Happy Pride Month y’all! Poison Ivy is one of DC’s best queer characters in my opinion so I just wanted to start off this review by acknowledging that June is here. If you plan to celebrate please stay safe and hydrated. Okay, now that I’m done being everyone’s mom, let’s get into this review.
We’re finally at the end of Ivy’s new origin arc, and I’d say that writer G. Willow Wilson sticks the landing well. Woodrue is defeated by Ivy with the help of her cohort of villainous friends.
While I can’t say that I’m always the biggest fan of the way Harley is used by most writers these days, she fills an important role in the plot here that feels earned. She jumps into the plot somewhat abruptly to help Solomon Grundy and Killer Croc defeat Woodrue. This is sort of out-of-nowhere, but Harley is such an archaic and messy character that it makes sense for her to just pop-in.
It is difficult to talk about the quality of this issue in a vacuum given that it is simultaneously wrapping-up an important arc and getting readers ready for the next section of Ivy’s narrative, so forgive me for speaking about Poison Ivy a little more broadly for a minute.
The big question is whether this new origin story for Ivy added something new to the character. I’d say that it did. Wilson seems to really value what makes her a great part of the DC Universe–for an alleged villain, she has an incredibly reasonable vision, even if she takes those hopes to extremes.
Wilson emphasized that love for nature, and the injustice of our national emphasis on constant economic growth over the health of the planet, throughout the early road-trip issues. It was a lot of fun, and also paired nicely with the flash-backs to Pamela’s creation at the hands of the Floronic Man. There have been some problems with pacing which I’ve noted in previous reviews, but overall I think that this run will be remembered fondly as adding a strong new foundation for Ivy.
In terms of looking to the future of this series, Wilson hints at Janet-from-HR becoming a more important character, with Harley seemingly becoming suspicious of her being involved with Ivy. That should make for some interesting drama later on and could capitalize on some of the fun relationship dynamics established by the animated Harley Quinn series.
Red Hood also appears near the very end of this issue, which makes me think we may see more of Jason Todd.
From a visual perspective, colorists Arif Prianto and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou continue to impress. There is a lot going on in this issue, and in the hands of a lesser team that action could become muddled. Instead, the colorists enhance artist Haining’s work to make each important element on the page distinct.
Recommended if…
You’ve been reading Poison Ivy up to this point.
You are a Harley Quinn or Red Hood fan.
Overall…
If you’ve been sticking with this series, you should definitely read the conclusion of Wilson’s new origin for such an iconic member of Batman’s rogues gallery. The last page leaves readers of quite a cliff-hanger, and for all the complaints I’ve had about how drawn out this story has been as of late, I still think that this arc came to a satisfying conclusion.
Score: 8/10
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