“House of Hush – Prelude” Written by Paul Dini. Art by Dustin Nguyen; Derek Fridolfs; John Kalisz; & Steve Wands.
“Two-Face: The Long Way Down” Written by Ivan Brandon. Art by Ramon Bachs; John Lucas; Nick Filardi; & Travis Lanham.
Cover Art by Dustin Nguyen.
SUMMARY:
DC Comics released this issue for September 2010. First up is the 12-page “House of Hush – Prelude.” Old-school Gotham gangster Mr. Pierce is chauffeured by two thugs (one of whom is Mr. ZZZ) out of Blackgate Prison after serving a thirty-seven year sentence. Pierce bears a deadly grudge against Bruce Wayne.
Still impersonating ‘Bruce Wayne,’ Dr. Tommy “Hush” Elliot fantasizes about killing his super-powered captors (among them, Zatanna Zatara & Katana). Elliott contemplates his late mother’s journal describing an awkward date night decades ago where his snobbish parents encountered Bruce’s future parents and John Zatara. Escorted by an undercover Katana, Elliot’s ‘Wayne’ intends to argue for parole to free a straight-jacketed Jane Doe from Arkham Asylum.
In the 16-page “Two Face: The Long Way Down,” Dick Grayson’s Batman & Harvey Dent/Two-Face disrupt a mob summit at a posh Gotham City restaurant prior to a FBI raid. Taking a hostage, Dent escapes the bloody stand-off. In a decrepit warehouse shootout, Dent’s recruits challenge Mario Falcone’s goon squad. An uncertain fate awaits Dent’s desperate associate after an eavesdropped phone call.
REVIEW:
Bolstered by a terrific art squad, writer Paul Dini’s plotting teases a potentially tantalizing twist in Hush’s masquerade as ‘Bruce Wayne.’ Seeing a young, idealistic Martha Kane and an unexpected side of future Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Wayne, along with their friend, John Zatara, adds some welcome backstory to their characters. It’s almost sufficient compensation for an unpleasant Two-Face thriller co-starring Dick Grayson’s oddly ineffective Batman.
Two-Face’s storyline benefits from excellent visual quality, but the ultra-violent plot depicting Gotham’s rival mob warfare isn’t appealing whatsoever. Hence, Batman: Streets of Gotham # 14 is definitely a mixed-bag read.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s a five-page preview of Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors # 1 entitled “Last Will,” starring Guy Gardner. In the “DC Nation” column, DC Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler hypes a cryptic Brightest Day black-and-white image The same promo image earlier appears in vivid color as a two-page ad.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
