“Poison Ivy” – Chapter Twenty-Three
Artist: Haining
Color Artist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Review by Fay Clark
Poison Ivy #23 seems to be a continuation of the final boss fight from last month. Let’s see who wins.
What lives will die, that’s the natural state of The Green. Everything must be committed back to the earth that it came from. Poison Ivy, more so than most. Our Villainess/Anti-Hero has had more chlorophyll in her body than white blood cells.
Surprise! But also… What?!?
There are certain expectations you have when reading a Poison Ivy comic. G. Willow Wilson continues to blow these expectations up while cackling and stroking a cat like a Bond villain. There’s nothing that this writer wouldn’t try, and you can see that in this issue. Nothing that happens in this comic is something that I could have predicted, as Wilson has a great talent for finding new ways of keeping us on our toes.
There’s a natural arc that most comic stories take, and this is anything but that. We’ve seen Pamela grow, create, and try to cure a virus, all the while having flings, and friendships that come out of the woodwork.
I need more of Janet from HR and her protective boys. The budding relationships between Janet, Killer Croc, and Solomon Grundy have brought joy to this dark arc. Watching Janet connect with people so easily is heartwarming.
This issue has thrown me through many a loop and Wilson has bought in characters that I didn’t expect. Yet, I’m now asking why they haven’t appeared before!
Flaming Hot!
Haining has left his scorch marks all over this series and his work on Poison Ivy #23 has the hair thing going for it. Once again, to no one’s surprise, I’m in love with a character’s long flowing hair. There’s something about the way that Haining has drawn it, the movement, the style… it all calls to me.
Mix that with the color work of Arif Prianto and you get a glorious head of hair you can’t take your eyes off, not to mention the looks of all the new people that appear on the scene. You’ll find no spoilers here, but they look RED HOT!!!
Conclusion
Erm… I’m genuinely not sure where we can go from here. G. Willow Wilson had best have the most spectacular follow-up for this issue, as I screamed, yelled, and laughed. Most of all I, will keep reading.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment