Batman: Hush (2019)

[Silver Nemesis]

Warner Bros has announced a new animated movie based on Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's classic Hush storyline. It's one of four DC animated movies scheduled for release in 2019, the other three being:

•   Reign of the Supermen
•   Justice League vs. The Fatal Five
•   Wonder Woman: Bloodlines

A part of me would prefer an adaption of The Long Halloween over Hush. But considering how badly the animators failed to capture Mike Mignola's beautiful art style in the Gotham by Gaslight movie, I don't really trust them to get Tim Sale's signature style right either. Still, let's hope these new films show some improvement over DC's other recent animated offerings.

[The Dark Knight]

You're quite right. Hush's appeal is strongly attached to the art, which is stunning. It elevates the book into something special. But I do find the story itself enjoyable because of the wide spread of characters used, and the scenarios we find them in.

It's a story that is a celebration of the Batman universe - reflecting on the past and moving into the future.

Batman himself is depicted as vulnerable (falling from a snapped line, emotionally falling for Selina and his identity deduced by Riddler). But he's also someone who survives Superman, throttles Joker, knocks out Harley and eventually pushes away Catwoman due to his suspicions. It's a good mix. But I need to see a trailer to be convinced WB are doing the project justice.

[thecolorsblend]

This might be a tough nut to crack. Hush is a kind of episodic storyline. The through-line of it is Batman ultimately making his way to the showdown with Hush. But there are a LOT of detours along the way... and most of them don't really relate very much.

There's also a lot of baloney going on with Gordon's retirement, the theft of Jason's body and other stuff that don't really bear directly on the immediate story either.

If it sounds like I'm criticizing this idea, perish the thought. On the contrary, there's a lot of chaff in those comics... and separating it from the wheat should be pretty easy to do. It'll give the movie a narrative focus without losing much connective tissue.

This could be an incredible animated movie.

This announcement also goes a long way toward making sense of the news reports about Batman going back to his Hush-era outfit in the comics.

[Silver Nemesis]

This announcement also goes a long way toward making sense of the news reports about Batman going back to his Hush-era outfit in the comics.

That was my favourite piece of news from what otherwise proved to be a very disappointing Comic-Con.

The only other news that interested me was that Marvel is reviving their Marvel Knights imprint for its 20th anniversary.

A Hush movie could work if they can streamline the plot without compromising its scale too badly. But right now, I don't have a whole lot of faith in DC's animated output. It's not that their recent films have been terrible... just disappointing. That's especially true of adaptations like The Killing Joke and Gotham by Gaslight. Maybe Hush will be the one that rights the ship – the first animated film in a while to do justice to the source material – but I won't hold my breath.

[The Dark Knight]

But right now, I don't have a whole lot of faith in DC's animated output. It's not that their recent films have been terrible... just disappointing. That's especially true of adaptations like The Killing Joke and Gotham by Gaslight. Maybe Hush will be the one that rights the ship – the first animated film in a while to do justice to the source material – but I won't hold my breath.

Couldn't agree more.

Batman wise, I'm hoping for a third season of Teltale more than anything.
Affleck starring in The Batman would excite me on that front, but I won't hold my breath.

I'm not sure I consider Hush a classic per se, but it's damn enjoyable. The Batman/Catwoman relationship is the heart of the story, so if they want to streamline something, it should be outside of that. At least they didn't screw up TDK Returns.

[thecolorsblend]

The Batman/Catwoman relationship is the heart of the story

I... didn't think of that. But it's true. And it ties in rather nicely with where Batman comics are right now, in fact. Can't believe that wasn't mentioned sooner, actually.

At least they didn't screw up TDK Returns.

True. Minor quibbles aside, that's the best animated adaptation of any Batman story I've ever seen.

[Travesty]

I'm not the biggest hush fan, but it's an ok story. Granted, I haven't read it in over 12-13 years, so it's been awhile. I do need to re-read it before the animated movie comes out. I'm interested in how they do this, as I always found hush to be a pretty convoluted story, and if it'll hold up outside of Jim Lee's art. I still can't get over how bad TKJ movie was.

As for Gotham by Gaslight, I still haven't watched it. Did they change anything from the book? That's another book that I thought was just ok. After the Ripper plotline finished up, I felt the book dragged.

[The Dark Knight]

I still can't get over how bad TKJ movie was.

They screwed up the unscrewable. Why diverge from an acclaimed story so much? Adding on that unnecessary and embarrassingly tacky prologue? What the f*** were they thinking?

"Boss, we gotta balloon out the story because it's too short otherwise, so let's have Batman bump uglies with Batgirl! It'll make her crippling more intense man!"

The art was cheap and pathetic. Joker's crude language was forced and not even from the book.

The filmmakers of TDK Returns understood the book was loved for being WHAT IS WAS. They merely presented the content in animated form. It shouldn't be that hard. Fools complicate the simple.

[Silver Nemesis]

As for Gotham by Gaslight, I still haven't watched it. Did they change anything from the book?

They changed a lot. They basically took the premise of a Victorian Batman fighting Jack the Ripper and made an original story out of it. There are one or two images and plot beats lifted from the comic – such as the part where Bruce is falsely arrested for the Ripper's crimes, or the fight on the dirigible – but overall it's a very different interpretation. They even changed the Ripper's true identity. Lots of characters who weren't in the book appear in the film, and a number of key characters that were important to the comic – including the main villain – do not appear in the movie. The film has a more pronounced steampunk atmosphere that runs counter to the comic's gritty deconstructionist sensibility. And the animation, while nowhere near as bad as TKJ, does not reflect the stylised aesthetic of Mignola's artwork.

Having said all this, it's actually not a bad film. It's just a poor adaption of the graphic novel. But if you don't like the comic to begin with, then you might enjoy the movie. It's certainly better than The Killing Joke.

For anyone interested in a more in-depth analysis, we have our site review here:
https://www.batman-online.com/features/2018/2/9/review-batman-gotham-by-gaslight-2018

But be warned, it contains spoilers.

The art was cheap and pathetic.

The animation in The Killing Joke was shockingly bad.

How It Should Have Ended has better animation than this. I read somewhere that the reason for the poor production values was that the film was rushed to cash in on Mark Hamill's renewed popularity following The Force Awakens. I'm not sure if that's true, but if it is it would explain a lot.

[thecolorsblend]

I'm trying to figure out wtf is happening to the O'Hara who opens that cell door. He just sort of vanishes.

Let's be real. TKJ could've had amazing animation and stuck to the original faithfully... and I still wouldn't have liked it. I'm not a TKJ fan. I daresay it's everything a comic book shouldn't be. "Mature" storytelling is one thing but that sucker borders on being torture-porn.

GBG... it breaks my heart. I refuse to even watch the movie because that's not GBG. No idea why some of those changes were made but that's not the story I've cherished all these years.