Poison Ivy #44 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Jamie Infante, Artist; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Ivy has taken over as Gotham’s Mayor, but I wasn’t expecting the story to go this route – as the taste of power seems to have reverted her back to villain mode in full. With each issue, she seems to be setting her sights on an element of Gotham’s corruption, with each target less justified than the last. First it was the AI guru who Savage was using to surveil the city, then the shady contractor who was defrauding the city on maintenance. Now, after a confrontation with the city council, a hit piece in a tabloid is dropped on Ivy – so, as soon as she gets the information from the reporter she intimidates, she heads to pay the well-moneyed owner of the paper an unfriendly visit. There are some interesting bits here involving Ivy’s ongoing, growing war with the agents of the Parliament of Trees, but a sort of sameness is taking over the main plot, and I’m not sure where it’s going beyond returning Ivy to her worst instincts.
Batman/Static Beyond #6 – Evan Narcisse, Writer; Miguel Mendonca, Artist; Wil Quintana, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As this crossover between Milestone and the world of Batman Beyond comes to a close, the threat becomes cosmic. Melvin, aka Shutdown, has reached the point of no return as his new powers drive him to a mental breakdown – and an accidental release of his energy may take him down an even darker path. But what unfolds from there is on a bigger scale than anyone expected, as the alien armada plotting against Earth makes its move – and Melvin’s abilities might be the catalyst for their victory, whether he wants to help or not. The final half of this issue is explosive, with a ton of new characters entering the fray and leading to some huge-scale battles. It’s a little chaotic, but the easter eggs dropped here will be very welcome to any fans of the old cartoons. This has really been a love letter to the world that was crafted on Saturday Morning Cartoons in the early 90s, and for that alone it’s been a big win.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
