Poison Ivy #14 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Marcio Takara, Artist; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Poison Ivy is back in Gotham after her twisted visit to suburbia in Knight Terrors—which was much more closely tied to the main series than many of the series were. But there’s no time to rest and relax, as Gotham isn’t what it used to be. Ivy has set her sights on a strange house in Slaughter Swamp, formerly the home of Killer Croc, as her new home base. But the place isn’t an ordinary shack. It’s a massive labyrinth that’s far larger on the inside than it is on the outside, and it’s also home to some truly freaky alien geometries. Oh, and it’s home to a dead body—one that bears all the hallmarks of being killed by Ivy’s powers. Except that she has no memory of the killing, has no awareness of who the person is. This is the last thing she needs coming into Gotham with Batman on her trail, so she calls on one of the few people she knows she can trust—Janet from HR. Hey, Harley isn’t that good at espionage.
This issue continues a trend that I’m very happy about, with DC calling back to decades-old plotlines. This issue references No Man’s Land, where Luthor attempted to co-opt Gotham and bring in dozens of his fellow vulture capitalists to exploit the city. Luthor was driven out, but many of them remained—and one of them has ties to Ivy’s current perils. With all eyes on her, Janet is sent into the corporation in what’s becoming a running gag—of Janet getting fired repeatedly. The odd situation between Ivy, Harley, and Janet takes some turns as well, with Wilson potentially hinting at the three of them becoming a trio instead of Janet simply being a third wheel. It’s interesting how this series started out as a much darker take on Ivy than we’ve seen in a while, but since it seems to have found its footing and is giving the character a fascinating new chapter with some darkly mysterious twists.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
