Batman: Hush is one of my favorite Jeph Loeb stories, and Jim Lee's pencil work gives it a solid foundation. So what I heard that there was gonna be a Hush sequel by the original creative team, I had to get my hands on a blank cover of the first issue. To that end, I went through a few compositions until landing on this one: Hush himself in a thunderstorm with a scalpel in his hand. Etched in mixed media, I wanted to channel the atmosphere Jim brought in the original story, so I really enhanced the shadows on both the figure and the clouds. Further, after some inspiration from a recent David Finch "Monday Night Draw" segment, I knew rain had to be included in a Miller-esque manner. To achieve that effect I opted for soft pencil crayon for faint droplets, and Gelly Roll liquid white for more pronounced drops to create a sense of depth for the viewer. Combined with the nightblue around the lightning bolt, it makes for a dynamic image. I'm really proud of this piece, overall. This will be up for sale in my "Art For Sale" gallery in 24 hours.
