These Hands Of Great Pain — Reviewing ‘Poison Ivy’ #35

Bitter rivalries erupt as everything Pamela Isley has built or tried to run away from comes crashing down around her. There’s very little choice left as Poison Ivy #35 draws multiple lines in the proverbial sand.

Brace yourselves as G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou continue their stellar years long series run.

Oh, how I’ve missed this title. Time kept me from reviewing the previous issue and the series took a month off (for Gotham City Sirens: Unfit For Orbit which I reviewed). In the over three years this series has been running, there has been a lot that has gone down.

What hasn’t changed is the depth of character and emotion that Wilson brings to the forefront every month. She really delivers the conflicted compelling character in Ivy that we’ve been enamored with all these years. Even sprinkling in some former faces and continuity from the beginnings of this ongoing journey, it showcases how rich the series has been in just the 35 issues we’ve gotten so far.

Darkness and pain surround Ivy and her compatriots as they stand at a tough crossroads. As usual, the sharp style of Takara captures all of that on the page. He delivers every bit of dynamic emotional power through every panel. Characters have dense hefty presences at all times, really creating a world that feels tangible and living, hard to touch though with how rough it can be.

They’re homing in on those horror vibes that have been present since the very first issue, so long ago now.

Part of that appeal comes from the color profile that works every time, one that feels very neutral and natural in the sort of toned-down aesthetic we see. It leaves room for the uses of more lush and vibrant colors, especially for nature, when artistically and tonally necessary. Prianto has been so key in how this series appears over the years, keeping that same perfect flow of colors coming time and time again.

The same can be said of Otsmane-Elhaou, one of the best in the business with lettering. He hits the mark with such dedicated and visually stimulating precision, capturing unique voices and tones while also going above and beyond with the overall delivery and remembering that comic books are a grand visual medium capable of anything and everything. He soaks the pages with the depth of emotion that the script asks for with even more intensity.

Poison Ivy #35 is now available from DC Comics.