Poison Ivy #24 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Haining, Artist; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This run has done something impressive similar to the Chip Zdarsky run on Batman, essentially telling one overarching store for the entire run. And it all ends here, as Pamela Isley has triumphed over the Lamia and Jason Woodrue – but seemingly at the cost of her life. As the crew including Harley, Croc, and Janet from HR mourns, someone else has a plan – Solomon Grundy, in his own unique way, thinks she can be resurrected in the same way he was, by being reborn in Slaughter Swamp. This issue does a very good, subtle take on grief in a way comics are often scared to slow down and show, but the anxiety of those scenes is nicely cut by a contrast as we follow Ivy in her journey below – as she wakes up somewhere else, somewhere occupied by a cosmic being known only as the Tree of Life. This is a gorgeous scene, and raises plenty of questions about how this ties into the Green.
The question of where this fits in with the Green is interesting – Ivy has always been a strange addition to that mythology – but Wilson smartly leaves that part ambiguous and uses this breather to give us back Ivy, restored and free of the apocalyptic corruption she took on herself in the first issue. This leads to some emotional reunions – and some hilarious confessions as Janet’s dalliances with both Harley and Ivy are released with neither woman caring all that much given their strange relationship. This series is taking a short break now for a Gotham City Sirens series, but has been confirmed to return for a third act in September – an amazing run for a series that was initially supposed to be a miniseries. After taking Ivy for a incredibly dark and twisted ride, she’s back to her classic form – as a ruthless crusader for the world and for nature, and I can’t wait to see where Wilson takes her next.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
