Poison Ivy #44 Review

 

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.