Comic Review: Batman #163

It’s been a long, long wait but Batman #163/the end of the first part of the Hush 2 storyline has finally arrived. Do readers get their faith rewarded or does this first part of this highly anticipated sequel to a beloved story land flat?

Batman #163
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Art and Main Cover: Jim Lee
Variant Covers: Jim Lee, Jorge Jiménez, Gary Frank, Gabriele Dell’Otto, Mikel Janín, Mico Suayan
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: May 27, 2026

This review contains spoilers

As Batman #163 begins, we see Batman fighting alongside a group everyone swore he’d never join forces with. He also finds himself in a situation he really hasn’t found himself in before and the repercussions of where he ends up will likely play a big part in the second half of this storyline. The issue also ends on a cliffhanger that sets up that second half story.

We open the issue underground, with Batman escaping the clutches of the Bat Family following the explosive confrontation at the end of the last issue. Hush’s manipulation of Batman’s allies to turn against him has forced The Dark Knight into a situation where he is forced to take desperate measures. He has to team up with…his rogues gallery! They’re not too keen about being played by Hush either and they want their revenge. This forces them into an uneasy alliance with their most formidable foe.

Meanwhile the Bat Family chases after Batman and they encounter him right away and it immediately turns into a battle, until the family is asked “When is a Batman not a Batman?”

The villains lead Batman to a confrontation with Hush..and Jason Todd.  Jason too has been manipulated by Tommy Elliot after his awakening and disappearance in the original Hush storyline. Batman tries to reach his old protege and friend, but before we know if he gets through to him, Hush brutally stabs Batman and leaves him to die…until he himself is apparently shot dead by Talia Al Ghul. Jason is left to hold onto Hush’s body as Talia and Ubu take Batman to a Lazarus Pit.

I won’t tell you what happens when Batman arrives there but the ending sets up an intriguing possibility for the second part of this story line.

Analysis

It’s interesting that Batman begins to compare what Hush is doing to a chess game in this issue because that’s exactly what it’s felt like watching the first part of the Hush 2 story develop.

Much like the first Hush story, the villain enjoys testing Batman mentally as much or maybe more than he does physically. Making him question everyone and everything  around him has driven a wedge between him and his allies and forced him into league with his most hated opponents. It’s almost like Hush realizes the best way to destroy Batman is from within his own inner circle instead of defeating him in a direct confrontation.

It’s these mental games that continue to be the strength of this story, even it at times it feels like it’s trying too hard to mimic the original Hush story. Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee have done a wonderful job of bringing us back into that world that many fell in love with all those years ago, but at times it feels like they’re going back to the same well just for the sake of nostalgia.

As someone who enjoyed but doesn’t worship the first Hush story, I enjoyed the familiarity but at this point in the series but I wouldn’t mind the story going in a completely different direction. Maybe that’s where the story is going after the cliffhanger to end this issue.

Especially with the villain dead…or is he?

Batman #163 tries so hard to end the first part of Hush 2 by trying to take the story in a whole new direction, and it falls just short.
Seeing a non-drugged/altered Batman up against his own allies alongside his worst enemies would have been unfair and fun, but we never get there.

Also, the presence of the Lazarus Pit in the story really takes the edge off the shock of the deaths in this issue. We don’t even see Batman toil for long after Hush stabs him before Talia shows up. It does set up that cliffhanger at the end, but it also took away a lot of the emotional weight of the moment.

Overall, I enjoyed Batman #163 and the first part of this series.  However to fully judge this story, I am going to need to read the second part to this story and I can’t wait to see it.