Hush

[knightsintights]

I just finished reading the Hush series jim lee, jeph loeb. I thought it was pretty good except that I feel a little bit lost. As if I did not understand the entire meaning behind the story. I have som equestions that I thought you guys might be able to help with.

1, So who ended up using the Lazerous Pit? Was it Riddler?
2. How did Tommy Elliot figure out that Batman was Bruce Wayne?
3. What the hell is Two face doing in this story?
4. Is Twoface the guy in the bandages or is it Tommy?
5. how did Twoface revert back to the disfigured look?

I feel that Loeb was trying to hard with this story. Alot did not make any sense to me, like the motivations for manipulating Croc, Ivy,or the joker? what was Tommy/Twoface/Riddler getting out of it?

Also what are your thoughts on the story dislikes? likes?

[Paul Dee]

SPOILERS for anyone who hasn't read Hush or Face the Face


1, So who ended up using the Lazerous Pit? Was it Riddler?

Yeah, he used it behing Ra's' back.

2. How did Tommy Elliot figure out that Batman was Bruce Wayne?

Did the Riddler not tell him?


3. What the hell is Two face doing in this story?

Trying to make it more interesting reverting back to Harvey making the story a starting point for a whole host of potential (but un-realised) stories about Harvey Dent's post-Two-Face life? Oh, and for the whole Batman-losing-one-friend-but-regaining-another aspect I guess.


4. Is Twoface the guy in the bandages or is it Tommy?

It's Tommy other than when you see him say "He's innocent. Get the joke?" (as far as I am aware) and the scene in Joker's cell obviously.

5. how did Twoface revert back to the disfigured look?

He was a murder suspect in the One Year Later story and he, feeling upset because of Batman ot believing him he scarred himself again goaded on by the Two Face character speaking to him in his head. All a bit silly really.


Hope this helps.

[Choppa]

And to answer your last question-

Also what are your thoughts on the story dislikes? likes?

It sucked. Art was nice though.

[The Shadow]

And to answer your last question-
It sucked. Art was nice though.

What he said.

Dear god I can't believe such a mediocre story STILL (3 years later) gets so much attention!

[The Xenos]

Yup. I didn't like it either.

Hush was a waste of a character.

As for your questions. Yeah, I was somewhat confused with those issues too. It all was delt with almost randomly and rushed.

Being from the writer of The Long Halloween, I was severly disapointed. Maybe Sale's art style gave a more poper tone to the book, but I thought Hush just didn't carry itself as well as a story as Long Halloween. Long Halloween had its share of craziness, but it felt much more coherant.

[Lorendiac]

I4. Is Twoface the guy in the bandages or is it Tommy?

Depends on which scene you're looking at! Sometimes it was Tommy, a couple of times it was Harvey, and sometimes it was somebody else wearing all those bandages!

I'll explain that as thoroughly as I can.

I read the individual issues as they came out, but I didn't even realize until toward the end of the story arc (when I saw a contest on DC's website urging us to cast our votes on "Who is Hush?") that we were supposed to be calling that mysterious guy "Hush." For the first 9 or 10 issues, I thought "Hush" was just the title of the story. So I was thinking of "him" (or "them") as Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy, for lack of a better name :)

After I had all 12 issues and could go back and double-check, here's what I came up with about the various characters who, at one time or another, were all dressed up as Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy in order to confuse the issue:

1. Most of the appearances of a Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy were Tommy Elliot, also known as Hush, with a handful of exceptions. One helpful clue: Any time that Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat guy muttered something philosophical that turned out to be an obscure quotation from Aristotle, it was really Tommy doing the quoting.

2. The Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy who went to Arkham Asylum in the middle of the story arc and started talking to Joker, and then removed his own facial bandages to show us he was bald (head shaved for recent surgery, that is) underneath, saying, "Harvey Dent is back," was really Harvey Dent. (Tommy Elliot, brilliant surgeon that he was, had somehow completely fixed his face.) One or two issues earlier, I think he had said of Joker something like, "He is innocent," then flipped his lucky two-headed silver dollar and said to us (since no one else was listening except us readers), "Get the joke?"

3. The Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy who fought Batman in that cemetery (around Part 11 of 12), and who cut off his own bandages in that scene to reveal the face of "a fully grown version of Jason Todd if he were still alive, wearing a Robin mask," was Clayface. As Batman eventually figured out. That was Clayface's only appearance as Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy, although he had previously impersonated "Tommy Elliot's Corpse" in order to make Batman think that Joker (or somebody) had killed Tommy.

So that's the way Loeb originally planned it in his plot: Clayface was only Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy in the fight scene in the cemetery. Harvey Dent was Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy for a brief time while he was recuperating from his plastic surgery, as seen in just two scenes in "Hush" (flipping his trademark coin at the end of one issue, and revealing his face to the Joker in Arkham when he sprung him somehow). Tommy was Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy in all other appearances, including the big fight with Batman in the last chapter of the story.

Just to confuse the issue a bit more, we had at least two other Mysterious Unbandaged Trenchcoat guys. Right after Tommy died, a Mysterious Unbandaged Trenchcoat Guy fired a few shots toward Batman and then was holding a gun to his head to discourage him from killing the Joker, but we eventually got to see his face and knew it was Jim Gordon. At the end of Part 11, Batman met another Mysterious Unbandaged Trenchcoat Guy on a bridge and accused him of betrayal. At first we could only see him from the back and didn't have a clue who he was (except that he had hair, unlike Harvey with his shaved head), but it turned out after a minute that he was Harold Allnut. (Who had not previously appeared in "Hush" at all in any way, shape, or form!)

Now, to further confuse the issue! Other writers apparently said to themselves, "Hey, this is fun! I want to fool around with these ideas myself and make the mystery of Hush even more lame and convoluted than it already was! No matter what it takes!" So they did! (Always nice to see a writer pursuing his dream to make a fool of himself, don't you think? :))

4. Judd Winick, when he brought back Jason Todd in a later run on the Batman title, well after "Hush," wrote a retcon telling us that no matter what we thought at the time (or what Batman thought, or what Jeph Loeb thought), the "real" Jason Todd had been the first Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy to appear in that fight scene in the cemetery. After trading a few blows with Batman and saying a few unkind words, he suddenly ducked out of sight and Clayface, disguised to look exactly like him, jumped out of the shadows and continued the rest of that fight scene with Batman, without Batman noticing that anything had changed in the guy he was fighting! (As far as I know, Jason Todd does not claim he was actually the man inside the bandages in any other appearance of Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy throughout the 12-part "Hush" story arc.)

5. A.J. Lieberman, in his post-Hush run on "Gotham Knights" (which I have largely ignored) played mind games with the reader for awhile by making us think the "real" Tommy Elliot was all tied up as a prisoner of the "real" Hush in his secret lair. Which would mean (if it had worked out) that the Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy who appeared in several scenes in "Hush" wasn't really Tommy Elliot after all, but some other guy entirely, whose face we had never seen underneath his bandages, who had simply claimed to be Tommy when he was having his big fight scene with Batman at the end of "Hush"! And Batman had fallen for that clever lie; hook, line, and sinker! (Batman is such a naive and gullible person, you know!)

However, it turned out that "Prisoner Tommy" was all a fake. Hush was really Tommy, also known to me as The Main Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy.

All clear? I can't imagine why some people think this subject is confusing! ;)

Also what are your thoughts on the story dislikes? likes?

If you really want to know just how many plot holes I thought I saw and disliked in the way the story was written by Loeb, you should look at my parody!

I posted a two-part parody of it, written in the mocking "Mad Magazine" style, way back when. It's been a few years, but I find that copies of the parody are still available at

Bratman: Shush (Part 1 of 2)
Bratman: Shush (Part 2 of 2)

[Chachi]

Wasn't the original plan for Hush for it to turn out to be Jason Todd under the bandages and not Tommy Elliot, but Loeb got cold feet about bringing Jason back?

[Lorendiac]

Wasn't the original plan for Hush for it to turn out to be Jason Todd under the bandages and not Tommy Elliot, but Loeb got cold feet about bringing Jason back?

I don't think so. I've seen that mentioned several times over the last few years as a theory or a vague rumor, but I've never seen or heard of anything so solid as a fan saying: "I personally heard Jeph Loeb say this when I was in the audience at a panel in a convention and he was answering questions from the audience!"

In addition, if we buy the theory that Hush was originally supposed to be Jason, then all those weird childhood flashbacks to the old friendship of Bruce and Tommy become pretty much meaningless. When I read the flashback scene in which Bruce foolishly assured Tommy "My dad will save your dad's life!" or something -- and it didn't work, and Tommy went ballistic -- I took it for granted that this emotionally charged and "unresolved" moment would be dragged into the plot in the "modern day" somehow and referred to again. As it was, in a surprising way, by revelations in the final issue of "Hush." But if Tommy had died and stayed dead in the middle of the story arc then that whole "setup scene" from their childhoods would have nothing to do with anything! Total waste of our time! So when I looked at DC's website just after reading Part 10 (of 12), and seeing they were having a contest on "Who is Hush?" I looked at the long list of candidates and naturally clicked on "Tommy Elliot" as my vote! I was convinced that the childhood flashbacks, particularly the one I mentioned about his father's death, were planned all along to lay a foundation for his later reappearance onstage!

For that and a couple of other reasons, I firmly believe that Loeb got to tell "Hush" just the way he wanted to all along, but that Winick later retconned that fight scene in the cemetery to serve his own personal agenda.

(Incidentally, one variation of the theory seems to be that it wasn't Loeb who got cold feet about bringing back Jason; it was the editors on the Batman books who panicked and abruptly ordered him not to. I don't think that one makes any more sense, though.)

[Choppa]

Wait I forgot to mention the one thing that I did like. If you read HUSH after Long Halloween and Dark Victory, having the Riddler be the mastermind at hte end was a niec twist.

[Carter Hall]

Y'know, I actually really liked Hush. I'll admit I was disappointed how at the end, Tommy Elliott is revealed to be Hush- extremely predictable when you introduce a new good guy and new bad guy at the same time. I thought Two-Face's "evil half" would've been a better identity. Oh yeah, and really confusing at times.

Having said that, I loved the art, and Loeb writes good dialogue. Not to mention the fact that trips through a hero's rogues gallery are always fun. Hush provided some good moments with Ra's Al Ghoul, Harley, and the Riddler, especially (I agree that using the Lazarus pit was an awesome twist). It also played with the idea of the Bruce/Selina relationship actually GOING SOMEWHERE AFTER 60 YEARS (although subsequent writers messed up that plotline AND Hush), and I love seeing progression of characters- isn't that why everyone loves the character of Nightwing?

All in all, I'll say that issues 1-11 were awesome, and then it dipped with issue 12. But for me it wasn't enough to ruin the whole story.

[The Xenos]

I have now realized Hush should have been called Mysterious Bandaged Trenchcoat Guy instead. Not that I would have liked the story any better, but I would have certainly prefered that name and title. Hush? Lame.

[Hush Little Batman]

Y'know, I actually really liked Hush. I'll admit I was disappointed how at the end, Tommy Elliott is revealed to be Hush- extremely predictable when you introduce a new good guy and new bad guy at the same time. I thought Two-Face's "evil half" would've been a better identity. Oh yeah, and really confusing at times.

When "Hush" flipped the coin at the end of one issue, I was excited because I thought Loeb had set us up to think the predictable (Tommy being Hush) and swerved us by given Harvey a third personality, ala Dini/Timm did in BTAS when they created "The Judge". I was really annoyed when it was revealed to be Tommy after all.

[zverko]

If Hush is the guy wearing mask then Tommy is the guy, if Hush is the guy who thought of everything, then Riddler is the Hush.

[Drakonnen]

Also what are your thoughts on the story dislikes? likes?

I just read Hush recently myself.

Over all, I enjoyed the story. They kept it interesting and it was great to see all the characters that were involved.

That said, I thought it was obvious all along that Tommy Elliot was Hush, even when they tried to throw us off by "killing" him.

My whole issue with the whole story line is this: Tommy Elliot tries to kill his parents as a boy, but Dr. Thomas Wayne saves his Mother. And for that, Tom decides he's going to become a Super Villain and take it out on Bruce 30 years or so later?

Even more ridiculous is the fact that Tommy tried to kill his parents, and later became an evil Supervillain, but instead of simply trying to kill his mother off again, he waits 20-25 years for her to die of cancer instead? If he is evil enough for the first attempt and evil enough to become a Supervillain, why the hell did he decide to just ait all that time and then blame Bruce, who had nothing to do with it anyways?

I thought that was completely weak.

I also think the Batman Annual #25 retcon that made it so Jason Todd really did fight Batman briefly in the Cemetary was lame, especially since in Hush Batman said he knew it wasn't Jason not just from the clay, but because he kept referring to him as Batman instead of Bruce.

[Choppa]

In addition, if we buy the theory that Hush was originally supposed to be Jason, then all those weird childhood flashbacks to the old friendship of Bruce and Tommy become pretty much meaningless. When I read the flashback scene in which Bruce foolishly assured Tommy "My dad will save your dad's life!" or something -- and it didn't work, and Tommy went ballistic -- I took it for granted that this emotionally charged and "unresolved" moment would be dragged into the plot in the "modern day" somehow and referred to again.

The flashbacks could be seen as Bruce learning the lessons that he needed to defeat HUSH (ie:think outside the box, etc). As for the scene with Tommy's dad, IMO it could have gone unresolved and just have been put in as another strong emphasis of the difference between Tommy and Bruce.

I strongly believe that Clayface was supposed to reveal himself as Tommy to mess with Bruce's head (a copy of an alternate last page even exists) and the final reveal was supposed to be Jason/Riddler. The story makes a lot more sense that way.