When the original Batman “Hush” storyline was launched in 2002, concerns loomed over Jim Lee’s capacity to deliver a 12-issue monthly series. At that time, Lee had not participated in a regular monthly comic for several years, with his previous endeavor, Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday, notoriously taking over two years from 1997 to 1999 to conclude its 12 issues. Nevertheless, Lee succeeded, and alongside writer Jeph Loeb, they crafted “Hush” into one of the most iconic comic book narratives of all time.
The eagerly awaited sequel, “H2SH,” however, is facing significant delays in its release schedule. As first reported by Bleeding Cool, this six-issue series, which was set to debut in March 2025 with a monthly release cadence, will now extend its run until January 2026.
(W) Jeph Loeb (A/CA) Jim Lee
H2SH WITH JEPH LOEB AND JIM LEE PART 5! Batman versus the Bat-Family! Whose side are you on?
Retail: $4.99
11/12/2025
(W) Jeph Loeb (A/CA) Jim Lee, Scott Williams
The shocking conclusion to H2SH Part One with Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee! Will Batman survive Hush’s revenge when his only allies are his greatest enemies?
Retail: $4.99
1/28/2026
The root of the delays with “H2SH” lies in its intended purpose to wrap up the third volume of Batman. Upon completion, it was planned for the series to relaunch with a fourth volume in September. However, given the delays in production, that timeline became untenable. In response, DC opted to proceed with the relaunch irrespective of the ongoing storyline, resulting in the debut of the new Batman volume this month, despite the previous one still in progress. This has led to amusing inquiries regarding the legacy numbering, pondering whether Batman #162 representing Batman #926 or if Batman #1 is already legacy Batman #926.
Additionally, there were plans for DC to spin Red Hood off from “H2SH” into his own title. However, with the storyline incomplete, executing this endeavor became challenging. Nevertheless, DC moved forward with this concept, launching the Red Hood spinoff earlier this week. Notably, due to external controversies, DC subsequently canceled Red Hood following its debut issue, alleviating some complications.
Given Jim Lee’s substantial responsibilities as Publisher, President, and CCO of DC, his inability to adhere to the timeline was not entirely unexpected. This situation raises the implication that DC might have benefited from approaching “H2SH” as a standalone miniseries, which would allow for greater flexibility in scheduling.
Based on reporting by CBR.com. Read the full story at CBR.com.