Ever the curious one, Poison Ivy is a bit of a detective in Poison Ivy #14. Now in Gotham, G. Willow Wilson, and Marcio Takara have spun some of the best Poison Ivy comics ever together with a new threat worth exploring for the reader and Ivy.
This series continues to show Poison Ivy as a thoughtful character. When she discovers a man’s face has been replaced with a flower, she goes digging, in part because she’s curious but also because she needs something that’s practical: A hunting shack. She’s calm and collected the entire issue, which is practically a superpower given the weirdness she encounters.
Weirdness is a hallmark of this series. When things get topsy-turvey, the heroic nature of Pois Ivy shines through. Mostly on her own in this issue, Wilson captures her internal monologue well through captions. She’s a bit omnipresent as she knows what’s going on in the B-Plot, which is like a trick in making her relevant in every element of the issue. Most of this issue is a bit of a wander for her, but the cliffhanger makes up for that mostly.
While Poison Ivy is figuring out how a man died from a plant, most of the issue concerns Janet, Poison Ivy’s new helper and friend. She’s crashing at Harley Quinn’s place, and the hijinks ensue for them. One might say Janet is Poison Ivy’s Oracle as she tries to dig up dirt on a looming threat. These scenes are fun, punched up by Harley’s wacky overtness. A surprise visit from a particular masked hero adds a fun layer to the book. It’s always interesting to see Batman outside of his element, and you get that here.
Peculiar.
Credit: DC Comics
Marcio Takara’s art continues to be perfect for this series. There’s a fluid and raw nature to the pencils that suit Poison Ivy. The scene with Batman will stick out for most as it captures Batman’s intensity well. Arif Prianto’s colors remind us it’s also happening during the day, which is rare for the hero. A standout page is a full-page splash reveal of what Posoin Ivy finds, and it’s all kinds of Escher weirdness.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s letters are always a treat. The effect of a well-chosen word balloon when a character is scared or shocked is not unnoticed. There’s never a copy-paste nature to his work, with an always careful thought as to how to convey a line of dialogue.
Poison Ivy is one of the most consistently good series at DC Comics, with issue #14 continuing that trend. There’s a good balance of characters, and it’s nice to see Ivy in Gotham and all that comes with it.
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