Batman: Hush was a pivotal story in the Caped Crusader's mythology. Written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Jim Lee, the run introduced the villain Hush, who has gone on to become a seminal character in Batman's rogues' gallery. Furthermore, it paved the way for the return of Jason Todd, who at the time was still considered dead.
Over 20 years after its release, DC Comics paired Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb once again for a sequel, Batman: Hush 2, or H2SH, for short. The story was said to take place across 12 issues, split into two parts. Part 1 would span Batman #158 to #163, before Part 2's start at an unannounced date to "close out the story of Hush once and for all." Unfortunately, the run has been all over the place release-wise.
Now, it's been announced (via Bleeding Cool) that the sequel's last issue, Batman #163 will be delayed—once again—from January 28, to March 25, 2026. To understand the significance of this, it's important to look back at the many delays of the sequel series.
The first issue of H2SH, Batman #158, was released on March 26, 2025. Issue #159 came out April 23, 2025 and #160 came out May 30, 2025. #161 then had a one-month delay. Initially scheduled to come out June 25, the issue was pushed back to July 23, 2025. Batman #162 was scheduled to arrive two months later, in September. However, the issue was pushed to October 15, and then once again, to November 12.
The delay on the run's penultimate issue led to Batman #163 getting pushed back all the way into 2026—specifically, January 2026. That shift then brings us to this latest delay. Now, you're all caught up. As put into perspective by Bleeding Cool, issue #163 will now be releasing seven months later than initially expected. On top of that, the shift also marks an over-one-year delay in H2SH's initial release calendar.
Most importantly, however, this shift runs the risk of throwing a wrench into the flow of DC continuity. Per CBR, H2SH was meant to close Vol. 3 of Batman, upon which Vol. 4, by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez, would begin. Yet, with this new delay, H2SH's final chapter (for now) will release seven issues into Batman's fourth volume. Comic books are confusing by nature, but having a sequel volume develop as its predecessor hasn't concluded may prompt a new level of head-scratchings from readers.
Though a reason for such delays was not provided, Bleeding Cool speculates it could be because of Jim Lee's heavy workload as President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer for DC. It makes sense, of course. In early November, Lee actually took to Instagram to thank fans for their patience as he worked on completing his commitments:
"Been burning the midnight oil, trying my best to get all my commitments done, but I'm clearly overextended. Thank you to all who have patiently waited—here's some art from the past couple of months, and a sneak peek at a page (and cover) from next week's issue of Hush 2 AKA Batman #162."
The original 2002 Hush arc is arguably one of Batman's most important and influential stories. With that in mind, the decision to continue the story brings up an interesting question: What can the sequel add to the mythology of its predecessor? Well, as Jeph Loeb himself explained, unlike Hush 1 (not the official name), this time around, Batman will have to contend with much... well, friendlier adversaries.
Loeb and Jim Lee sat down for a Q&A session on DC's official YouTube channel. A fan asked Loeb what the theme for the sequel is, and how it had evolved. Loeb replied the story's overarching theme is Hush's revenge. Most importantly, the story will see Batman deal with every single members of his very extensive Bat-family:
"It evolved out of us [Loeb and Lee] talking together about what we wanted to do. The best way to describe it is, it's Hush's revenge, and will sort of set the stage for how Batman is going to deal, not just with Hush, but with the entire Bat-family. That [is] really the thing that makes it different from the last time. Last time, I think, we dealt a lot with how Batman deals with each individual criminal. And this is, 'How is Batman gonna deal with each individual member of his family?'"
Batman: Hush 2 will continue with Batman #163, now scheduled for release January 28, 2026.
Are you disappointed by this delay? Have you been enjoying Batman: Hush 2? Share your thoughts in the comments!