Poison Ivy #28 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Marcio Takara, Artist; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Ivy is back home in Gotham at last, but things are anything but settled – with an army of self-declared Green Knights carrying out terrorism in her name. And for once, she’s wanted for something she has nothing to do with. This is an amusing twist, but there’s also a pretty interesting subplot as a new villain named the First Acolyte lurks in the background and masterminds all of this. Could this be someone Ivy knows, or a more cosmic threat from far away? It’s very intriguing, but this is a great alternative to the more supernatural threats that dominated the first arc of this book. Ivy’s discomfort with being worshipped is also an amusing way to put her off-balance, and the interactions with the cult members indicate that they may be more confused and misguided than truly evil. But for answers, Ivy’s going to have to head back to where it all began – her hometown of Seattle.
Wilson has done amazing work with fleshing out Ivy’s past, but the real star attraction here is the story of what’s exactly happening to Slaughter Swamp. The final battle that resurrected Ivy altered the landscape, resulting in bizarre events like an unknown ghost town surfacing – but that’s nothing compared to what we saw in this issue. Ivy is exploring when a shambling grey monster emerges, immediately displaying hostility. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s joined by a truly ancient Swamp Thing known as the Bog Venus who explains that Ivy has broken the tentative truce between the Green and the Grey – the kingdom of fungi – and that her transgression has definitely not been forgiven. This title has to balance being a very character-driven tale with also being one of the most fascinating supernatural books on the stands, and so far it’s building a fascinating new mythology that’s unfolding slowly.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
