"Ah, the old bet story," Loeb reminisces. "Basically, Jim gave me a call about this time last year, telling me that he’d just bet a bunch of DC editors—who shall remain nameless—$1,000 that he couldn’t get four issues of Batman done by Valentine’s Day 2002. He was incredibly headstrong, because all he needed to know was that I would be there for him throughout this. I just said that he’d have to split the money with me."

Flash-forward to D-Day, Feb. 14, 2002. Lee makes a special trip to DC’s New York offices, not so much to discuss upcoming WildStorm plans, but rather to deliver a special package to Carlin—100 pages of Batman art, which would in turn become issue #608 through #610. With that, Lee leaves New York $1,000 richer and with a gig on Batman that’s certain to go down in DC lore as one of the best runs in the history of the series.

However, the story doesn’t begin and end with that. In order to get to the heart of Lee’s triumphant return to comics, and likewise, Loeb’s return to a character he revolutionized with the modern classics Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, you’d have to go back a few years to a time when a run on a monthly was the farthest thing from the creative duo’s minds.

"I always wanted to get back to the monthlies," says Lee. "That was the reason why I decided to sell WildStorm to DC; I was hoping that they would be able to handle most of the business aspects that go along with WildStorm, and therefore give me more time to devote to penciling again. Of course, it didn’t quite work out that way, and I’ve been trying to get back into the monthlies ever since then, I’d say for the past three or four years now."

Based on what had been seen from him, Lee’s fans began to assume that they would never see the man who broke all kinds of sales records with 1991’s X-Men #1 on a regular monthly title again.

He scored a saving grace with Marvel’s "Heroes Reborn" Fantastic Four in 1996, but 1999’s Divine Right shipped sporadically at best. But a pin-up here and a back-up story there just wasn’t going to cut it anymore, and fans began to regard Lee as a historical figure rather than the superstar he once was.

However, DC Editor Mark Chiarello saw things differently. He knew that, if fans wanted to see Lee back on a monthly title, all it would take is a kick in the ass.

"Mark came out here and basically asked me when I was planning on getting off my ass and doing some real work again, to which I said, ‘I’d love to, why not put me on Batman?’" relates Lee. "I guess that’s about the time Jeph came into the picture."

"Jeph had just finished up Dark Victory for me and I’d asked if he had any other plans," says Chiarello. "He had a few ideas for a Wonder Woman story, but I couldn’t shake the idea that Jim wanted to work on Batman."

"Mark sort of let it slip that Jim was interested in doing a monthly title again, and that he was interested in Batman," recalls Loeb. "However at the time, both Batman and Detective were taken by two very talented creative teams, so we were stuck. Neither of us really wanted to do a mini-series at this point."

Soon thereafter, in late 2001, Greg Rucka—who’d been writing Detective up until that point—announced he’d be leaving the series by Fall 2002. A few creator shifts later and Loeb and Lee were officially on Batman. However, based on Lee’s track record and Loeb’s workload (which at the time included writing gigs on Superman, Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue as well as work for Warner Bros.’ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Smallville"), DC still wasn’t sold on what could potentially be a groundbreaking creative team. Even Lee wasn’t sold on the idea completely.

"I knew I hadn’t done a monthly title in quite some time," says Lee. "However, this was a big deal for DC, and a bigger one for me to be honest. I just didn’t want to lay it all out on the line and come up short. The fact that this was such a big deal kind of spurred me on to produce."

Still, DC knew words could only mean so much, so they made the deal a little more interesting. In October 2001, Lee made a special trip to DC to show character designs for his upcoming run, and it was then that the now-famous bet was made—$1,000 for 99 pages, due by Feb. 14, 2002. However, the possibility of winning a cool grand wasn’t what spurred Lee on; it was the promise that, if he could "cover the spread," DC would announce Lee and Loeb as the new creative team on the series.

"I would call Jim and give him pep talks and rile him up, and sure enough he’d call me and ask for more script," says Loeb. "At one point it got so crazy that I would be getting pages sent to me through the fax, and I’d have to write more just so he would have something to work on. Regardless, we were still cutting it close."

Sure enough, on Valentine’s Day, 2002, Lee entered the DC offices with exactly 100 pages—one more than he actually needed. The spread was covered, and Loeb and Lee were soon announced as the new Batman creative team in Wizard #129.

As for what Loeb and Lee have planned for Batman starting with issue #608, fans can expect to see the Caped Crusader go through one of the most trying years he’s had to deal with in quite some time.

"Basically, the main question in ‘Hush’ will be, ‘When will Batman finally feel as though his parents’ death has been avenged?’" hints Loeb. "’How much longer will Batman continue his quest to rid Gotham of crime?’ We’re really going to put him through the ringer, both physically and especially mentally."

As far as villains go, Loeb plans on taking full advantage of Batman’s incredible Rogues Gallery—with a special focus on the ladies.

"C’mon, I just had to see Jim’s Poison Ivy," laughs Loeb. "Seriously though, I wouldn’t just throw a villain in unless they contributed to the story, but you’ll see most of the Rogues as well as a new villain that I want to keep secret until he reveals himself."

It seems as though Loeb and Lee are keeping "Hush" hush-hush for the time being, but they’re quick to show how much fun they’re having on the series.

"I really can’t describe how exciting this has been for me," exclaims Lee. "When I was coming up in this industry, I always wanted to do the monthlies, and I remember the great feeling I would get when I’d turn in a story and make my deadline, and I really wanted to get back to this. I’m having a lot of fun with Batman."

"I’m really just hoping that Jim and I are remembered for telling a compelling story," says Loeb. "You really can’t ask for more than that. If the fans enjoy our run, then I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished what we set out to do."

Look for signed copies of Batman #608 on the Dynamic Forces web site this month.