Pam Isley is in Montana. Clearly, something has gone terribly awry. Your Major Spoilers review of Poison Ivy #7 from DC Comics awaits!
POISON IVY #7
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Atagun Ilhan
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Editor: Arianna Turturro
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Previously in Poison Ivy: SHILL, BABY SHILL! Poison Ivy has finally sold out to Big Fracking! That’s right! You heard it here first, folks! With a new mission, a renewed outlook on life, and a burgeoning new sense of purpose, Ivy is back and better than ever before.
UNDERCOVER WITH THE ENEMY
We open with Poison Ivy contemplating the nature of evil, reminding us that the obvious bad guys are certainly terrible, but it’s the insidious, sneaky ones that she feels cause more problems. Case in point: The FutureGas corporation, which has become the major employer in Parson, Montana. No matter how bad things get (and giant hybrid plant-creatures rampaging through the field is pretty bad), the denizens of Parson are ready to support them and their corrupt CEO. When Ivy goes undercover in her employ, she finds out the hard way, finding evidence that Woodrue The Floronic Man’s research is behind their new fracking technology. She then breaks into the office of Ms. Crawley, the CEO, only to find that Crawley not only knows that there’s a spy in her midst, but she also knows that spy is Poison Ivy…
And she’s prepared.
POISON IVY’S NEW FORM TERRIFIES ME
The first thing that struck me about this issue is the face of Ms. Crawley, who doesn’t look quite human at all. That wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, except that she’s meant to be seamlessly blending into the ranks of the rich and famous. Poison Ivy’s new vegetative form is equally horrifying (but that’s hopefully intentional) and makes her transformation halfway through the issue a striking moment. The story works better for me, examining as it does the complexities of corporate evil and the complicated ways that some forms of nefariousness worm their way into the fabric of society. Poison Ivy’s iconoclastic backstory works really well here, as her actions will still be perceived as the work of a villain by some people, but she’s honestly trying to do good. The complexity of Pamela Isley over the last sixty-odd years makes for an incredible backdrop for what this story wants to do.
BOTTOM LINE: PRETTY OKAY
Even with my discomfort in the art, Poison Ivy #7 has a lot going for it, dissecting the complexity of Ivy and some of the absurdities of the superheroing biz and pulling it all together for 3 out of 5 stars overall. Those of you who aren’t horrified by strange, tumorous, blood-red masses pushing out of your protagonist’s flesh might like it even more.
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POISON IVY #7
The setup is solid and the ending works as a shocker, but certain elements and inconsistencies in the art make for a distracting read for me.
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Writing8
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Art4
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Coloring6
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.