Classic With A Modern Flourish: Reviewing ‘Poison Ivy’ #24

Death. Rebirth. It’s a cycle that is prevalent through the natural world, but also one very common to comic book superhumans. Luckily for Pamela Isley, or Poison Ivy, she straddles both of those worlds on a regular basis.

All roads have been leading here, as Poison Ivy #24 brings a close to the second year of the series while planting seeds for year three. A conclusion and beginning from G. Willow Wilson, Haining, Arif Prianto, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

No matter what month or type of issue it might be, this is a series that I never walk away unhappy. Easily one of the best that DC Comics is regularly putting out, and just one of the best in comics all around.

Over two years Wilson, Prianto, Otsmane-Elhaou, Marcio Takara, and a handful of other artists crafted a thoroughly engaging longform story. What made it work chiefly was the character work, really diving into who Ivy and those around her are. Alongside that was the fact that the stories were broken into various arcs that had ties together but also explored other genres and facets. It never felt like this was one super long plodding story, as can happen with longform comics in a medium that comes out monthly.

Instead, Wilson wove the various themes and plotlines through everything. Leading to this very logical conclusion, that saw Ivy die and be reborn, while providing the same platform for the series as they move into a new year of issues. That old school kind of way of doing an ongoing series. Subplots and great one-offs that build a foundation that easily can be expanded upon, and even freshened up every so often. Without losing a beat.

One thread that stands out here is that of Solomon Grundy. A fun character that should exist in this story just for what interesting interactions come with his particular quirks. Yet, there was more to it here. Sure, Wilson really dug into that fun, but at the same time, his inclusion was because of his own death and rebirth tied to Slaughter Swamp. The place where Ivy and company ended up, and where Ivy died.

Two birds, one stone sort of stuff. Love it.

Through this entire run there has been a real eco horror tone that is captured beautifully on the page. Artwork that really brings the bold and the dark, with some whimsy and ominous bits sprinkled throughout. Haining has kept that going through this particular story arc, while bringing a lot more of their own whimsy into the mix. Hitting the marks for roughness, body horror-esque moments really resonating. Combined with energetic emotive characters who own the page every time they are there.

Previous issues had fungal zombies and a plant/wood man to depict, but here things get even more supernatural. A visit to the tree of life and the forces outside the real world. Just a lovely visual of this natural growth that transcends all, as Ivy begins a transformation within. Only to emerge like a new growth, fresh and clean to the world.

It’s here that Prianto gets to cut loose a bit more. The last few issues relied on darker palette choices, because of the overall story beats but also the location. Slaughter Swamp lived up to it’s ominous name, until now that is. Within the life tree space things are vivid and unreal in the color spectrum choices, just really going all out to depict this other space. Many of those colors, most of them the more natural world-oriented ones, return with Ivy as Slaughter Swamp is reborn and is greener and fresher.

Plenty of darker colors and shadows remain, but they take a bit more of a backseat. Ivy is reborn, but she is not a traditional ‘hero.’ Still, she remains in her own sphere, be it as a terrorist to some or a vigilante to others. What has changed is her choices for how to go about things. No more will she mess with mushrooms or enact other plans that are meant to wipe out all of humanity. Instead, she will terrorize the rich that harm the world, sometimes harming them, and pushing to make the world green again.

Prianto mirrors this tonal change perfectly within the colors as they naturally shift through the issue.

As Prianto mirrors things with the colors, Otsmane-Elhaou does the same for the letters. Letting texts shift and change, becoming bolder or wider or even sketchier, depending on the character and their current arc. Letting their personalities really resonate with every single letter, shifting cases to better show of the tonal range they might be exploring.

It’s so colorful and lively, always bringing everything to the table and then some.

Poison Ivy #24 is now available from DC Comics.