Poison Ivy (2022-) #45

by G. Willow Wilson, Leandro Fernández (Artist)

MONSTERS AT THE MAYOR'S MANOR! Poison Ivy is losing supporters quicker than she can kill them! After a hard day at the office, Mayor Pamela Ivy retreats to her luxurious Gotham City home for some R & R, but not even her home is safe! What terrible menace lurks in wait for her? Read this issue and find out!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Superheroes

28 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2026

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

[ren · Rating 2 out of 5]

bro why is ivy suddenly acting like she cares about harley again i am getting whiplash from this comic is the author okay ????

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy is starting to lose control and everyone she has angered along the way is set to come for her. The pacing of this arc has felt really good. That ending is great too.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a way for things to spiral out of control. Ivy has fallen back onto her worst instincts to embrace full authoritarianism and control to try and serve the green and the make the world a better place, and she is going to fall while doing it. Things seemed business as usual today, Ivy forcing the press to say what she wants while avoiding other questions about missing business men, only for Janet to mention the run in with batman she had last issue and the message to Ivy for her to resign. Ivy immediately flipped out and cleared her schedule, ordering an emergency meeting with Vandal. Bringing him into her office, Ivy immediately begins to rip into Vandal for failing to use all the resources they have poured money into to actually catch the batman. What’s the point of turning Gotham into a poultice state if not for that reason, but Vandal refutes the idea that he alone turned Gotham into a police state…especially with all the green knight members running around the streets. Ivy has turned governing into outright rule, and for that comment Ivy decides to lift Vandal up using her trees to humiliate him to get her point across to bring the batman to her or else. But he calls her out for making a mistake as he is the only ally she has left. She alienated the city council and the press, so she better put him down before making another enemy…she obliges. Vandal proceeds to try make her see that her legitimate power has blinded her to her weaknesses…but she doesn’t care, and only cares about beginning batman in.

That evening we find Ivy in an even worse position as she desperately tries to figure out what to say to Harley to make all of this right again, and continually fails to do so. Eat your heart out all those people who complain about Harley and Ivy exploring an open relationship, I really don’t understand how it’s not evidently clear that they will always be ride or die at the end of the day. But deep in her sorrow Ivy suddenly hears a noise coming from the door, thinking that it’s Harley she runs out into the garden only to find that no one is there…until Ivy starts to feel as though she is being watched. Suddenly a creature leaps from the shadows and knocks her away, it’s none other than the kettle hole devil the parliament of trees and he is here to make her an example. Immediately vines begin to creep out from Ivy’s throat to show that the power she has can just as easily be ripped away, but Ivy fight back as she knew they would send someone after her one of these days…but she also knows they can’t kill her because they are afraid of who they may make angry as the human race may have forgotten the names of the parliament but they know hers very well. But even Ivy can admit she has messed up, she has used her gifts to kill as she doesn’t know how else to use them as she continues to fail the earth, the people she loves, and herself. The assassin agrees with these words, but words will not save her this time…that’s all Ivy needed to hear as she forms a wooden cage around the assassin. She is using this to show that she is not powerless and that she killed bog Venus and can do it again if they continue to threaten her. A few parlor tricks are not enough to go up against the parliament, and the assassin mentions the clown has no defenses against their might. Ivy rightfully freaks out, grabbing the assassin by the face and pulling him in as she screamed about never touching Harley or she will hunt down every seedling they sprouted to erase them from the memory of the green itself. The assassin even seems startled by this as Harley is just one human, but to Ivy “she’s the only human who matters.”

But this is only the beginning, as the assassin whirls away he tells her that if she came to the parliament when the hill told her to then they man have soared her…but there is no mercy awaiting her now. Ivy steps away fairly terrified as she is making enemies quite fast, but she still has one more card to play as she gracefully switches to her natural outfit to get lost in the nearby woods…only for nothing to happen, Marshview didn’t appear, and Xylon is nowhere to be found. Ivy yells out, admitting that she needs help and she knows she messed up but she was just trying to do good. Suddenly the giant hand of Xylon of the grey reaches down and plucks her up, she is happy to see him but he cannot say the same. Ivy failed the grey and the parliament and now there is no chance of negation between the two groups. Ivy claims she can still fix this, but Xylon is cutting her loose as the grey will no longer protect her from the vengeance of the parliament of the trees. He physically drops her from his height as the issue ends with Ivy plummeting to Gotham city fast. I haven’t read much about what the bad seeds even will actually be, but with this being a prologue I cannot wait.

[Neil Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recent issues have focused on the human/political struggles but this issue shows that things may be even worse regarding the supernatural "Green" and "Grey" elemental factions. In addition the working relationship with Vandal Savage becomes ever more strained.
It's interesting to see the pressure mount on Ivy with each issue and her isolation from any allies or support. Wilson is doing a great job of backing Ivy into such a corner that she may do something unpredictable (and readers of solicits may already have an inkling of what).

There's another artist on this issue which is 3 in 4 issues which makes it a bit jarring especially as the colouring and lettering make it initially seems like the same artist. It's the same art team next issue at least so there will be some consistency, it's just a shame for what is one ongoing tale to have so many artists.

Luckily the writing helps gloss over the switches in art teams.

Overall impression = 4/5
Writing = 4/5
Art = 3/5

Will I read the next issue? yes

Wait for the trade collection? This is a key Batbook at the moment so monthly readers of more than one bat title should probably avoid trade collections in order to appreciate the crossovers.

Did I need to read previous issues/series? it helps to read from the start of the Mayor arc #42

Will I read previous issues If there are some sales in trade collections I'll probably fill in the remaining gaps.

[Colin Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to see more confrontation between Ivy and the Parliament of Trees, and it seems like we’ll get that! I wonder if this growing conflict is what will set up Bad Seeds, in which case I’ll be much more excited about that crossover. I’m always down for more with the Green - and could we even get Swamp Thing to show up??? I like how the story’s developing, with Ivy realizing that she can’t mandate change by force. The fill-in artist didn’t really jive with me, though. They’ve done a good job for the most part filling in around Takara’s signature work on the series, but this one was kind of a dud.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

La gestión de Pamela Isley como alcaldesa de Gotham termina afectando a su pugna eco existencial con los grandes poderes del Verde y el Gris. No sé hasta qué punto el evento de Bad Seeds trasladará esta debacle a las cabeceras "terrenales" de la Batfamilia, pero tiene pinta que G. Willow Wilson tratará de cuidar este argumento en su cabecera para Hiedra. Me sorprende la longevidad de la misma y me surge esa espinosa idea de que el bureau de DC cómics haya permitido esto para asegurarse un potencial neo No Man´s Land sea como sea.

[Annemarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately the mayor arc has been very disappointing. And I stand by the idea that it could have been SO good. Ivy is smart. Ivy seemed to care. Instead the power corrupted before she even properly had it. This issue was weird in terms of character motivation imo. I'm confused by what the author is trying to do.

[Xaanua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poison 45: me gusta mucho la reflexión sobre el poder, cómo en cierta forma corrompe y está sacando las debilidades y aspectos peores de Ivy. Pero al mismo tiempo vemos como se preocupa por proteger a los suyos y teme las consecuencias de sus actos. Tiene miedo, y eso la hace humana.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5
It's gotten very interesting again.

[Lizzy DeMarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an ending! Poor Ivy.

[H]

this arc is really heating up. can't believe we have to wait a month!!

[spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just doesn’t feel like Ivy right now especially from before the mayor arc

[rafaela (taylor's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4, 25

[Katarina · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Another underwhelming issue. Sigh. Can we please wrap up this arc soon???