Poison Ivy is, without a doubt, one of the best new series that came out of 2022. With a second story arc underway, Poison Ivy #8 takes a step back with a human character Ivy touched way back in the Gotham City Villains Anniversary Special, and she needs her help!
Poison Ivy #8 opens with Ivy all wrapped up, literally, unable to control her powers as spores take over her mind and body. The human who found her is reluctant, rightfully so, but even though she risks her healthcare to help Poison Ivy, she does so. This series continues to touch on real-life social issues, and in this issue, we’re reminded of how health care can bind folks to terrible jobs.
Along the way, Poison Ivy has witnessed good people doing good work, and she’s slowly discovered maybe humanity is worth saving, or at least a part of it is. G. Willow Wilson continues to explore humanity’s good and bad, and it seems she always finds a way to shed more light on the bad.
Moralizing and truths about society aside, this series continues to be deliciously disgusting with the visuals. Guest artist Atagun Ilhan draws some disturbing stuff growing off Poison Ivy at the start. Then later, Ivy takes the form of a vine, and even that is a bit disturbed. Colors by Arif Prianto and Ivan Plascencia cast many of the events in slight shadow, with the general color choices giving a somber and dark tone. What Poison Ivy does to the antagonist in this issue is a sight to see and at once haunting and beautiful. That fits right at home with other horrifically beautiful imagery in past issues.
Poison Ivy is in a bad place!
Credit: DC Comics
I always find something compelling, new, or engaging in the letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. A level of confidence can be read in dialogue thanks to how a word balloon tail looks, for instance. The slight edge given to Poison Ivy’s caption boxes suggests she is confident in her ruminations. It’s gotten to the point where I may not know Hassan is lettering, but I still find myself lingering on lettering choices that inform the story or characters.
Wilson continues to find a bit of heartfelt truth in Poison Ivy’s journey to discover humanity is worth a damn. In a critical bit of captions, she says, “When I started this, I told myself I didn’t need anybody,” but she didn’t count on others needing her. It’s a bonafide truth about connecting with others and finding a purpose in life, cementing a touching and meaningful ending on the issue.
My only gripe with this issue is that it seems too easy for our protagonist to aid Poison Ivy. A short walk down a hallway, an easy opening of a door to a secure area, and then a quick jog over to free Ivy all comes with little trouble. Ultimately we’re wrapped up in the dialogue and message, but if you take a step back and look at the difficulty of accomplishing the primary goal of the issue, it comes too easily.
Poison Ivy #8 continues to show this series is rightfully one of the most important superhero books on the stands today. It conveys real-life issues in easy-to-understand and relatable ways while further humanizing Ivy. Along the way, we see the good and the bad humanity brings, and like with Poison Ivy, we tend to lean towards the good being the winner of the debate. It just requires Poison Ivy to do horrific things to a lone toxic person.
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