#allstarbatman

“To discuss Poison Ivy is to discuss environmentalism. To discuss patriarchy. To discuss collective archetypes, and evolving narratives. To discuss narrative polemics, women in the sciences, the rush of urbanisation, and the male gaze. In short to discuss Ivy is to discuss multitudes.” (Mackenzie and Walker, 2016)

And this issue succeeds in all of the above.

This is going to be a spoiler heavy review/breakdown of this issue so if you don’t want the plot spoiled, please proceed at your own risk. Scott Snyder and Tula Lotay place this Poison Ivy centered story in the middle of the desert. In the desert we become flowers, time is relevant to the sun, we have to adapt, to evolve. To go back. The story starts with an excerpt from a lecture by Pamela Isley. There is a disclaimer “Private property of Wayne Enterprises”. This looks like a tiny and insignificant detail but it’s there for a reason.

And then we start counting backwards. Together with Poison Ivy. And the story unfolds. There is an analogy between the narrative of this issue and scientific research. Poison Ivy has been a problem for Batman (and to an extend she has been a problem to writers). But she has also been a solution, an ally, a lover.

Poison Ivy is in the middle of the desert researching Yggdrasil, the tree of life, an idea that exists in almost every mythology. What if it’s true, she wonders? So she uses an ancient tree as a lab partner. Pamela is researching the effects of “hylandia dockrillii”. She says that  “it’s strangling the life out of cells”. In the surface it appears that Ivy is preparing a virus, a weapon. But it’s not. Snyder wants you to look deeper. Hylandia dockrillii is “effective in more than 70% of cases of certain cancer situations destroying long-term cancers of the head, neck, and colon in animals as well as in a laboratory melanoma model” (The Guardian, 2014). It’s not a weapon she’s making. She is trying to find out a cure for cancer. There are a lot more similar twists and turns in the book. This way Snyder is communicating the idea that perhaps Poison Ivy is not as evil as Batman (and the reader) thought she is. Perhaps she is not misguided at all. The problem is how others perceive her and not what she really is.

Back to the plot, Batman is also trying to find Poison Ivy in order to help him find a cure for the virus that Freeze released in the previous issue. Behind him, a group of heavily armed soldiers who want to destroy Ivy because they think she is trying to weaponize Freeze’s virus. And then, Lotay and Snyder drop the most important element of the book: Lilith Seguro. A young girl, patient zero of the Freeze virus. But she is also the first applicant of the Pamela Isley fund, a fund set up by Wayne to honor Isley and her research. But there is more. Lilith’s story represents Pamela Isley’s story. She is essentially Pamela Isley. From her home garden and her dreams of becoming a botanist to the accident that changes their lives. And (without spoiling anything) how their names, Lilith Seguro and Poison Ivy are connected with false accusations, with death and horror. There is always a chance to make things right though. There is always a chance to clear your name. And this element of the book is for me the most important one. The one that changes and redefines Poison Ivy’s place in the DC universe. Not only the choice she makes but what she’s asking from Batman. Lilith is Pamela and Pamela is Lilith. And Pamela is not asking from Batman to clear Lilith’s name but also Pamela’s. To explain to the world what she’s really trying to do. And by breaking the fourth wall, Scott Snyder becomes Batman and fixes some elements of Poison Ivy’s origin, more specifically her relationship with Wayne Industries and her earlier days.

I won’t go further into the plot. You need to experience this book on your own. It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of DC’s “in house” art style so bringing Tula Lotay in for this issue (and I seriously hope she stays and makes a lot more awesome Poison Ivy stuff) was an excellent choice.

The best way to describe the art is Moebius’ Blueberry on acid. The vastness and isolation of the desert scenery is invaded by synaesthetic visions straight out of Hendrix’s “Bold as Love”. Her Poison Ivy dominates every panel, even if she’s not visible. Using the bark of a tree (perhaps a way to connect deeper to the Green ?) as make up she becomes Pris, Imperator Furiosa and Lisbeth Salander.

The art manages to make you see and feel the world through Ivy’s eyes. Dizzying, multilayered shapes and colors. Excellent facial expressions, from subtle feelings to rage and despair. Lotay’s Ivy is strong, seductive, lethal, dominant, brilliant. I was afraid that since this is a Batman book it would be focused on Batman but this is essentially a Poison Ivy story. She is in total control. Batman whether he is acting on free will or mesmerized by Ivy (does she really need to use her powers on him?), acts almost like a side character, invading the story.

There is also a visual distinction: Civilization, machinery, Ivy’s jeep is defined by straight, clear lines whereas the more natural elements are lost in a haze, blurred, hidden. Similar to the hidden elements of this story, the hidden truth(s) both Batman and the Reader have to find.

I was a bit let down by the fact that Ivy’s new 52 costume is probably gone but as soon as I read this issue I intermediately understood what miss Lotay is trying (and succeeds) to do: Poison Ivy and her world is alien. She is an alien. This book should make you feel like you are reading something that you were not supposed to see. I mentioned Moebius earlier. Moebius too knew that in order to compete with the American comic industry, his art (as well as Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal) should be awe inducing, unique alien to the reader’s eyes. And this is what Lotay achieved. A visually and artistically unique book that is messing with your head in a positive way.

Snyder’s Poison Ivy is closer to a superpowered version of ecofeminists like Vandana Shiva. Some writers have been taking the easy road of portraying her as “Adolf Hitler for plants” planning human holocaust or playing the part of the obedient wife. Not here. This is Poison Ivy behind the scenes. She is an incredibly smart scientist, a true social justice warrior (pun intended), a symbol of things that shouldn’t be forgotten. Like nature, all she wants is to be respected. The book also references and pays homage to Amy Chu’s last year Poison Ivy mini series. Ivy’s fascination with battling death, her research with rare plants, the desert scenery, it’s a nice nod that helps further building Ivy’s backstory.

Unfortunately I can’t review the back up story because I’m behind on my reading schedule and without knowing prior installments it would be unfair to try and review it.

I’m giving this a 10/10. If you are a Poison Ivy fan this is great value for money. It’s a story that hopefully defines who Poison Ivy in Rebirth and it’s an issue that it will be referenced as one of the great Pamela Isley stories for years to come.

Are there problems with this issue? Well, I’m a nitpicker and noticed a couple of things like Ivy not being vegan (which has been canon) or I’d really like this story to lead Poison Ivy somewhere (similar to what DC has done with Clayface, Lobo, Harley, Killer Frost, Killer Croc). It seems that Poison Ivy’s heroism is a “floating” thing and never actually leads anywhere. Which is one of my worries since Ivy stories are ridiculously rare. I hope this issue is a new beginning for Ivy and that the rest DC will respect that. But these are personal nitpicky stuff and have nothing to do with this issue specifically. 99.999% of the readers won’t notice. So this is a solid 10/10. Thank you for this issue. This is a rushed review. I promise to come back to this issue for a proper (and probably much longer) review. There are a ton of things I want to add but I don’t want to spoil the issue.