DC's "30 Essential Graphic Novels"

[Mladen]

Where the **** is preacher?
[...]
Hush is a big pile of ****

Hells yes on number one. I'm guessing Preacher may be considered controversial, which is why they kept it off the list.

Hush is seriously the most overrated cliched batman story. It felt like every other forgettable batman story I'd ever read except with better art. The whole thing is just a flimsy excuse for a villain parade, and the artwork is showy/flashy/shiny and for those reasons totally innappropriate for a Batman story (except for the flashback scenes which I'll admit looked classy and excellent).
I can imagine it being popular with people who haven't really read a lot of Batman comics, but it really is pretty forgettable when you compare it to the dozens of much better Batman stories over the decades.

 

[WompuM]

Are you really complainging about art being

 

[WompuM]

Are you really complainging about art being too good?

 

[Hush]

Hells yes on number one. I'm guessing Preacher may be considered controversial, which is why they kept it off the list.

Hush is seriously the most overrated cliched batman story. It felt like every other forgettable batman story I'd ever read except with better art. The whole thing is just a flimsy excuse for a villain parade, and the artwork is showy/flashy/shiny and for those reasons totally innappropriate for a Batman story (except for the flashback scenes which I'll admit looked classy and excellent).
I can imagine it being popular with people who haven't really read a lot of Batman comics, but it really is pretty forgettable when you compare it to the dozens of much better Batman stories over the decades.

See I disagree as I voiced earlier I think it (Hush) was really good i meanyou get lots of good moments from it like batman inerrorgating Riddler and it brough The Riddler into the spot light more, til they got rid of that. The art work is beautiful so we agree on that but what do you think was flimsy?

 

[Mladen]

Are you really complainging about art being too good?

no, i didnt say that. i'm complaining about the art being way too flashy and showy and shiny... it felt like I was reading Schumacher's Batman and Robin.

 

[Mladen]

See I disagree as I voiced earlier I think it (Hush) was really good i meanyou get lots of good moments from it like batman inerrorgating Riddler and it brough The Riddler into the spot light more, til they got rid of that. The art work is beautiful so we agree on that but what do you think was flimsy?

don't quite agree on the artwork, I think Lee is better than most popular hero artist these days, but his work is way too flashy for batman. Too shiny, too showy, too colorful (yes, i'm aware he doesn't color his own work, but he DOES pick his colorists and tells them what he wants to achieve), and all of the characters look like swim suit models and body builders with slightly different faces. I personally don't like his art at all, but I like it more than a lot of the standard Batman/Detective artists, and the watercolour flashback scenes in Hush looked great. I'm not going to deny the man has talent, I just don't like his work at all.

I felt the plot was a result of the editors and loeb sitting down and thinking up a reason for having a villain-parade plot (like Knightfall, or The Long Halloween, or Dark Victory... anybody else notice that Loeb writes a lot of 'mystery mastermind/murderer' plots with villain cameos throughout?). The overall answer to the mystery of Hush's identity was neither interesting or shocking (gee, i wonder if its the new character they've introduced in this particular story...), and Riddler, who is usually a pretty ineffective one-trick-pony character is suddenly a great mastermind? To me it definately felt like an instance where they work a plot backwards... They KNOW they want Batman to fight all of the villains (and an excuse to fight Superman, which always sells a few issues), so they have to come up with an excuse as to why.

 

[WompuM]

no, i didnt say that. i'm complaining about the art being way too flashy and showy and shiny... it felt like I was reading Schumacher's Batman and Robin.

Except it was still dark and gothic with a huge lack of neon. I just don't really see where you're coming from here.

 

[Hush]

don't quite agree on the artwork, I think Lee is better than most popular hero artist these days, but his work is way too flashy for batman. Too shiny, too showy, too colorful (yes, i'm aware he doesn't color his own work, but he DOES pick his colorists and tells them what he wants to achieve), and all of the characters look like swim suit models and body builders with slightly different faces. I personally don't like his art at all, but I like it more than a lot of the standard Batman/Detective artists, and the watercolour flashback scenes in Hush looked great. I'm not going to deny the man has talent, I just don't like his work at all.

I felt the plot was a result of the editors and loeb sitting down and thinking up a reason for having a villain-parade plot (like Knightfall, or The Long Halloween, or Dark Victory... anybody else notice that Loeb writes a lot of 'mystery mastermind/murderer' plots with villain cameos throughout?). The overall answer to the mystery of Hush's identity was neither interesting or shocking (gee, i wonder if its the new character they've introduced in this particular story...), and Riddler, who is usually a pretty ineffective one-trick-pony character is suddenly a great mastermind? To me it definately felt like an instance where they work a plot backwards... They KNOW they want Batman to fight all of the villains (and an excuse to fight Superman, which always sells a few issues), so they have to come up with an excuse as to why.

Not lking the artwork i can go with cause yeah its your opinion. I would strongly suggest you read it again though cause its not as bright as it seems and the instances that it is bright are when he is in Metropolis and has Robin around. As far the swimsuit and bodybuilder comment you made, what artist doesnt render a character like that? lol. I know there out there but they are few and far between. I'll respect your opinion though cause that is your to have. Ill just disagree.


As for the story, you bring up TLH and Dark Victory, both of which are written by Loeb and are also Murder Mysteries, like they are bad stories when TLH (maybe not DV) is considered by many as one of th ebest Bat stories of all time. I have not read Knightfall. The reveal of Hush was predictable but the reveal of Harold and Riddler were just amazing and totally unexpected. Batman was given yet again another reason to fight crime with the death of Harold and story potential was opened up for the Riddler, that to just be the one trick pony which you accurately described him as. Fighting Villians is what Batman does I mean you complain about seeing to many villians well have you EVER read a Flash story? Though it is handled differently they often have 2 or 3 villans working togethor. Batman has a rich Rogues Gallery with tons of unexplored potential and I think Loeb wanted to do something that he haf similarly done in the past but he also new that Jim Lee was the artist to give a new design to a character or possibly bring new life to a character (The Riddler). A story is supposed to sell issues otherwise we won't have comics and Loeb sold ALOT of issues and gave us Bat-fans something to talk about. Sorry that was so long but i feel very passionately about this title so i feel inclined to defend it, hell look at my username.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

Can someone explain Preacher? I remember it from the 90's..but i never bothered to read it. Should i have read it?

 

[Anubis]

Yes, unless you are a conservative Christian or something.

It's about this small town minister who finds himself bonded with a being born of the copulation of an Angel and a Demon called Genesis. It is so powerful that upon it's birth, God locked it up and abandoned creation. The Preacher, name of Jessie Custer, now has to track down God and make him answer for his neglect or whatever. He is joined by his ex lover turned hit woman, Tulip, and a friendly Irish Vampire named Cassidy. It's full of sex, Violence, and some of the best characters you'll ever see in a comic.