Poison Ivy #48: Bad Seeds Week 6 Part 1 Review
Writer: G Willow Wilson
Artist: Marcio Takara
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Artist: Jessica Fong
Variant Cover Artists: Noobovich, Dan Mora & Manny
Vincent Carbonilla
Dark Knight Returns 40th Anniversary Variant
Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman
Bad Seeds Spot Foil Variant: Alexander Lozano
Editors: Jessica Berbey, Arianna Turturro & Rob Levin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock
Release Date: September 30, 2026
The Parliament of Trees wanted her blood. Gotham turned
against her. The Order of the Green Knight elected a new leader. Even Janet
from HR admitted she was considering abandoning her. So, Poison Ivy turned
defeat into victory the only way she knows. She delivered Gotham to the
Parliament of Trees. Then she dialed plant growth up to 11.
Can anyone talk Poison Ivy into giving Humanity a second
chance? Or will she let a superbloom make Earth uninhabitable to anything but
plants? Let's grab a mug of Ghost Pipe tea, leap into Poison Ivy #48, and see!
Story
As Pamela Isley wanders through the terraformed streets of
Gotham, she believes global warming will inevitably kill off Humanity. She is
just helping nature root out an invasive species so a more diverse garden can
flourish. Yet as she walks the streets without Vandal Savage’s police officers
or TUCO soldiers, she cannot hide from the people who voted for her. So, Pamela
heads for a place of safety, where her connection to Earth and Humanity feels
strongest. Instead, Robinson Park becomes a symbol of her failure to protect
Humanity, Nature, or the Parliament of Trees.
Mayor Isley may have lost her popular support. But in Poison
Ivy #48, friends surround Pamela Isley. But despite their love for her, Pamela
hasn't always treated them with the love and respect they deserve. She wants
them to understand all the great things she has done for them. Yet, like people
caught in a dysfunctional relationship, her friends and allies remind her that
relationships necessitate trust and compromise. And perhaps something more that
Pamela seems incapable of giving.
As Pamela Isley stumbles through her personal valley of the
shadow of death, G Willow Wilson doesn't let her off the hook. People from her
past try to give Pamela a wake-up call. Those she has betrayed confront her. Perhaps
even now, at the 11th hour, Pamela can still correct the situation. She
may assert that Humanity’s need to become the dominant species has made its
extinction inevitable. Still, Pamela Isley struggles to recognize that her need
to dominate every situation is “boiling her alive” in Poison Ivy #48.
Art
Poison Ivy is used to thinking of herself as nature's
master. Yet as she pushes through the foliage overtaking Gotham, glowing pollen
floats through the air. If she lingers close to a plant, another leaf erupts
upward. Her hair flows with the wind that carries terraforming seeds through
the streets and neighborhoods. When she meets two people clutching each other,
Pamela Isley meets their frightened faces with a smile. Yet when they stand,
and anger overcomes their expressions, the woman they voted for turns her back
on them.
As Marcio Takara shows nature overtaking Gotham, Arif
Prianto adorns Poison Ivy #48 with a verdant palette. Amid rampant greenery and
orange spores, Poison Ivy’s red hair symbolizes her anger at Humanity. Yet
indigo plants arise beneath the blue sky, as Mr Hill regards her with his
jack-o’-lantern features. Pamela may think she has brought renewed vitality to
Gotham. Yet the black creatures that arise from the ground show mere vestiges
of color.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou fills white and colored balloons with
uppercase and lowercase dialogue. The letters grow bold for intonation and
shrink for lowered voices. Mr Hill, who has stuck with Pamela during her
mayorship, addresses her with yellow balloons. And another friend rebukes her
using violet balloons. Yet the leader of the invaders reclaiming Gotham employs
orange balloons, while her companion speaks white letters into black balloons.
As enlarged dialogue reveals shock and pain, sound effects accompany the
rampant growth and an unexpected attack. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this
story with us.
Final Thoughts
Mayor Isley never had a plan for Gotham. Nor did she seek
the leadership of the Order of the Green Knight. She only assumed positions of
responsibility because people like Vandal Savage and Bella Garten threatened
her life and liberty. Now, as she suffers amid the catastrophe she has
unleashed, Pamela Isley lacks the power to protect herself. And unless she can somehow
pull off another inspired victory, Pamela Isley’s prospects for the future have
never been bleaker in Poison Ivy #48.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see Poison Ivy #48 Preview.
For more of the Bad Seeds Event, see
