Batman: Streets of Gotham #16

Overall: Well okay, we're back to the Hush storyline after we took a one issue break. Hush, still masquerading as Bruce Wayne, has been pestering Arkham Asylum to allow several inmates out, and while he's been successful with some lower level threats, he is turned down when he advocates for the release of Jane Doe. Realizing that his current strategy of trying to get as many threats back on Gotham's streets to mess with the Bat-family wasn't working all that well, Hush decides to come up with a new plan. While going to some media event(under the watchful eyes of Zatanna and Alfred)Hush learns that Jane Doe had escaped her cell and was running loose in Arkham. Hush is pleased, and Zatanna leaves to see what she could do to help. Alfred goes to take Hush home, but is run off the road by some old mobster who had a beef with the real Bruce Wayne's parents. Hush gets out of the car disoriented and is shot by the mobster, ending this issue.

I like Hush a lot. Always have. He's such a nice change of pace from Batman's normal rogues gallery. So I had no problems with the Hush parts, I liked his interactions with Zatanna, Katana and Alfred, and I enjoyed his attempts at freeing Jane Doe(I also enjoyed Jane's utter confusion at why billionaire Bruce Wayne was interested in her). What I didn't enjoy was this boring backstory with the old mobster... So some old mobster, who thinks he was wronged by Bruce's parents, spends 30-40 years in prison, gets out and decides to kill Bruce, who he had never met nor had any connection to. Umm, why? Bruce's parents are dead, what satisfaction would killing Bruce give to the old mobster? I just didn't get that. I want to see more Hush, more Jane and less mobsters as this storyline goes forward.

Oh, and the Second Feature with Two-Face was really good. Surprisingly good actually. I especially enjoyed the end with the revelation that it wasn't Two-Face's coin that made him do evil things, instead his coin gave him a 50% chance to NOT do evil acts. The only thing keeping Two-Face from truly running wild was his coin. Nice touch there.

Score: 7 out of 10.Heh-heh, Hush is such a jerk!