The man once known as Tommy Elliot has thirsted for vengeance against Bruce Wayne for nearly his entire life. Calling himself Hush, this brilliant arch villain has twice brought the Dark Knight to the edge of destruction using schemes as tangled and twisted as the bandages that hide his face. Now, with Batman reeling under the mysterious Black Glove's campaign of terror, Hush has returned to strike the killing blow he feels is rightfully his to deliver. But this time only the complete eradication of everyone and everything close to Bruce Wayne will satisfy his hunger for revenge...

The Heart of Hush sees Bruce Wayne once again having to face off against his old friend Tommy Elliott, now better know as Hush. When Hush strikes at the very heart of Batman's world he has to pull out all the stops to save a loved one.

There's a lot of back story told here in flashback, for those unfamiliar with Hush's origins. But even then I found him to have absolutely no redeemable qualities as a villain. Enemies like the Joker and Mr Freeze work because you can kind of understand why they are the way they are. Hush, on the other hand, just comes across as a very immature spoilt individual.

This collection ties directly into the "Batman: R.I.P." event and collects Detective Comics issues #846 - 850.

While entertaining enough, with some beautiful artwork, I couldn't help feeling I was reading something I'd read a million times before. Batman stories very rarely offer anything original these days.

7

Nick Smithson