Batman: Heart of Hush by Paul Dini, Dustin Nyguen and Derek Fridolfs

Bruce Wayne was born to wealth and priviledge, and so was his friend, Thomas Elliot. But unlike Bruce's happy family, Thomas was stricken with a father who was usually drunk and abusive, and a mother who quoted philosophers at him rather than trying to love her son.

When he was 9, Thomas tampered with the brakes on his father's car. His father was killed in the crash, and his mother injured and horribly disfigured in the crash. Only skilled Surgeon Thomas Wayne was able to save his mother's life and repair her face, though she would always be in a wheelchair. But because of this, Thomas hated the Waynes, both father and son. When Bruce Wayne's mother and father were killed Thomas was ecstatic that the man who'd saved his mother was dead, and happy that Bruce knew some of the pain he'd experienced in his own life.

But Thomas Elliott, now known as Hush, still has a bone to pick with Bruce Wayne, who he knows is Batman. He tells him that he is going to strike at Batman through someone close to his heart, and as Batman gathers his partners, Robin and Nightwing, to him to ensure that they are safe.

But Hush has his eye on someone closer in quite a different way: Selina Kyle, or Catwoman, who neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne can really stay away from. And as Thomas Wayne ripped out Thomas Elliot's heart by saving his mother, Hush plans to do the same, kidnapping Selina Kyle, taking out her heart, but leaving her alive, her blood being pumped by machines developed by Mr. Freeze, and lets Batman find her.

Now all he has to do is find her heart- kept alive in cryogenic suspension by more of Freeze's machines. Not to mention Hush himself. But Hush has another plan to undo the harm the Waynes have done to him. He wants more than to metaphorically cut out Bruce's heart- he wants to become him. Can Batman save Selina and bring his "old friend" to justice? And if it comes down to a choice between saving Selina and bringing in Hush, which will he choose?

This was a taut, gripping tale that really kept you guessing, but at the same time was filled with plenty of action. Batman isn't alone in this one, his colleaguea at the JLA, particularly ones like Zatanna, Dr. Mid-nite and Mr. Terrific have his back, not to mention the new Robin and Dick Grayson, who now fights as Nightwing.

This tale isn't told at a breakneck speed, but the tension amps up by leaps throughout the tale. Interspersed are glimpses into the past of Thomas Elliot, of how and why he came to hate Bruce Wayne and the entire Wayne family so much. But it's not neccesarily the tale of a rational person, but a psychopath, someone who only cares about themselves and their wants, and judges other people only by what they can do for him. It's chilling to read, as it should be, and gives us insight to the core of the monster.

I loved the ending, in which Selina Kyle gets her own revenge on Elliot in a most satisfying and poetic fashion- then sends him a video to tell him exactly what she's done. It added just the right spice to the defeat of Hush's plan, and handicapped him for the future. The ending made me completely love this story. Highly recommended.