Murder With A Side Of Betrayal — Reviewing ‘Poison Ivy’ #38

Betrayal. A moment so hard and displeasing, especially when enacted by those most loved, it can humble even the powerful. It sends the brain into a frenzy of emotions as the it begins a frantic search for the root cause.

With a deep betrayal unveiled, Pamela Isley must make a decision and a desperate gamble in Poison Ivy #38. A devastating character-rich chess board move from G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

-SPOILERS FOLLOW-

I love this series.

Never would I have guessed that would be the case. Not because of those involved, they are all stellar creators with a bevy of great work. No, the issue was the lead character.

Pamela Isley is one of Batman’s more intriguing rogues. There have been plenty of stories where she’s a compelling character, both as an antagonist or not, and I’ve enjoyed them. Having her as the full lead of an ongoing series is strange as she is often very deep into the supervillain realm. Here we are though, almost four years later, and this series hasn’t slowed down from the dynamic first arc, where it sold itself perfectly well.

What Wilson has done with this character and those surrounding her is worth more than a round of applause. A whole continued standing ovation really.

Characters like Janet (from HR) have become so dynamic and beloved; their connections with Ivy being so deep. I can’t even imagine a world where I’m not reading this series every single month, ready to see what stuff the Ivy crew are going to get into. Wilson takes a villain and gives her the fleshed-out depth that we always need to see, making her compelling and relatable, while still not being a person we aspire to be or follow.

Flawed and broken, but with so much potential — just like so many other characters who exist on both sides of the line. Watching Pamela push back at the betrayal of Janet and beginning to wonder if this is what her love and care breeds speaks to her past and the issues still plaguing her. The way she still cares for Janet is evident in her thoughts and actions. Wilson plays it out masterfully, all the way up to the characters’ ability to seamlessly work together in order to murder the true culprit of their rift: Bog Venus of the Parliament of Trees.

Equally powerful in setting the tone is the depth of the visuals. Takara’s style has given so much to this character and her overtly dense and dark space in the world. The choice keeps the eco-horror aspect front-and-center while also hitting each of the emotional beats with proportional balanced impact. So sharp, yet soft at the same time, allowing the radiance of the characters and their situation to be on full display.

All of the paneling really delivers, shifting in and out to expand or retract or even focus depending on the overall tonal needs of any given moment. It is especially true in an issue like this, where there is a lot of character interplay and very little overall fighting. Even the way it’s framed before the Bog Venus murder works, as it’s so eerie and then brutal.

All of this given more life with the natural style color palette which Prianto brings time-and-time-again. It’s heavier on the darker tones with a more washed, neutral appeal for the surroundings. A lighter touch gives the normally more vibrant colors room to thrive as well. There is also the choice to pull back at times in order to give the true highlight of lighting aspects. It all hits the right horror-but-personal vibes with relative ease, which makes sense with how long this book has been going now.

While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, damn do I love the captions that escape the box and live within the shadows. It’s just such a Otsmane-Elhaou sort of thing to do and I’m all for it. It utilizes the space to do much more with the lettering, not being contained by old conventions or ideas. Bold visuals are not all that are done with the lettering, though all aspects of voices and connection remain. It’s heightened and stimulated because of the precision and thought being put into each bit on the page.

Poison Ivy #38 is now available from DC Comics.