Poison Ivy #17 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Luana Vecchio, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Ivy’s chickens are about to come home to roost, as the Lamia-infected individuals are coming to Gotham, pulled by their mutual connection to the woman who created them. Ivy is desperate to save them—and herself—by making an antidote, but there are a lot of things in the way. The first thing I noticed about this issue is that it looks VERY different. That’s because of guest artist Luana Vecchio, an acclaimed erotic cartoonist who has a recently completed Image comics series. Her art has a lush, fantastical tone to it that is very different from Marcio Takara’s usual style. It works perfectly as Ivy’s world gets more and more complicated—including her relationship. She and Janet recently had a dalliance—and she doesn’t know that Janet and Harley did as well. Are these three headed for becoming one of DC’s only throuples? We’ll see, but until then there’s going to be a lot of awkwardness.
The best part of this issue is Ivy’s interaction with another long-time connection from the Gotham villain scene—Killer Croc, who has been treated with a lot more respect than he usually is. He turns out to play a key role in Ivy’s plan to synthesize an antidote, but there’s just one problem—he’s afraid of needles. This is funny, yes, but there’s also a heartbreaking story about exactly why this is a trigger for him. The odd friendship between him and Ivy has been the heart of this arc, and it’s great to see them work together when another threat emerges from the Swamp. But while Vecchio’s art is gorgeous, it can also be horrific. The depiction of the Lamia zombies is as gruesome as you’d expect, and the changes to Ivy’s body over the course of this issue are genuinely unsettling. It’s impressive that this series has lasted so long, and it’s a testament to the character’s potential as a solo lead.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
