Poison Ivy #33 review

Paradise is bountiful with lush vegetation and lots of rewarding work being done by Poison Ivy and Undine. They’re isolated, in their own little bubble that they can shape however they want. Janet from HR is still weak after recovery and we’ll find out what collapses first, her health or the little slab of heaven she sleeps in.

Full disclosure, I haven’t had the time yet to read everything from this run yet. I’m jumping in since the last issue where fellow Batman News writer Aaron Ray Jr. shared his thoughts and had me excited to carry the torch. I love the art so far and I feel like there’s a lot going on with her as a character. I’ll try to catch up as I continue reviewing this series but for now you’re going to see my opinion as someone who basically just picked up this comic from the store. Trying to look at it with some cash in my pocket and a critical eye. Do I buy it?

Well when it comes to the writing of G. Willow Wilson I have to say there’s a lot to like already. (Unrelated but it’s cool that the person who’s writing for Poison Ivy has the name Willow) Poison Ivy is being presented the way an optimistic villain would. She has controlling tendencies and her mind goes towards scheming but she’s also trying to show vulnerability and compassion. The type of compassion she desperately wants to have extended to her and her fellow monsters.

This opening framing device of dreams being closer to reality is a great way to put the issue in context. We have a dream coming true for Poison Ivy in the vegetation that she makes bloom and come back to life but the beauty of it all must be hidden, stashed away like the faintest memories formed from a fresh snooze. There’s magic, there’s a lot of you and there’s also the world being shaped out of your control. In a dream the wildest things happen to you and you don’t always get a say. Just like how the stream and green reshape to fit their desires, no matter what the man made constructions have done to take control of the land.

Then you have Juliet and Undine. The supporting cast. Poison Ivy is trying so hard to show them love but her instincts are always tainted. She hides information from Juliet and can only give backhanded compliments to Undine. We’re seeing the progress but also the shell that has protected her throughout her villainous years. I really feel for this character and I think it’s great how we can unpack all of this from just one issue!

I’m no longer that fresh of a face in Batman News. One thing I’ve learnt when given a long ongoing story like Birds of Prey is that the criticisms can really tire me out. If I don’t see change I just slowly start to lose interest in saying anything. So I hope you’ll excuse me if I don’t write my criticisms of the writing just yet. I feel like this review is long enough already. We’ll get there. I promise. We got plenty of time.

The art by Marci Takara makes me feel a bit hoodwinked though. I absolutely love the opening page of this issue. And there’s definitely some pages here and there that have beautiful displays. But most of the issue is just very restricted compared to how mindblowing the art could be, has shown us it should be! I open the first page and I’m like, wow, this is why I read comics, this is insane. And then the rest is like, oh, right, this is what I should actually be expecting. It’s even more disappointing when the previous issue was so beautiful! I’m being harsh honestly. I just wish that within these panels we could keep throwing in some wild imagery. Uproot the classic visuals! Keep the world suspended, play with the physics, melt the scenery into colorful streams that drip with awe inspiring art from one panel to the next! And this goes as much to Marcia Takara as it does Arif Pianto. Y’all are the ones who combined to make this comic captivating and I’m really excited to see each issue at it’s A-game. Game breaking, mind bending and full of fantastic imagery!

The lettering by Hassan Otsman-Elhaou is very respectable. It has some nice touches that help define the characters and the spacing is well executed. I do know a bit about Poison Ivy comics and one thing I love about them is the endless vines and flora that add themselves to the flowery language of each issue and would love to see more of that. I also wish that the square inner monologue of Poison Ivy was a bit more distinct from her actual speech bubbles because it makes it a bit difficult to tell which is which sometimes.

Recommended if…

• You want writing that really cares about character
• The opening page has your jaw on the floor
• You’re ok with the rest of the issue being less visually interesting

Overall

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