Batman # 158 Launch Party Glow in the Dark H2SH Foil Variant 2025 BN

Batman # 158 (released March 26, 2025) marks the beginning of "Hush 2" (or "H2SH"), the long-awaited sequel to the iconic Batman: Hush storyline, with the original creative team of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee returning after two decades. 

The issue sets the stage for a new twelve-issue epic that finds Batman in a familiar, yet deadlier, mystery. 

• The Joker as a Pawn: The story begins with a classic Batman vs. Joker confrontation as the Clown Prince of Crime repeats an old caper involving a poisoned reservoir. However, it quickly becomes clear the Joker is merely a pawn in a larger scheme.
• Hush's Return: Batman is ambushed, and the Joker is captured by a hulking new figure named "Silence" who works for the returning villain Hush (Thomas Elliot), Batman's former childhood friend.
• The Torture: Hush proceeds to torture the Joker in a twisted circus-like display at an abandoned fairground, forcing Batman into a moral dilemma: actively save the life of his greatest nemesis or let Hush "finish the job".
• Isolation: The attack on Batman's suit compromises his connection to the Bat-Family (Oracle, Nightwing, Batgirl, etc.), cutting him off from support and forcing him to face this new threat alone for the time being. 
• Writer: Jeph Loeb
• Artist: Jim Lee
• Inker: Scott Williams
• Colorist: Alex Sinclair
• Letterer: Richard Starkings 

The issue is praised for Jim Lee's stunning artwork and its ability to serve as an easy jumping-on point for new readers while paying homage to the original 2002-2003 storyline.