Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Jim Lee, Scott Williams
Colors by: Alex Sinclair
Letters by: Richard Starkings
Cover art by: Jim Lee, Scott Williams (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: March 26, 2025
Batman #158, by DC Comics on 3/26/25, returns to basics when Batman interrupts the latest Joker caper, only to discover that the Joker has his hands full with the return of Hush.
Is Batman #158 Good?
Recap
When we last left the Caped Crusader in Batman #157, Batman pulled off godlike feats of aerial acrobatics to blow the wings off a crashing plane in time to stop KGBeast from setting off a socialist-fueled riot in Gotham City. The issue ended with confirmation that the man posing as Bruce Wayne's long-lost brother turned out not to be his brother, but that didn't stop the man from lecturing Bruce Wayne for being an awful rich person.
Plot Synopsis
Batman #158 joins the Cape Crusader as he swoops down onto a familiar crime in progress. A clown-masked goon is about to unload a sanitation truck loaded with jokerized piranha into the Gotham City Reservoir. Batman recalls the similarities to his first encounter with the Joker many years ago, but it's unlike Joker to repeat a crime. Batman knocks out the thug, but he's taken by surprise when Joker attacks him from the shadows with a crowbar. Joker knocks Batman into the reservoir and into the middle of the school of piranha. When the piranha starts nibbling away, they expose and damage the circuitry of Batman's suit, sending out an electrical shock to stun the fish.
The short circuit cuts off all signals and communication to Oracle. Talia al Ghul swoops in on a helicopter to rescue the unconscious Batman before jetting away again. Meanwhile, a massive man named Silence grabs Joker, stuns him with a massive voice amplifier that ruptures Joker's eardrums, and drags the Clown Prince of Crime away.
Later, Batman recovers and returns to his cave to change into an undamaged costume. He suspects Talia found him due to a compromise in his suit's circuitry. When Oracle re-establishes contact, he warns everyone to shut down all systems to deal with the potential compromise. Cut off from the rest of his family (for now), Batman examines Joker's shoe that he found left behind and surmises the Joker is hiding out at a nearby abandoned carnival.
Joker heads to the carnival and finds the Joker alive but tortured. From the video images displayed on nearby screens and the plethora of scalpels lying around, Batman concludes Hush has returned.
First Impressions
Batman #158, the hotly anticipated return of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, is a weirdly stiff and clunky first issue in a new arc. All the hallmarks of a classic Batman adventure are here, but the issue suffers from "And Then" syndrome, which is very far from smooth or engaging.
How’s the Art?
Jim Lee is a legend, so it's no surprise that his return to internal pencils on a Batman story comes with super high expectations. Lee does not disappoint. Everything from Batman's physical presence to the panel compositions to the focus on visual drama hits the high bar for the best DC has to offer. Every Batman comic should look this good.
What’s great about Batman #158?
After the last year and change suffering through Chip Zdarsky's tenure on the title, Jeph Loeb's script is a welcome palate cleanser that puts a classic Batman in a classic scenario using Bat-gadgets and Bat-detecting to catch a classic villain. The story won't blow you away, but it's refreshing to get back to basics.
What’s not great about Batman #158?
The awkward clunkiness of Loeb's script comes down to the "And Then" syndrome. That's when you have a chain sequence of events that move the plot forward but happen for no particular rhyme or reason other than it needs to happen to move the story forward. Joker repeats the first crime caper wherein he first encountered Batman just because. Talia al Ghul shows up in the right place and time just because. Batman somehow concludes his circuitry is compromised just because.
When you pile up the sequence of random events and are asked to describe what happened, the answer sounds like, "This happened, and then that happened, and then this happened, and then that happened." There's no cause and effect, no interconnectedness, and no cohesion. In short, it's a checklist plot, which isn't very engaging.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Batman #158 is a back-to-basic Batman tale with stupendous art but a lackluster story. Jeph Loeb's script has all the right pieces, but it reads more like a clunky checklist than an engaging narrative. However, Jim Lee's Batman art can't be topped, so pull it for the visuals, but adjust your expectations for the story.
6.5/10
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