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In Poison Ivy #24, Solomon Grundy uses the power of Slaughter Swamp to resurrect Poison Ivy.
Poison Ivy #24 main cover by Jessica Fong
Writer: G. Willow WilsonArtist: HainingColors: Arif PriantoLetters: Hassan Otsamne-ElhaouCover: Jessica FongVariant Cover Artists: Frank Cho, Sabine Rich, Chris Bachalo, Nimit Malavia, W. Scott ForbesRelease Date: July 3, 2024
This comic book review contains spoilers
The Story
Poison Ivy dies surrounded by her friends: Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Killer Croc, Janet from HR, and Peter Undine. Quinn laments that it’s only the people who try to fix what’s broken that end up being punished while Grundy offers a chance at resurrection. The group is in Slaughter Swamp: the place where Grundy died and came back. Grundy submerges Ivy in the heart of the swamp, and she has another one of those psychedelic visions this run has become known for.
Ivy once again sees the tree of life, which tells her that she violated the boundary between green and grey by taking the power of the lamia for herself. She promises to stop messing with mushrooms before she is returned to the land of the living. During the big reunion, Janet from HR is so overcome with emotion that she admits that she slept with Ivy and kissed Harley. But good news for her: neither of them actually care.
She Lives!
So here we are, after 24 months of teasing Ivy’s death as a result of the toxic labia spores, we finally get to see the narrative conclusion to this arc. The result is… disappointing. It’s yet another Deus Ex Machina: the undead zombie Solomon Grundy uses the regenerative swamp that cured him on Poison Ivy. Instead of coming back as a grey monosyllabic corpse, however, Ivy inexplicably returns good as new.
I have been all over the place with this run. Initially, what began as a Thelma & Louise-road story with a ticking clock element of Ivy’s eventual death was compelling. The pandemic-body horror elements provided a topical resonance, and Ivy’s internal conflict coupled with demons of her past and her awareness of an impending death all created great character depth. Unfortunately it seems like writer G. Willow Wilson’s planning only went so far as after an interlude into Ivy’s early life, we were presented with one of the most repetitious and drawn-out arcs in recent comics. The last three issues have all dealt with Ivy’s final death scene, all in the midst of a mystical resurrection swamp that served to undo everything we’d been building up to in the first place. I’m not saying I wanted or expected Ivy to die, but it would’ve been nice to see her brought back in anything other than the laziest way possible.
Solomon Grundy carries Ivy’s body into Slaughter Swamp. (Credit: DC Comics)
The End of the (non)Love Triangle
Another way this arc wrapped up in a less-than-satisfying manner is with the Janet from HR, Harley, and Ivy love triangle. For months Wilson has been teasing an imminent blowup as Janet from HR has engaged in relations with both Harley and Ivy, unbeknownst to them. The couple is presumably still in something resembling a monogamous relationship, after all. That trail that we’ve been literally following for months ends here with a comical moment where Janet admits her indiscretions to virtually no reaction from the couple. Granted, Ivy did just return from the grave, so maybe they have more immediate concerns, but it’s still a huge slap in the face to anyone who has been following this storyline for months for the resolution to be, well, nothing. None of the characters have to confront their own actions or grow or learn anything. This entire storyline was pointless through and through.
The Art
Haining has not been listed as a guest artist since joining the run on issue 22, and it’s not hard to see why she was chosen as a replacement. The art is good. Haining deftly balances strong character work with action, and it bears more than a passing resemblance to Marcio Takara’s striking work, while not quite reaching the same highs. Arif Prianto’s colors are vivid and pleasant enough to, along with Haining, provide an animate visual contrast to the wearisome storytelling.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advance copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
Final Thoughts
The two biggest narrative threads we’ve been following for months: Ivy’s struggle with her own mortality and her relationship with the impulsive and untrustworthy Quinn completely fizzle out.
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