Hush: Good jumping-on point?

[Ex_]

I'm looking to get into Batman. Can I start at Hush? If not, where do I begin!?

[Phosphorescent]

Batman: Year One

[Ex_]

Batman: Year One

Thanks. If I read that, then go to Hush, will I be confused as hell? I have a moderately-good knowledge of Batman.

[Phosphorescent]

Thanks. If I read that, then go to Hush, will I be confused as hell? I have a moderately-good knowledge of Batman.

I don't think you'll be too confused, but I think there's more you should read before Hush.

[Ex_]

I don't think you'll be too confused, but I think there's more you should read before Hush.

Thangyuu. I'll start at Year One, around the 400s.

[koshunter]

I would recommend reading some of the most popular trades but no, I don't think you would have any problems. I started reading from Hush onwards also but I had read a lot of the trades that people told me were relevant (Death in the Family and so on).

[Red_Knight]

Well, Hush was my entrance into the ongoing, and I did just fine, although I'd never really read the series before.

Year One is a good starting point, too, but Hush is just wall-to-wall action with gorgeous artwork and appearances by pretty much every major Bat villain. That was the selling point for me, and I haven't looked back since.

After Hush; I'd recommend Under The Hood, Face The Face (One Year Later), and of course Morrison's run, at the very least Batman R.I.P. If it turns out that you like Hush as a character, you might also want to check out Detective Comics; -- Paul Dini just did a nice little follow-up titled Heart Of Hush.

You sure picked a great time to give Batman a whirl; -- it's the book I look most forward to every month.

[Ex_]

Well, Hush was my entrance into the ongoing, and I did just fine, although I'd never really read the series before.

Year One is a good starting point, too, but Hush is just wall-to-wall actions with gorgeous artwork and appearances by pretty much every major Bat villain. That was the selling point for me, and I haven't looked back since.

After Hush; I'd recommend Under The Hood, Face The Face (One Year Later), and of course Morrison's run, at the very least Batman R.I.P. If it turns out that you like Hush as a character, you might also want to check out Detective Comics; -- Paul Dini just did a nice little follow-up titled Heart Of Hush.

You sure picked a great time to give Batman a whirl; -- it's the book I look most forward to every month.

Thanks. I'm mainly into Marvel, but I'm looking to get into DC. I have to read some pre-Infinite Crisis stuff so I can understand the differences and changes for each hero. Hush seemed like the big story for Batman, so I'm givin' her a whirl.

[Red_Knight]

Thanks. I'm mainly into Marvel, but I'm looking to get into DC. I have to read some pre-Infinite Crisis stuff so I can understand the differences and changes for each hero. Hush seemed like the big story for Batman, so I'm givin' her a whirl.

Actually, to get the changes Batman underwent as a result of IC, you just have to get Face The Face. It's the first Batman adventure after the DC Universe jumped one year forward following IC. Don't worry, though. If you have watched Batman:TAS or the old movies, you should be right at home.

[Rattlehead]

Jeph Loeb's stuff is always pretty straight-forward, and if you don't know somebody he does a generally good job of getting the reader up to speed.

[Killsocket]

I started with The Killing Joke, then Year One, then The Long Halloween....

Since then, I've gotten The Monster Men, The Mad Monk, Prey, and I just got Gothic today. I am trying to go in order as much as I can.

[Arksy]

Hush is one of my favourite batman stories, i highly recommend it - even as a starting point.

[ZT4]

Thanks. If I read that, then go to Hush, will I be confused as hell? I have a moderately-good knowledge of Batman.

Year One: Good
Hush: Lovely picture book, shite plot

Nothing to be confused about.

[vazel]

Hush is a very pretty mindless popcorn movie. You should give other things priority over that.

Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
The Killing Joke

[Lester C.]

Hush is a fine introduction to the entire Batfamily sans Batgirl who is no longer a member of the Batfamily so you won't be missing anything there.

[dreyga2000]

Read Hush that's how I started... It's the perfect introduction to the Bat Family... Don't expect anything too deep though....

[nepenthes]

this is easy

until you've read Year One, Dark Knight Returns and Killing Joke, do not read Hush or anything else. After those go to Long Halloween; it fulfills the same basic intro function as Hush by presenting several major villains and themes in a quick and easy 2D dimensional tour of Gotham City, the difference is TLH does it much better. it's really only developmentally retarded soft-bodied geeks that generally like Hush.

[vazel]

Hush is a fine introduction to the entire Batfamily sans Batgirl who is no longer a member of the Batfamily so you won't be missing anything there.Read Hush that's how I started... It's the perfect introduction to the Bat Family... Don't expect anything too deep though....Not really the characterizations aren't at their best.

What nepenthes said is on the mark. You'll find what you think Hush is in The Long Halloween and its sequel Dark Victory done infinitely better.

[lepeos]

Well I think seeing as Hush is starting to appear more and more and become more and more prominent a villain it's a good idea.

[Lester C.]

Not really the characterizations aren't at their best.

What nepenthes said is on the mark. You'll find what you think Hush is in The Long Halloween and its sequel Dark Victory done infinitely better.

Hush was written for people who never read a Batman comic. Many of the issues spotlighted a character and introduced who they are, their orgin and their current place in the Bat mythos as it stood in 2004. Only then members of the Bat Family of Batgirl and Spoiler were ignored and it turned out for good reason...

[Kuma]

I wouldnt say that Hush is bad, I just wouldnt call it a good starting point.

[davepaton]

Yeah Hush is a good story but it doesn't strike me as a particularly obvious place to start. Apart from all the usual trades recommended (year one, long halloween, etc) I think Paul Dini's recent work on Detective is all top quality and a lot of the issues are either 1 part or 2 parters and are pretty easy to pick up and understand without having to know much about background knowledge. If you can't pick up the individual comics there are a couple of trades that collect the first lot -

http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Detective-Paul-Dini/dp/1401212395
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Death-City-Paul-Dini/dp/1401215750/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228241096&sr=1-3

[Astonishing X-Fan]

it's really only developmentally retarded soft-bodied geeks that generally like Hush.

Wow, bite me.

"People who like things I don't like are retards." What a tool.

Anyway, Hush is a decent starting point. While it's true Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Killing Joke, and others are better stories, they're also older stories, set way in the past in most cases, and not really what you need to get into what's currently going on in the Bat-mythos. Hush, on the other hand, introduces you to most of the major players of today, and introduces Hush, who recently had a major story arc in Detective(an arc I'm sure you'll end up reading if you plan on catching up on the current books). It's not a very complex story, the description of a "popcorn blockbuster" is pretty accurate...but it's a fun story with beautiful artwork. Give it a whirl.

As an actual starting point for the current comics I'd say either that or start a little later on with the "One Year Later" stuff, beginning with "Face the Face", then moving on to Morrison's Batman stuff and Dini's Detective stuff. You can pick up all the great older trades along the way.

[carabas]

I suggest skipping Face The Face. It is merely an exercise in pointing out the differences between the pre- and post Final Crisis Batman status quo (which has since been changed anyway), without explaining how this came to be, and which ends in a cliffhanger/villain reveil that will never be followed up.

[Harding Prime]

Hush is a fine Modern starting point, and fun little mystery to get your feet wet. It is where I jumped back on from my last Bat-Story, which was "Prodigal", which was when Dick Grayson donned the Cowl after Bruce beat Azreal out of it in KnightsEnd, the ending part of the KnightsFall Trilogy. Seems like Prodigal is coming full circle.

But for a modern starting point, go...

1. Hush
2. Under the Hood
3. Face the Face
4. Morrison and Dini's Runs

I would through in Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis as well.

[Killsocket]

Wow, bite me.

"People who like things I don't like are retards." What a tool.

Anyway, Hush is a decent starting point. While it's true Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Killing Joke, and others are better stories, they're also older stories, set way in the past in most cases, and not really what you need to get into what's currently going on in the Bat-mythos. Hush, on the other hand, introduces you to most of the major players of today, and introduces Hush, who recently had a major story arc in Detective(an arc I'm sure you'll end up reading if you plan on catching up on the current books). It's not a very complex story, the description of a "popcorn blockbuster" is pretty accurate...but it's a fun story with beautiful artwork. Give it a whirl.

As an actual starting point for the current comics I'd say either that or start a little later on with the "One Year Later" stuff, beginning with "Face the Face", then moving on to Morrison's Batman stuff and Dini's Detective stuff. You can pick up all the great older trades along the way.

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't all those you listed origin stories of some character? Year One - Batman, TLH - Two Face, Dark Victory - Robin, TKJ - Joker.
And actually, isn't the book itself itself The Killing Joke set futher "down the road" as Batman mentions the many conflicts they have had in the 'past', it's only the flashbacks that are set at about Year One time.

I can't disagree with you on your recommendations as I have not read those, but for a beginner, I always thought it would be interesting to read the origins of the characters before reading "advanced" stuff that most people may know the character already. It's sort of like going to History class. But it's also fun to jump into a character and read the back dated stuff to see how he/she got to that point. Either way, you win really.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't all those you listed origin stories of some character? Year One - Batman, TLH - Two Face, Dark Victory - Robin, TKJ - Joker.
And actually, isn't the book itself itself The Killing Joke set futher "down the road" as Batman mentions the many conflicts they have had in the 'past', it's only the flashbacks that are set at about Year One time.

I can't disagree with you on your recommendations as I have not read those, but for a beginner, I always thought it would be interesting to read the origins of the characters before reading "advanced" stuff that most people may know the character already. It's sort of like going to History class. But it's also fun to jump into a character and read the back dated stuff to see how he/she got to that point. Either way, you win really.

All of those origin stories are pretty much common knowledge though, in some form or another. It's not really required to read any of them to understand present stories unless you have pretty much no past exposure to the Batman mythos.

That being said, these books should be read because they are simply awesome stories. I'm just saying that they aren't required reading for one who wants to get into the current Bat-books, unless his knowledge of Batman is extremely low.

[nepenthes]

Hush was written for people who never read a Batman comic. Many of the issues spotlighted a character and introduced who they are, their orgin and their current place in the Bat mythos as it stood in 2004

But for a modern starting point, go...

1. Hush
2. Under the Hood
3. Face the Face
4. Morrison and Dini's Runs

I would through in Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis as well.

those are good points. Hush is a good intro for a new era of batman

disagree on Face the Face and the Crisis' though. both are unnecessary, Face the Face is mediocre and both Crisis' are impenetrable and boring unless you have a DC encyclopedia installed within your memory banks


Wow, bite me.

"People who like things I don't like are retards." What a tool.

tools are people who get sensitive on message boards. I call what I see. sorry. who cares.