Batman #160 Review

• 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: May 28, 2025

Batman #160, by DC Comics on 5/28/25, brings Hush into the Spotlight when Jason allies himself with the villain to stave off death. Meanwhile, Damian enlists unexpected help.

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Is Batman #160 Good?

Recap

When we last left the Caped Crusader in Batman #159, Batman woke up after a tense fight with Red Hood and found Red Hood, the Batmobile, and Joker gone. Batman somehow concluded Red Hood was working for Hush.

Plot Synopsis

In Batman #160, the fighting gets bigger and more chaotic. We begin with Batman reviewing his security tapes to find out what happened after Jason knocked him out. Hush enters the Batcave and warns Jason not to kill Joker because the clown is needed for Hush's plan. He also reminds Jason out loud for Batman to hear that Hush is the key to saving Jason from a deteriorating brain injury.

Elsewhere, Jim Gordon finds a tablet that shows a recording of Batman rescuing Joker from the abandoned carnival, with a narrator taunting Gordon about Batman's decision to save a mortal enemy. When Gordon turns off the tablet, it explodes. Meanwhile, Riddler tells Nightwing and Batgirl that he knows everyone's secret identity and that they're not to confront Jason unless it's together. Nightwing ignores the advice and speeds off to Jason's location based on a Riddler riddle. Batgirl speeds off when she gets a distress signal from her father.

Batman arrives at Wayne Med Tower, where one of the discarded Hush scalpels is made. He finds a nurse working late by the name of Armor Damascus. When she sees Batman, she attacks by morphing her limbs into deadly blades, ala T-1000 Terminator. Batman fights the Terminator to a stalemate when Hush's henchman with the super-sonic voice arrives. Batman is prepared for the assault by activating sound-canceling tech in his cowl, but the henchman is stronger and tougher than a brick wall.

The issue shifts to Nightwing, who finds Joker strapped to a medical bed at the top of a lighthouse. Jason jumps Nightwing from the shadows. The fight is halted when Joker wakes up and grabs two pistols Jason left by the bedside. The issue ends when Damian arrives at Wayne Med with Bane to help Batman against the henchman. Bane tips the balance in Batman's favor, but the fight halts when Hush shows up and takes Damian hostage.

First Impressions

Oof! It's too much. Jeph Loeb throws everything and the kitchen sink at you to keep the readers on their toes with fast-paced action and plot developments, but the end result feels super-rushed. There's a writing axiom about writing for "therefore." Not "and then." You get a whole lot of "and then" in this Batman #160.

How’s the Art?

The art looks amazing, and given that this is the first comic drawn by Jim Lee in a long time, you should expect nothing less. Lee's pencils helped define a generation, and Scott Williams on inks pushes Lee's visuals up another notch in terms of detail and pure scrappiness.

What’s great about Batman #160?

If you want all the greatest hits of Batman fights, you get that here (and a couple of new ones on top). Jeph Loeb rushes from one scene to the next to match Batman, Nightwing, and Jason against each other and everyone else. This issue is the antidote to comics where everyone sits around talking and eating.

What’s not great about Batman #160?

Fast-paced action and plot developments are only as good as the flow of the narrative that lets scenes breathe. Here, Loeb tries to cram three issues worth of surprise factor and wow moments into one, so the net result feels rushed and, at times, random.

For example, Damian brought Bane along to help save Batman. That should be a big deal moment, but it happens so quickly that Bane doesn't have a chance to speak, and we don't know how or why Damian was able to bring the muscle-bound menace along. It's as if Loeb decided to just throw things at you quickly to get it out of the way without letting the story develop organically.

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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 #160 delivers more urgency, action, and characters than you can handle. Jim Lee's art is unimpeachable, and Loeb certainly strives hard to cram in as many characters as possible, but the net result feels rushed and chaotic.

6/10

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