Ever since taking over as Mayor, Pamela Isley has brought Gotham City to heel, but not everyone in Gotham is happy about being put so firmly under Ivy’s green thumb.
As Mayor, Ivy has circumvented the political process to enforce her will upon Gotham, and as a result has made enemies within various branches of government. Ivy’s hasty murdering of anyone who interferes with her mission as Mayor of Gotham City has also drawn ire from her friends and allies who have begun to question Ivy’s motivations and erratic behavior. Meanwhile, Ivy’s refusal to negotiate with the Parliament of Trees following the muder and consumption of Bog Venus at the hands of Ivy and Janet threatens to plunge Ivy into a war with the Green that she might not survive.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Poison Ivy #45!
Poison Ivy #45 opens with Ivy’s thorny grip on Gotham tightening even more, as she coerces a local newscaster for favorable media coverage. The issue suggests to the reader that Ivy has gone mad with power, as Ivy’s opening narration box chillingly reads as, “Freedom and liberty are nice. But you know what’s nicer? Order and control”. Ivy may have won the support of the people of Gotham through her promises for expeditious and progressive reforms. Ivy asserts her control through domination, subjugation, and intimidation. Anyone who opposes her agenda is swiftly dealt with and removed entirely. Those who criticize or call into question her performance as Mayor are silenced or dismissed. Ivy may have had the faith and trust in the people of Gotham when she was elected Mayor, but ever since taking office she has gradually lost that support that put her in office in the first place.
Ivy is not thrilled with the suggestion that she should resign as Mayor. (Credit: DC Comics)
After Janet informs Ivy about Batman paying her a visit at the end of Poison Ivy #44 telling her that Ivy must resign, Ivy demands an urgent meeting with Commissioner Vandal Savage. Ivy is unhappy with the Commissioner for failing to take down Batman, and questions why so many resources are being allocated to assist with Savage if his efforts to capture Batman result in failure. Savage responds by basically calling Ivy a hypocrite, telling her, “Look in the mirror, Ivy. Look at what you’ve become. You’re not here to govern. You’re here to rule”.
Savage goes on to tell Ivy that power has made her blind to her own weaknesses, and that one day those who helped her come into power will be “waiting to eat your liver on the way down”, possibly foreshadowing Ivy’s reign coming to a brutal and tragic end. Ivy tells Savage she doesn’t care what he has to say to her, she just wants Batman. Ivy’s obsession with defeating the Caped Crusader once and for all sets up future conflicts that we will see play out, not only in Poison Ivy, but the Batman title as well.
While Janet and Juhi go off in search of someone who hopefully can help Ivy see reason, Ivy takes a much needed break from the scrutinous public eye in her Mayoral manor. We see Ivy struggling to write an apology letter to her ex-girlfriend, Harley Quinn. For those who have not read the issue, the astonishing breakup played out in Poison Ivy #43. We’ve seen the personal toll that ending her relationship with Harley has had on Ivy, specifically how lonely Ivy has felt since the breakup. We’ve everything crashing down around her, it’s clear that Ivy wants to reconnect with Harley, and possibly make amends with her ex.
Ivy is startled by a noise and goes out to investigate, where she is alarmed by the presence of a representative of the Parliament of Trees that is called the Kettle Hole Devil, who yet again tries to give Ivy the opportunity to atone for the offense taken against the Parliament when she killed Bog Venus. She refuses to beseech herself before the Kettle Hole Devil, and nearly loses her composure when the entity threatens Harley’s life. When the entity questions why one human life means so much to Ivy, she responds by saying “She’s the only human who matters”. Ivy’s response here is a reminder that Harley is still the most important person in her life, even if they are estranged at the moment.
Ivy also has a real moment of self-awareness during her confrontation with the Kettle Hole Devil. Acknowledging the mistakes that she has made Ivy says, “I’ve been given these gifts and I don’t know how to use them…There’s some kind of…of darkness between me and righteousness. So I fail. I fail the Earth. I fail the people I love. I fail myself”. It’s the most human Ivy has been in this arc, and it is refreshing to see Ivy own up to her faults for a change.
The issue ends with Ivy going to her old ally Xylon for help, but she is told that the Grey will no longer be able to protect her from the wrath of the Parliament of Trees. As the issue comes to a close Ivy is more alone than ever before, and is running out of options and solutions to get out of the mess that she has made for herself. However, Ivy is not one to back down without putting up a good fight, and still has a few more moves to make before everything is all said and done.
Chaos will be unleashed in Gotham City as part of a new crossover event, Batman: Bad Seeds, spearheaded by Matt Fraction and G. Willow Wilson. The crossover will be told across several Batman and Batman adjacent titles: Batman, Poison Ivy, Detective Comics, Batgirl, Batwoman, Catwoman, Nightwing, and Harley Quinn. DC Comics tells us, “the event centers on Poison Ivy unleashing an eco-terror attack that transforms Gotham City into a prehistoric wasteland over the course of a single catastrophic night”.
Ivy’s actions in Poison Ivy #45 are those of a woman who is desperately trying to hold on to power and her position as Mayor, even as more and more are sharpening their knives to stab Ivy in the back. It is this recklessness that leads to Ivy making her most desperate ploy yet as she launches an attack on Gotham City that kicks off the Batman: Bad Seeds crossover.
The upcoming issue Poison Ivy #47 will serve as an official prelude to Batman: Bad Seeds and will be on shelves on August 26th. A one shot, Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunset #1, written by Fraction and Wilson, will also be released on the same day.
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