Poison Ivy #44 Review
Writer: G Willow Wilson
Artist: Jaime Infante
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Artists: Jessica Fong, Noobovich, Kyuyong Eom &
Manny Vincent Carbonilla
Editors: Jessica Berbey, Arianna Turturro & Rob Levin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock
Release Date: May 6, 2026
Pamela Isley wants justice for the planet. So, when people
get in her way, they've got to go. She may no longer be under Gotham City
Police Commissioner Vandal Savage's (non-green) thumb. Her polling numbers may
be through the roof. But when Harley Quinn fails to turn over a new leaf of
respectability, Mayor Isley relegates her to the sidelines.
Still, the supporters on the sidelines matter to Pamela.
When Janet from HR was dying, and the new leader of the Order of the Green
Knight realized that her friend had turned traitor, Pamela still risked
everything to save her. Now, a large green visitor with more fearsome teeth than
Warren White has come to Gotham. As Madam Mayor plays Judge, Jury, and
Executioner, how will the Parliament of Trees rule on Pamela's actions? And
after she served Bog Venus on a platter to Janet, will her big green visitor
take a bite out of Pamela’s popularity? Let's grab a mug of Ghost Pipe tea,
leap into Poison Ivy #44, and see!
Story
Just as nature seeks balance, Mr Hill dislikes conflict. The
messenger from the Parliament of Trees worries about what they will do if
Pamela Isley doesn't apologize for killing Bog Venus to save Janet. But, aided
by Juhi’s arcane abilities, Pamela got Xylon to back down when he delivered a
similar warning. So, after demonstrating strength, Pamela's not about to back
down and beg for forgiveness.
Besides, Harley Quinn suggested she could make peace with Dr
Bella Garten by apologizing. Instead, Pamela had to wrest the leadership of the
Order of the Green Knight from the Gardener. Now, Harley is out of her
government. And Great White Shark's position is looking shaky after suggesting Pamela
should work with Mr Grasp, whose family allowed toxic spillage to despoil the
soil beneath Gotham.
Just who Pamela can count on to help her make Gotham more
eco-friendly becomes the overriding question in Poison Ivy #44. The people in
her inner circle, like Juhi and Peter Undine, urge Pamela to take the slow,
methodical approach to leadership. But despite her high polling numbers, Pamela
knows popularity doesn't last. She can't forget the incomprehensible maze of
leaky pipes that Mr Grasp’s family accumulated in the sewers. Nor can Pamela
forget the Shakespearean reminder someone wrote in the underground for her to
see.
In G Willow Wilson's story, Mayor Isley eyes the people who
form public opinion. While Pamela stirs the pot, Juhi and Julie also season the
battle with their concerns. Like her assistants, Pamela worries about the
precedents she’s establishing. Mayor Isley knows what she wants to accomplish
in Poison Ivy #44. People like the family who offered her refuge when the GCPD
hunted her for killing Marie Henley voted for her. Gothamites who saw the viral
video of Pamela killing Vandal Savage's Crime Prevention Technology Czar also went
to the polls for her. So, Pamela believes the citizens of Gotham share her
concerns. Yet a dark cloud of tyranny and corruption perpetually hovers over
Gotham. And no one, not the city government, the GCPD, the citizens of Gotham,
or even Batman, has ever been able to banish it.
Art
Poison Ivy and Peter Undine stare up at a green hill with a
mouth as a mother pulls her child away. When she stalks away, Mayor Isley
refuses to stop for the man with a flower instead of a face. But as she passes
a gazebo, Pamela pauses when a man approaches carrying a potted plant in a box.
The wrought iron scrollwork arch that welcomes visitors reminds Pamela that
this is one of her favorite places.
While Jaime Infante charts Pamela Isley’s fight to make
Gotham an example for other cities to follow, a battle rages between red and
green. Arif Prianto adorns Poison Ivy #44 with a loaded palette that shows the
vibrance of Mayor Isley’s domain. Plants fight for dominance along a wall
window as Mayor Isley holds court, obscuring the view of the skyline. English
Ivy hangs from columns, evoking the Acanthus leaves carved into Corinthian
capitals. While Julie wears white after Pamela kills Mr Grasp, green surrounds
her at home. Yet Juhi, her interdepartmental liaison who values her medical and
dental insurance, wears a pink jacket to work, linking her with Pamela’s
blood-red hair, and the brick building that awakens Ivy’s ire.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou fills white and colored balloons with
uppercase and lowercase dialogue. The letters grow bold for intonation and
shrink for lowered voices. While white dialogue shines amid the darkness, a
black line leads from characters to black dialogue on a white background. As
raised voices enlarge the dialogue, emotional intensity deforms balloons and
arrows. Sound effects help readers hear doors opening, people typing, and
plants doing things that frighten even Vandal Savage. Yet blue letters on a
laptop screen could doom Mayor Isley's reign more effectively than the GCPD
Commissioner's TUCO squads. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Pamela Isley may be the mayor of Gotham. Yet once, like
Richard II of England, she was a monarch. Pamela may appreciate it when Vandal
Savage's police officers quell an angry protestor. But she's not a career
politician who thrives on maintaining the status quo. So, while she has the
power, Pamela Isley is determined to wield it on behalf of the planet she loves
in Poison Ivy #44.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see my preview of Poison Ivy #44.
For what happened last time, see my preview of Poison Ivy #43.
