor
 * Batcave
 * Gotham City
 * Gotham City Zoo


 * Nightwing's eskrima sticks


 * Batmobile



"The Assassins"
Batman rappels down from the Batplane and boards the company jetliner, LexCorp-One. Once inside, he kidnaps Talia Head and brings her back to Gotham. He tells her that Ra's al Ghul will not suffer a threat to his daughter. Talia points out two flaws with the problem: she and Ra's are not on speaking terms, and Batman would never hurt her.

Returning to Gotham, Batman leaves Talia in the care of Catwoman. The message is quickly received as Batman soon finds a scimitar sticking out from a computer terminal in the Batcave. Concerned, Batman hurries upstairs to check on Alfred. After seeing he's alright, Batman quickly deciphers the context of Ra's "message", but is confused to learn that he is being summoned to North Africa. Alfred theorizes that Ra's may be luring him away from Gotham, but Batman has no choice.

Elsewhere, Harvey Dent sneaks into the home of former police commissioner James Gordon. He tells Jim that the Batman will need his help in resolving the current string of crimes. He also tells Gordon that the gun used to kill Tommy Elliot was Jim's old service pistol.

Batman arrives in Africa and meets with Ra's. The two engage in a sword fight, and Batman surprises Ra’s by running him through. With Ra's incapacitated, Batman begins questioning him. Ra's is not responsible for the recent attacks on Batman. In fact, he wants Batman's opponent equally dead, for the person recently used one of the last Lazarus Pits.

Back in Gotham City, Lady Shiva (under orders from Ra's) breaks into Catwoman's penthouse to rescue Talia. She gets into a fight with Catwoman, and easily takes her out. To her surprise however, Talia turns the tables on her, smashing a chair across the back of Shiva's head.

Batman returns to find Catwoman and Lady Shiva lying on the floor unconscious. Talia says that Catwoman would have died if she had not returned, but decided to come back for Batman's sake. Talia kisses Batman and warns him that his mysterious opponent knows about his affection towards Catwoman and will use it against him. She asks Batman if Catwoman is worth the risk, and he silently answers yes.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Catwoman
 * Harvey Dent
 * James Gordon
 * Oracle undefined


 * Hush undefined
 * Lady Shiva
 * Lex Luthor
 * Ra's al Ghul
 * Talia Head


 * Pete Ross


 * None


 * Humans


 * Gotham County
 * Crest Hill
 * Wayne Manor
 * Batcave
 * Gotham City


 * Washington, D.C.
 * White House


 * Africa
 * North Africa




 * Batboat
 * Batplane



"The Grave"
Batman and Catwoman are in the Batcave going through all of the computer equipment. Batman realizes that there was a double meaning behind Ra's' placement of a sword in the computers, and he needs to determine what message Ra's was trying to send him.

Suddenly, Robin drops down from the ceiling and criticizes Batman for letting Catwoman in on his secret identity. Catwoman and Robin briefly clash, but Batman breaks it up. Frustrated, Catwoman borrows a batcycle and speeds off into the night. Tim's behavior towards Catwoman was a staged act to determine whether Catwoman was worthy of Bruce's trust.

In the streets of Gotham City, Catwoman encounters the Huntress. The Huntress is acting very strangely and the two get into a brawl. It soon becomes apparent that the Huntress is under the thrall of the Scarecrow's fear toxin. Batman arrives on the scene and fights the Scarecrow. Their fight takes them to a small private cemetery. Batman beats the Scarecrow up, and demands to know who has been manipulating so many of Gotham's criminal minds.

Suddenly, a Batarang flies from out of nowhere, nicking the Scarecrow's face. Batman wheels around and sees Hush standing before him. Hush has captured Robin and currently holds his unconscious body by the scruff of the neck. He removes the bandages from his face revealing himself as Jason Todd – the second Robin who died years ago.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Alfred Pennyworth undefined
 * Catwoman
 * Huntress
 * Robin


 * Hush undefined
 * Jason Todd
 * Scarecrow
 * Clayface, Basil Karlo


 * Clayface, Johnny Williams (Apocrypha; see notes below)


 * None


 * Humans
 * Shape-shifters


 * Gotham County
 * Wayne Manor
 * Batcave


 * Batarang
 * Batcomputer
 * Huntress' crossbow
 * Scarecrow's fear toxin


 * Batcycle
 * Huntress' motorcycle


 * Shape-shifting

"The Game"
Jason Todd is ready to slit Robin's throat, and accuses him of being a "pretender" to the role. Catwoman arrives and dives down on top of him, freeing Robin from Jason's grip. With the Boy Wonder out of danger, Batman takes the opportunity to engage Jason directly. Batman stabs him in the leg with a Batarang, then delivers a crushing punch to the solar plexus. The two continue to trade blows, until Jason takes to higher ground. Jason confesses to cutting the batline, which caused the Dark Knight to plummet nearly to his death in Crime Alley. Batman begins to suspect that this may not actually be Jason Todd. After several more minutes of intense fighting, Batman wins out over him. Jason's features dissolve into a river of clay that slips through Batman's fingers. Jason was actually Clayface in disguise.

More frustrated than ever, Batman goes to Oracle's Clock Tower in the hopes of finally solving the answer to all of the mysteries that had been plaguing him of late. Oracle shows him the electronic relay device that Batman had discovered in the cave. This device was used to learn all of Batman's secrets, including his relationship with Catwoman. Batman learns that the person responsible for installing the device was his old friend, Harold Allnut.

Batman drives out to the Gotham City Bridge where he secretly meets with Harold. Harold is now standing upright and can speak. He confesses to planting the monitoring device, and explains that the man who hired him healed his physical deformities and even enabled him to speak. Harold is remorseful for betraying Bruce, and apologizes. Just as he is ready to reveal the name of the man who hired him, a shot rings out and Harold falls over, dead. Batman spins around to find Hush standing before him.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Catwoman
 * Oracle
 * Robin


 * Jason Todd/Clayface
 * Hush
 * Scarecrow undefined


 * Harold Allnut
 * Jason Todd


 * None


 * Humans
 * Shape-shifters


 * Gotham City
 * Gotham City Bridge
 * Gotham Clock Tower
 * Infantino Parkway


 * Batarangs
 * Utility belt


 * Batmobile


 * Shape-shifting

"The End"
Batman cradles the dead body of Harold, his former aide. Hush is standing over them, his guns still smoldering. Batman still has no idea who Hush truly is. He launches into him with a flurry of blows, but Hush keeps a safe distance from him. Hush finally reveals himself to be Tommy Elliot. Batman had believed that the Joker had previously killed Tommy, but that turned out to merely be Clayface in disguise. As Hush, Tommy wants revenge on the Wayne family. Doctor Thomas Wayne had saved the life of his mother after a staged car accident. Elliot wanted his parents to die so that he could collect the inheritance. Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent arrive to give Batman back-up. Harvey shoots Hush two times in the chest, and Hush falls backwards into the bay. Gordon is forced to arrest Dent.

Over the next two weeks, Batman systematically figures out Hush's plan from the beginning. As he explains to Superman, Hush had been planning the attacks for over a year, and had the chips Harold placed in the Batcomputer leave subliminal messages showing Thomas Elliot's image, which is why Batman thought of him after the Batline was cut. Superman has already done several sweeps of the river, but never found Hush's body. Knowing that Hush knew where he was, Batman deduces that Hush placed some sort of tracker on him during the surgery, and asks Superman to burn it out with his heat vision. Reluctantly, Superman complies.

Although Hush seems to be gone, Batman still has to figure out who the true mastermind of this entire affair is. Who told Hush that Batman was secretly Bruce Wayne? The trail leads Batman to Arkham Asylum. He finds that it has been the Riddler pulling the strings the whole time. The Riddler had been dying of terminal cancer and had used one of the Lazarus Pits to save his life. In his temporary insanity caused by the pit, Riddler realized that Bruce Wayne was Batman. Healed from the illness, he decided that he wanted to "make it big" in Gotham. He was tired of being just another crook with a gimmick. So he hooked up with Thomas Elliot (whom he met while researching his illness) and the two decided to play the ultimate riddle against Batman using all of Gotham's super-villains as pawns. Batman, however, pulls a trump card on the Riddler: his obsession with riddles will prevent him from revealing Batman's identity, and Batman warns him that if he tries something like this again, he'll turn him over to Ra's al Ghul.

After conferring with the Riddler, Batman buries Harold on a hill near Wayne Manor, having forgiven his betrayal. He meets up with Catwoman. Catwoman knows that it is impossible for her to continue a romance with Batman. He simply won't allow himself to fall in love. She walks away from him.

Appearances

 * Batman


 * Catwoman
 * Huntress
 * James Gordon
 * Superman


 * Harvey Dent
 * Hush
 * The Riddler


 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Harold Allnut
 * Martha Wayne
 * Thomas Wayne


 * None


 * Humans
 * Kryptonians


 * Gotham County
 * Mercey Island
 * Arkham Asylum
 * Gotham City
 * Crest Hill
 * Wayne Manor
 * Batcave


 * Batarangs
 * Batcomputer


 * None


 * Energy projection
 * Heat vision

Notes & Trivia

 * Stories in this volume were also made available in the following formats:
 * Batman: Hush (HC)
 * Batman: Hush (TPB)
 * Batman: Hush, Volume 1 (HC)
 * Batman: Hush, Volume 1 (TPB)
 * Batman: Hush, Volume 2 (TPB)
 * Batman: Hush: Absolute Edition


 * This volume also includes the limited edition Wizard #0 comic, which was only available through Wizard magazine.