Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Art: Atagun Ilhan
Colors: Arif Prianto
Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover: Jessica Fong
Variant Covers: Leirix & Joshua Middleton; Dan Panosian
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: 3.99
Release Date: December 6th, 2022
She defeated her creator, ate her creator, and gave up trying to wipe out humanity. But that doesn’t mean Ivy won’t still do all she can to save the planet.
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Poison Ivy #7 Review.
The Dispatch
POISON IVY’s first story arc concluded with the titular character giving up her plan to wipe out humanity (though it took defeating and partially ingesting her creator to do it). Ivy’s journey along the way examined her connection to humanity in detail, contrasting how she saw it on a macro level and with how she interacted with individuals on a micro level. POISON IVY #7 kicks off a new arc in the wake of Ivy’s change in attitude, and the story has a decidedly different feel to it.
Ivy may have set aside her plans for humanity’s mass extinction, but in POISON IVY #7 she is no less committed to her desire to protect the natural environment from the depredations of humanity. This time Ivy sets her on small scale activities. One of those is stopping FutureGas, a fracking company in Montana. At first her intentions are little more than sabotaging and dismantling the operation. But in short order she discovers a lamia monster similar to those created by Woodrue. This leads her to Beatrice Crawley, the head of FutureGas–a woman Ivy has a deeper connection to than she knows.
Despite also being written by Wilson and being part of the same limited series, the arc beginning in POISON IVY #7 has a radically different tone than the first six issues. In some respects this is to be expected. This Ivy is a significantly different person than we saw throughout the previous arc. When she discovers the lamia monster, her concern over whether it was a person is as great as her concern for the immediate environment she’s trying to protect. She is also sympathetic toward the people that FutureGas is exploiting.
But don’t mistake different for bad. In changing Ivy’s tone Wilson demonstrates that the character has gone through real change and development–something that adds weight to the first half of the series and incentive to continue reading this arc. As a reader it’s encouraging to know that the story will prove rewarding in the end, providing a satisfying conclusion. Seeing how Wilson has already done this provides exactly that encouragement and makes me more curious about where things are going.
All that being said, POISON IVY #7 is not as strong a beginning to an arc as the series’ first issue was. Part of that is Ivy’s narration. It just doesn’t have quite the same impact as her ongoing letter to Harley did. I missed that right away, and I hope Wilson finds a way to reincorporate that strength in some form.
The Art
Ilhan’s art in POISON IVY #7 takes a bit of getting used to after six issues by Takara. Ilhan’s Ivy is a bit saucier. She shows more emotion and has a bit more of an attitude. It’s definitely a change, but it fits with the way Wilson has developed the character. This kind of visible emotion from Ivy fits with a character who has reclaimed her humanity. She no longer feels quite as “above it all” as Takara’s did.
A drawback of the art in this issue, though, is the lack of any pages or panels where Ilhan and Prianto can cut loose artistically. In fairness, I am comparing the styles of different art teams. There’s also no way to know what Wilson’s script called for in POISON IVY #7 as compared to the previous issues–certainly we don’t have moments of ecstasy or madness like those in the previous arc. But the lack of that kind of evocative art in this issue is a bit of a letdown after the work that came before it.
Final Thoughts
POISON IVY #7 is carried largely on promise, but that doesn’t make it a bad comic. The story remains compelling, and Ivy seems to have gone through genuine character growth. The revelation in the final page also adds surprising stakes. I look forward to reading this new arc.