The next era of DC Comics has begun, and Poison Ivy isn’t wasting any time on her ambitious new plan. With DC K.O. finally concluding, DC Comics is shifting to the second act of the All In saga, DC Next Level, and that means exciting new directions and jumping-on points for the publisher’s many series. This fan-favorite title is rapidly approaching its fourth anniversary, and in that time, it’s been through plenty of similar initiatives like the Dawn of DC or All In. But none of them have introduced a status quo change for Ivy as Next Level has.
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When we last saw Poison Ivy, she was under the gun of Gotham City Police Commissioner Vandal Savage and his terrifying new elite forces. He was determined to bring in Isley for the murder of criminal tech guru Marie Henley. But the people of Gotham surprisingly ended up on Poison Ivy’s side, having finally brought change that the city desperately needed. The series’s last issue ended with Ivy deciding to take that newfound popularity and run for mayor, setting up an interesting new era that fits perfectly with DC Next Level’s mission statement.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Great characterization | New storyline can feel abrupt |
| Unique jumping-on point | Will leave fans with questions |
Poison Ivy #42 Brings Pamela Isley to the Political Arena
Poison Ivy #42 by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou hits the ground running. No longer is Pamela a wanted criminal. She’s in the mayor’s office and already issuing orders to her former nemesis, Vandal Savage. He makes threats, but Ivy isn’t worried. She’s been elected with 70% of Gotham’s support. Granted, that support largely comes from Ivy promising to turn the city into a green utopia within a few years. But Ivy takes the job seriously, getting her people embedded in Gotham’s government so that they can start making the necessary changes.
But not everyone working for Ivy is on her side. Inter-departmental liaison Juhi Prakash doesn’t trust Ivy, nor does she support Ivy’s Order of the Green Knight patrolling the streets to enforce the city’s new green laws. Ivy’s also facing troubles as tensions are increasing between the Green and the Grey, thanks to Ivy’s killing of the Green’s agent, Bog Venus. With everything on her mind, Ivy privately unloads to her confidante, Janet, saying that becoming mayor has taken a toll on Ivy, revealing that it’s even cost Ivy her relationship with Harley.
Poison Ivy #42 is a Fun, if Perplexing, Jumping-On Point
I won’t lie, while I knew Ivy had a political future ahead of her, I didn’t expect it to happen at such a breakneck speed. The shift from Poison Ivy #41 to #42 can feel extremely abrupt, completely skipping the electoral process and jumping right into Ivy after she’s taken office. I get that the time-jump put all readers on an even footing, and I have no doubt that the next couple of issues are going to reveal the fallout between Ivy and Harley. But still, it feels like a lot of story is missing between these two issues.
All that said, G. Willow Wilson continues to do an amazing job with this character. Ivy feels incredibly nuanced and torn in so many directions. We feel the emotional weight of how much this new position has on Ivy and can empathize with her desire to change the system by any means necessary. Making Ivy the mayor does give this book a different feel compared to the previous issues, but I feel like Wilson has the skill to get in some great commentary about higher office and its inability to help the people in need.
Takara and Prianto do an amazing job here with art and colors. Though this issue isn’t as action-packed as many preceding ones, the art serves the story well here. Poison Ivy’s fabulous design and colors really pop against the drab and plain old guard of the Gotham political machine, highlighting Ivy’s outsider nature in this new world. And when the more out-there elements come, like Ivy discussing the Green situation with Xylon, it blends naturally with the rest of the book. It’s a wild thing to balance, but the creative team does a great job doing so.
Admittedly, I haven’t followed this series as intensely as I have others. But this issue really does a great job of creating a decent hook and leaving you just enough to want to read more. What happened between Ivy and Harley? Was there more than meets the eye with Ivy’s campaign? If someone like me is interested in seeing what comes next, I’m certain other people who have been following this series for longer are going to like it as well. I just hope Ivy’s stint in politics really brings the change she wants to see in the world.
What did you think about Poison Ivy #42? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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