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DC's flagship Batman series delayed a month as Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb's 'H2SH' storyline hits a snag

The next issue of the fan-favorite Batman storyline has been delayed for four weeks, DC has told retailers

Published on Fri May 30 2025

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Bad news for Bat-fans — the current ‘H2SH’ run of DC’s Batman comic book series by creators Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee has hit a speed bump, with retailers receiving notice May 30 that the next issue will be delayed by four weeks. Batman #161 and Batman #161 Giant-Size Special Edition having a new on-sale date of July 23.

Both issues had originally been announced for a June 25 release. No reason was given for the delay.

The issue will feature the fourth installment of ‘H2SH,’ the long-awaited follow-up to Loeb and Lee’s 2002 ‘Hush’ storyline. The new release date for Batman #161 had previously been the release date for Batman #162; Batman #163 has been announced for an August 27 release. As of this writing, it’s currently unclear whether the subsequent issues have also been delayed, and if so, for how long.

It’s also unclear how this delay will impact the previously-announced September relaunch of the Batman series, with creators Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez attached; even if ‘H2SH’ is just delayed one month across the board, will DC hold back the first issue of the new Batman run so that it’s not released simultaneously with the final issue of the current run?

H2SH launched with Batman #158, released March 26; #159 followed on schedule on April 23. and the most recent issue, #160, also released as scheduled on May 28.

A collected edition of the storyline, titled simply Batman H2SH, has been available for pre-order for a December 9 release. It’s unknown if this date could also shift because of the delay.

Wondering what the best Batman comics are? We have some suggestions right here.

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Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.