Poison Ivy Vol. 4: Origin of Species (Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy (2022-) (Collected Editions) #4

by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara (artist), Haining (artist)

Take the brilliant yet naïve undergrad Pamela Isley and put her on a collision course with her evil genius of a professor, Doctor Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man, and the seed is planted for Gotham’s environmentalist supervillain to blossom. From award-winning author G. Willow Wilson and acclaimed artists Marcio Takara and Haining comes the definitive origin story of Poison Ivy, finally told in her own words. Collects Poison Ivy #19-24.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, LGBT, Fantasy, Queer, Comic Book

Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2024

About the author

Hugo, World Fantasy and American Book Award-winning author of novels and comics, including THE BIRD KING, INVISIBLE KINGDOM, and ALIF THE UNSEEN. Co-creator of Ms Marvel. Honorary doctor of letters, Rutgers University. I accidentally started a dutch baby baking cult during quarantine. Not very active on here right now, but often found on Twitter.

Reviews

[Bill Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent conclusion to the first 2 years. I really wasn’t expecting the series to be even half decent - I’m so glad I was wrong. The writing, art, and storyline have been thrilling and engaging.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origin story of Poison Ivy works because she's painted as someone who made a lot of mistakes, which most people can relate to. And she doesn't always do the right thing, sometimes her own doing, sometimes forced. It makes for a very interesting first half of this book. Second half is Poison Ivy and the team in the swamp trying to survive an invasion. Crazy art, awesome moments, and wonderful character banter. I really dug this volume overall.

[Michael Howley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Janet from HR

[Liel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked this one more than the last tbh. on to short stories until i either get back on track or the next volume comes out

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Origin of Species wraps up Ivy's fight with Jason Woodrue through the ol' tried-and-true method of a dream-state origin story. And it works! Ivy's origin is fascinating and smartly rendered. No true surprises, but it satisfies all the same and makes me further appreciate Ivy as a complex character.

When Ivy returns to battle, it's in a renewed (and ultra-plantlike) state, though she needs the help of friends far and wide to pull through (Harley's cinematic return to the series is a delight). Origin of Species is a totally satisfying conclusion to G. Willow Wilson's Poison Ivy run...except, wait, I see there's another volume ahead? Huh!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 stars

[S.E. Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I stuck around for another volume, after feeling underwhelmed by Mourning Sickness. This is an excellent conclusion to the current story arc and my favorite volume of the current series so far!

First, we see a retelling of Poison Ivy's origins from her POV. This is something Batman comics have certainly done many times before (see the Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy collection for many examples) but I appreciated Wilson's take on it, since she has such a phenomenal grasp on the character.

Then we have the final showdown with Woodrue and the swamp zombies.

I really liked the artwork in this volume, and found Haining's pencils complimented Takara's really well, so that the shift in pencillers wasn't so jarring (for me, at least.) There are some absolutely gorgeous renderings of Ivy and Harley in this one.

There are plenty of dramatic/action packed moments here. Absolutely loved it!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm absolutely adoring this series, and this volume is no exception. Origin of Species gives us both an origin story for Poison Ivy and a conclusion to the arc we've been reading, both of which are incredibly satisfying. There are some really enjoyable twists and turns and great use of side characters. The art is gorgeous as ever. I very much look forward to seeing what this series brings next.

[Bertazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know the timeline doesn't match but I could swear this Woodrue version sounds disturbingly like Neil Gaiman after the fall.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably tied with the first volume for being the strongest of this run so far. The writing is stellar. The commentary on how the body keeps your trauma, how the earth keeps its exploitation, and basically any and all musings anyone who is at all conscious of our environment has had.

The artwork is stunning, the writing is stunning, beautiful and no notes.

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Четвертий том Отруйного Плюща завершує сюжет, який Джей Віллов Вілсон розпочала у перших номерах серії, сам том розділений на два сюжети, у першому нам розповідають осучаснений оріджин Памели, а у другому відбувається розв'язка сюжету із зомбі та Флоронік Меном.

Обидва сюжети мені цілком сподобалися, у сюжеті з походженням було цікаво побачити як вдало було інтерговано сучасні додатки у походження Айві, будь то Садівниця з рану Тайніна на Бетсі, чи те, що вона навчалася разом з Алеком Голандом в університеті. В основі сюжету з походженням стоять її стосунки з блискучим викладачем Джейсоном Вудро, в якого Айслі закохується не усвідомлюючи, що він її використовує та до чого в результаті це приведе. Єдиним суперечливим моментом тут, як на мене, тільки є те, що малюнок Такари не завжди підходить для того, щоб малювати звичайних людей.

У другому ж сюжеті відбувається сама сутичка між Айві та Флоронік Меном, в той час, як Крок, Ґранді та Джанет відбуваються від заражених. Такару тут змінила художниця Хайнінґ, чий малюнок мені навіть дуже сподобався, і який вдалося красиво проілюструвати сутичку (нехай і сам дизайн мутованого Флоронік Мена мені не дуже сподобався). З мінусів напевно виділю, що Джанет з Ейчару тут потихеньку перетворюється в надокучливий комік реліф, що поки не критично.

В результаті міз Вілсон дуже добре завершила свою історію, яку тягнула з перших номерів, тут звісно є невеликий кліфгенґер, але якби серія завершилася тут то це питань би не виникло. Також мені подобається як сценаристка працює з Плющихою, тому якщо колись хотіли щось почитати про неї, то повз цю серію однозначно не треба проходити повз. Дуже чекаю на те, що ж буде в наступних номерах.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume starts with an updated version of Poison Ivy’s origin story. It borrows a fair bit from the Fear State Gardener story which helped kick off this run, and which I’m still frustrated wasn’t collected in the first volume. I do hope it’s setting up a return of that character though. Anyway, it’s actually very good. It further solidifies Woodrue as Poison Ivy’s big bad, and the dynamic is somewhat similar to the Jessica Jones/ Purple Man dynamic set up in part by the tv show. The art by series regular Marcio Takara continues to be beautiful.

The second half is more of a mixed bag. The climax of the series long conflict feels a bit anticlimactic. Ivy’s full cast of side characters and a few more additions ends up sidelining the protagonist, and there’s a bit of an imbalance of ending things with some punctuation and/or catharsis and teasing/ setting up the next thing(s). The art here by Haining is solid for a fill-in artist, but it’s still a bummer that Takara couldn’t illustrate the finale.

[Matt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Ivy’s final showdown with Woodrew as he attempts to kill Ivy and everyone she loves once and for all.

This was a great ending to this arc. Lots of twists and turns but it stuck the landing.

Killer croc and Solomon Grundy are great characters for comic relief. Wilson somehow writes Grundy amazingly with even his limited vocabulary.

As a big Swamp Thing fan, I love the call backs to Doug Wheelers run with the Grey and even having the event take place in Slaughter Swamp is a nod to Rick Veitch’s run on Swamp Thing.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while to get going but Wilson’s Poison Ivy feels like it knows what story it wants to tell. The issues leading up to this haven’t been bad but at points it felt a little stagnant. But this volume dives back in to Ivy’s origin and fleshes it out better than ever before.
The statement Ivy makes at the end of the book hopefully sets up where the title is going.

4/5

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHES BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER ILOVE HER

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet from HR deserves better.
Very fun arc.

[MannyLikesPie · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC Best ongoing, this was so grand. Everything leads to this wonderful part and there’s still more! Can’t wait for next year for the next trade 😭

[paola · Rating 5 out of 5]

best one so far

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to this arc! Although it definitely played it a bit safe. I’ll cross my fingers the next arc is a bit more unpredictable. As for the artwork, some of it was a bit tough to decipher (so many vines!), but it was gorgeous as always.

[rea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the origin story of Ivy. Great ideas and as always such great art

[Jessica Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

A good end to a solid arc! The art remains quality and it was interesting to read Ivy's origin. Loved seeing the Harley, Janet from HR, Killer Croc and Solomon team up at the end. And finally a resolution to the Ivy, Janet from HR and Harley plot line

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love women in stem

[Geo Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH A FUN CONCLUSION to the last arc. I love Harley showing up but I need Janet to GO

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5
Un peu trop focus sur le passé mais j’aime toujours cette série

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary:

Everyone knows that Poison Ivy has a past. You don’t wake up one day and decide you want to become a green eco-terrorist. Well, not usually. Pamela Isley was once an undergrad with great dreams.

She worked under Doctor Jason Woodrue, better known these days as the Floronic Man. Together, these two began to change their stories, but not necessarily for the better, as one proves to be a parasitic organism.

Review:

I knew that at some point, Poison Ivy was going to do a deep dive into Ivy’s backstory. They’ve basically been teasing this for the last three volumes, and that time has finally arrived. It is so much more than I expected, but it perfectly fits the character.

The first half of Poison Ivy Vol. 4 is largely centered on Ivy’s backstory, the good, the bad, and the horrifying. It explains much about how both Ivy and the Floronic Man came to this point. It especially explains why they are at such odds.

The second half of the volume is centered on the present, as Poison Ivy and her unlikely band of allies (Harley, Killer Croc, Janet from HR, and Solomon Grundy) desperately try to survive an invasion in the swamp.

This volume goes a long way in making all the characters seem human. Ivy is a flawed human capable of making mistakes, but she’s trying. Likewise, Janet may be overlooked and relegated to a background character often, but she, too, has emotions, which she lets rise to the surface in this volume.

Unsurprisingly, the artwork in Poison Ivy Vol. 4 is striking, like always. It’s botanical, vibrant, creepy, and unforgettable, all wrapped up into a bundle.

Highlights:
DC Comics
Botanical Horror
Poison Ivy
Harley Quinn Cameo
LGBTQ+

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[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desde luego G. Willow Wilson ha aprovechado esta oportunidad de serializar una cabecera individual de Hiedra Venenosa. No solo ha reinventado bastante bien las pretensiones del personaje como guerrillera total de la Naturaleza (aka El Verde) pasando de sus habituales actos eco terroristas a una posición más conciliadora con la humanidad. Por supuesto, también sigue reivindicando la relación sentimental con Harley Quinn (atreviéndose a añadir una inesperado 3º elemento en un curioso triángulo amoroso) y, para rematar, reconecta con la particular génesis como personaje para definir la amenaza y antagonista esencial de todo este primer ciclo argumental en el Hombre Florónico, anteriormente conocido como el Dr. Jason Woodrue. Profesor particular de la época estudiantil de Pamela Isley y... primer truncado romance que provocó su metamorfosis vegetal. El Origen de las Especies revisita así esta época del personaje en la que también se dejan ver otros personajes ligados al Verde como el futuro Swamp Thing o derivados de su carrera criminal en Gotham con los primeros encontronazos con Batman o James Gordon. El primer paso por las celdas de Arkham Asylum y la siempre espinosa (sic.) presencia de Woodrue que aquí retorna para un enfrentamiento total desde las mismas entrañas de Pamela.

Este arco argumental recoge muy bien ese curioso panorama personal y emocional para Hiedra Venenosa en la que encuentra un curioso refugio en una cabaña en un Pantano donde Killer Croc y Solomon Grundy resultan ser sus vecinos de los que dependerá cuando las hordas de muertos revividos por ese dichoso hongo con el que Pamela creía que haría más bien que mal al arranque de la etapa. Se genera una estupenda dinámica en la que Janet de Recursos Humanos sigue sorprendiendo cómo se integra en estos personajes villanescos y monstruosos. Porque la verdad es que esta cabecera consigue incidir en ese aspecto personal y cercano que suele dejarse de lado al tratar a los personajes más ambiguamente amorales de estos universos de ficción superheroíca. Todo además con un deshinibición total en aspectos de romance no normativo necesarios y refrescantes.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The previous volume ended with the Floronic Man (Jason Woodrue) making his return. With Origin of Species, Ivy's origin tale is reworked to more heavily feature Woodrue (building on the idea introduced in Gaiman's and McKean's Black Orchid 1988 miniseries) as the catalyst leading to her becoming Poison Ivy. The first three issues here collect the "Origin of Species" arc that flashes back to Pamela Isley's time in college where she works under Woodrue's supervision as part of her undergraduate supervision. Woodrue is a sinister presence during this part, with the series depicting him as both obsessed with his research and predatory towards the female students working in his lab. Ivy, young and naive during this time, makes some questionable choices but the series is clear to point towards Woodrue as being the negative force swaying her down a darker path.

The final three issues of this volume tie up the Floronic Man plotline teased at the end of Mourning Sickness. Helped by her comrades - Harley, Solomon Grundy, Croc and Janet from HR - Ivy is finally able to put to rest the insidious roots the Floronic Man has laid into her from the abuses of decades prior. Serving as a nice culmination of the 24 issues in the series thus far, G. Willow Wilson is able to create a new blank slate through which further Poison Ivy stories can launch off of. The art duties here are split between Marcio Takara (#19-21) and Haining (#22-24), both of whom do a fantastic job crafting the lush yet brooding world that Poison Ivy inhabits.

[Pickletape · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such. A. Good. Volume !!! The story was good and the art was so good and beautiful, even with the artist change through the volumes. The covers were gorgeous and I think my favorite cover from this volume was issue #24 Death Becomes Her.
The volume starts with Ivy’s origin story which portrays her in a very relatable way. She makes mistakes but she’s always trying to do what’s right for humanity and the earth.

After an origin flashback, there’s a fun fight scene in the swamp with Ivy and the other side characters. I really enjoy the friendships between them all and I laughed out loud a few times too :3 !

Towards the end we get Ivy’s rebirth and it’s stunning, it’s beautiful. The panels of it remind me of the birth of Venus, it’s just an artistic masterpiece..

The ending of the volume leaves a sense of warmth and hope. Ivy admits she’s flawed but recognizes the earth doesn’t just need her but the people she loves too. She comes to understand they’re worth fighting for as well. She also apologizes for the trouble she’s put everybody through which I appreciate her taking accountability for her reckless actions and mistakes.

Also I’m glad the cheating between Ivy, Harley, and Janet was addressed. Like I said in a previous review I wasn’t bothered and I knew Ivy and Harley would be okay. I never felt like there was mal intentions and I’m happy everybody was honest with each other. It seems like Harley and Ivy have come back stronger, always recognizing they’ll always be there for each other and love one another <33, their romance makes my heart feel so full!!!

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books re-tells the origin story of how Pamela got her powers and became Poison Ivy. It also concludes the current story arc.

Overall, this is a strong entry in the series. However, I do have a few issues keeping it from a perfect trade.

First, the origin story is good until the end. Why would Pamela offer to be tested on? It makes no sense. She sees how Woodrue has physically changed. Pam is a strong character and this goes against her personality.

Second, Harley saves her again. It is getting monotonous; Poison Ivy saves Harley and Harley saves Poison Ivy.
It would have been cooler and a better angle if Bella found a way through her continued scientific research of stopping Woodrue and saves the day. With her involvement in Pam's back story this would have made this a perfect ending tying with up loose ends.

Third, Janet from HR admits to sleeping with Pamela and kissing Harley and they are okay with it. For real? Harley and Ivy are in love and they overlook this? This is not how to portray true love.

On the plus side the art is pretty good with great coloring. Also, Janet from HR aka Side Quest (love her new nick name) is adorable and a great addition to the cast.