If you’ve seen the cover for this issue, you probably think it’s all about Harley and Ivy spending a romantic evening together. After all, the cover shows them on a boat ride on a lake outside of Gotham, drinking champagne with the issue’s tag line being, “Date Night.” Well, if you think that’s what this issue is about, you’re wrong. The scene on the cover never happens. Harley and Ivy do not go on a date. In fact, Harley merely cameos at the beginning of this comic, and that’s it.
No “Harlivy” ?
Not that I’m complaining, mind you. In fact, I was pretty worried that I’d have to endure another issue that’s at least 75% of Harley and Ivy swooning over each other. However, that doesn’t mean that their relationship isn’t as problematic as ever.
This comic sets up Ivy giving up her autonomy and risking her freedom by coming back to Gotham to be with Harley. This is a city where everyone fears and distrusts her. This is the central conflict within Ivy– that she desperately wants to be with Harley, but she knows that she might be risking everything else she has gained. I’m sorry, but, once again, I can’t believe Ivy would do this.
Ivy, again, is defined by her independence. I don’t think that the trope of “my love interest is my weakness” is something I’d expect or want from the character. But, as I’ve already touched on, I don’t believe Ivy would be so lovestruck by Harley, a character portrayed as a complete child these days. Wilson appeared to acknowledge this in the last comic they shared together by making it seem like her Harley is actually super smart underneath the crazy facade. I couldn’t buy that either since Harley’s deep insight into Ivy wasn’t even quite accurate.
I babble on about all of this to say that the Harley and Ivy relationship is, once again, quite forced and obligatory. Apart from that, there were things that I enjoyed about this book.
Ivy in Gotham
For the first time in years, we get to see Ivy interact with major characters in Gotham who aren’t Harley. Wilson does a really great job nailing the voices of Batman and Killer Croc and their relationships with Ivy. I liked the little nods to the history between Ivy and these characters, like Ivy’s previous romantic infatuation with Batman. Her sort of “frenemies” dynamic with Killer Croc in this issue was enjoyable.
I realized how much I missed Ivy’s role in Gotham and her relationships with the other characters. Unfortunately, these interactions are a bit marred by whatever was going on with the artwork in this issue. I counted four separate artists with their own unique styles working on this book. Unless there’s a narrative reason for it, I always hate it when this happens. It makes the book look sloppy and disjointed, especially when the artwork itself isn’t drawn in proportion (Ivy looks like a Dr. Suess character in the picture below).
DC Just Wants You to Buy Knight Terrors
However, the big disappoint with this issue is that when you get to the end, you realize you weren’t reading much of a story at all. This comic is mostly dialogue setting up some plot points for the future. Then it reveals itself to be, essentially, a filler issue meant to lead into DC’s Knight Terrors event. I’m rather concerned that the plot lines in Poison Ivy are going to be disappearing for a couple months just so the book can be a part of this event. That doesn’t make me too thrilled about Knight Terrors so far.
Recommended if…
- You want to read the complete Poison Ivy series
- Harley and Ivy is NOT your favorite couple, for they are shafted again
- You missed Ivy interacting with Gotham City residents at large
Overall
This chapter of Poison Ivy is not a Harley/Ivy issue. Rather, it’s a set up for DC’s line-wide Knight Terrors event. It has some entertaining interactions, but ultimately nothing happens. I hope Knight Terrors surprises and turns out amazing to make these story interruptions worth it.
Score: 6/10
Disclaimer: DC Comics provided Batman News a free copy of this comic for the purposes of this review.
