Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #2 – Jody Houser, Writer; Adriana Melo, Penciller; Mark Morales, Inker; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Much like relationships, it’s often hard to see where Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy is going but it’s worth going along for the ride in Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #2.
Last issue of Jody Houser’s miniseries, we got to see how Harley and Ivy were coping since Ivy’s resurrection, leading Harley to make a shifty deal with Luthor to restore Ivy to a more stable form – although still far from perfect, as she struggles to hold together and has memory issues. But before Harley’s decision could be explored, the girls were interrupted by Jason Woodrue, now the Avatar of the Parliament of Flowers, who wanted to claim the energy of another plant-based being.
As this issue kicks off, things shift to a fast-paced action book as Harley and Ivy’s sanctum is destroyed. Adriana Melo’s art is at its best this issue, with Woodrue coming off as genuinely creepy and his demon-plant dogs adding a nice touch of danger to the story. Harley and an exhausted Ivy escaping from a burning house is one of the best action scenes of the week.
Woodrue is on their tail, but the girls manage to lose him in the second half of the issue. This series seems to be exploring their more heroic side, but their best connections are with villains – which leads them to seek help from Mad Hatter for Ivy’s brain issues.
I’m not sure about this being in character – both Harley and Ivy hate men who manipulate women, and Jervis Tetch’s whole thing is brainwashing women and then throwing them away when he’s bored. He’s a creepy villain without many redeeming qualities, although here his schtick seems to be boiled down to “obsessed with Alice in Wonderland”.
He promises to help, but surprise surprise – he’s plotting to betray them. This plot isn’t the strongest, but Harley and Ivy are entertaining enough that it makes up for any weaknesses in what’s looking like a fun road trip adventure that will give HarlIvy fans the cute moments we want – with a lot of explosions mixed in.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
