Tag Poison Ivy

A Poison Ivy #10 Micro-Review – Gwendolyn Caltrope?

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 10, cover, March 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #10
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan-Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong. 
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a character in this issue named Gwendolyn Caltrope who’s sort of a health business magnate, that runs a company called “Glop.” I’m fairly certain that’s the only time Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop have been parodied in a superhero comic. I kind of love it.

By this point we’ve met a companion character for Ivy in Janet. She’s too new at this point to be much more than a sort of perky stock character, almost like domesticated Harley Quinn. But the interplay between she and Ivy is fun.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #9 Micro-Review – A Visit From Harley

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

**This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 9, cover, February 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #9
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is my least favorite issue of Poison Ivy yet. While it may be blasphemous to some, I simply don’t buy into the idea of Ivy and Harley Quinn as a couple. Oddball best friends? Sure. But a couple? The loves of one another’s lives? No. Just not my flavor of ice cream. And yet, this series leans into it. So I suppose it’s a matter of taking the good with the bad.

I will say that the inherent sensuality in Takara and Prianto’s work here makes all the romance stuff more effective. Theoretically, at least.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #8 Micro-Review – Making a Villain into a Hero

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 8, cover, January 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #8
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Atagun Ilhan, Arif Prianto & Ivan Plascencia (Colorists), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.
RELEASED: January 3, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

One thing G. Willow Wilson has proven on this series is that she knows how to cast Poison Ivy, who is traditionally a villain, as a hero. Wilson casts her as a feminist force of nature (literally) who faces abusers and heartless corporations. She does the latter in this issue, which contains some pretty poignant dialogue about what employers expect from people, and what we give to them.

Ivy starts this issue in a deformed and monstrous state that’s wonderfully drawn and colored. It was hard not to shudder just looking at it.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #7 Micro-Review – Plant-Based Justice

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 7, cover, December 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #7
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Atagun Ilhan, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.

RELEASED: December 6, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is the kind of issue one might picture when thinking about a Poison Ivy series. Our antiheroine taking on a big fracking cooperation with her own brand of plant-based justice. A predictable route to take? Perhaps. But it’s no less satisfying because of it.

Seven issues in, Ivy has settled into her own series quite nicely. I’m very curious to see how much longevity it has compared to, say, the recent Joker series, which lasted 15 issues.

Awesome cover by Jessica Fong. Probably my personal favorite she’s done for this series.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Detective Comics 2022 Annual Micro-Review – A Villain Problem

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Detective Comics 2022 Annual
AUTHOR: Ram V
ARTISTS: Christopher Mitten, Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Deron Bennett (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: November 29, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

My eyes glazed over a little bit on this one. Detective Comics has, for my money, a bit of a villain problem right now in that they’re just not that interesting. This annual attempts to fill in some of their background by taking us back to Gotham circa 1776, and it’s simply not that interesting. We see 1776 versions of Batman, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy, which doesn’t do anything for me.

I can’t throw a lot of stones at the execution of the issue, though. Particularly when it comes to Hayden Sherman, who handles the majority of the art.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #6 Micro-Review – Billions Selling Band-Aids

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 6, cover, 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #6
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Brian Level, Jay Leisten (Co-Inker), Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Cover by Jessica Fong.

RELEASED: November 1, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

“This planet is too far gone to save, Pamela. It needs a revolution, but all it wants is a Band-Aid. So we might as well make billions selling Band-Aids.”

That’s a little dialogue from Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man. Somehow it’s both insightful and villainous.

Actually, there are few great quotes like that in this issue. It’s one of Wilson’s strongest. She’s mindset she’s giving Ivy is very right for the character: That if heroes can’t bring Earth back from the brink of ecological doom, then perhaps a villain can…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #5 Micro-Review – Evil Groot?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 5, cover, 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #5
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Brian Level, Stefano Gaudiano (Co-Inker), Arif Priano (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.

RELEASED: October 4, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I promise, the villain in this issue isn’t evil Groot. Even though from the cover it kind of looks like an evil version of Groot. (It’s actually Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.)

In all seriousness, this issue largely feels like an abuse victim (Ivy) going back and confronting her abuser (Woodrue) after many years. It’s empowering for Ivy in that sense, albeit also very…floral?

Takara’s and Prianto’s art still has that sensual quality too it, even in a story without any sensuality in it. It’s as good a fit for Poison Ivy as any art I’ve ever seen.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #4 Micro-Review – Ivy Goes to Amazon

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 4, cover, 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #4
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colors), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Cover by Jessica Fong.
RELEASED: September 6, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

That understated sexiness and sensuality is still present in this issue. But at one point, things turn a corner and get monstrous and scary. It was to the point where I wondered if some of Scarecrow’s fear gas had worked its way into the story. That versatility is a credit to the talent of Marcio Takara.

Ivy gets a job at Amazon in this issue. They don’t call it Amazon. But it’s Amazon, right down to the “workers pee in a bottle” references.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Astonishing Art: Poison Ivy and Baby Groot by Oliver Wetter

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I got myself a little education this week.

I was looking for Baby Groot art yesterday. My three-year-old is into the new I Am Groot shorts on Disney+. So the little guy has been in our house a lot in the past several days. So I was in a Groot mood.

I happened across this piece by Oliver Wetter, which puts Marvel’s Baby Groot together with DC’s Poison Ivy.

Poison Ivy, Baby Groot, Oliver Wetter

Pretty awesome, right?

Then I looked at the caption, which noted the piece was a tribute to Gil Elvgren. I had no idea who that was. So naturally, I googled it. Turns out Elvgren is one of the best, if not the best, pin-up artists of the 20th century. His name brings up all kinds of sexy art. But this next piece, titled “Daisies Are Telling (Love Me, Love Me Not)” is the one Wetter based his Poison Ivy/Groot image on…

Gil Elvgren, Daisies Are Telling

So I got me a nice little pin-up art education with this one. Thanks Mr. Wetter. And perhaps more importantly, thank you Mr. Elvgren!

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #3 Micro-Review – Understated Sexiness

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 3, cover, 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #3
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.
RELEASED: August 2, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a great sensual quality to the art in Poison Ivy that’s obviously very appropriate for the character. It’s got a mostly understated sexiness to it. In this case understated is a good thing, considering how far in the other direction some artists can take a character like Ivy.

There’s a page in here where Wilson writes Ivy’s take on hope and faith that I found really interesting and insightful. Interesting topics to touch on, considering this is a story where she’s trying to kill all of humanity…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.