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Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #1-6
Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death
POISON IVY BLOSSOMS INTO HER FIRST SOLO ADVENTURE!
There’s animal. There’s vegetable. And there’s somewhere in between.
That’s where Dr. Pamela Isley, a.k.a. Poison Ivy, finds herself. Instead of battling the Dark Knight, she is now a researcher at the Gotham Botanical Gardens, studying the possibility of creating plant-human hybrids.
But when her fellow scientists start turning up dead, she’s both the natural leading suspect…and the only person (or plant) who can crack the case.
To solve the mystery, Poison Ivy must team up—or throw down—with her oldest friends and closest frenemies, from Harley Quinn to Catwoman to the Swamp Thing. Can she keep things under control, or will she be responsible for a deadly new harvest?
Find out in POISON IVY: CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH. Sprouting from the brains of the up-and-coming creative team of writer Amy Chu and artist Clay Mann, it’s a mean, green murder mystery starring one of Batman’s greatest rogues!
Collects: Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #1-6.
There’s animal. There’s vegetable. And there’s somewhere in between.
That’s where Dr. Pamela Isley, a.k.a. Poison Ivy, finds herself. Instead of battling the Dark Knight, she is now a researcher at the Gotham Botanical Gardens, studying the possibility of creating plant-human hybrids.
But when her fellow scientists start turning up dead, she’s both the natural leading suspect…and the only person (or plant) who can crack the case.
To solve the mystery, Poison Ivy must team up—or throw down—with her oldest friends and closest frenemies, from Harley Quinn to Catwoman to the Swamp Thing. Can she keep things under control, or will she be responsible for a deadly new harvest?
Find out in POISON IVY: CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH. Sprouting from the brains of the up-and-coming creative team of writer Amy Chu and artist Clay Mann, it’s a mean, green murder mystery starring one of Batman’s greatest rogues!
Collects: Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #1-6.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2016
35 people are currently reading
1112 people want to read
About the author
Amy Chu
325 books196 followersWinner Bram Stoker Award, Gold Anthem Award. Writer for DC, Vertigo, Marvel, IDW and more, including: Poison Ivy, Ant-Man, Deadpool, Red Sonja, Green Hornet, Sensation Comics Wonder Woman, X-Files. KISS and DMC Comics. Cofounded Alpha Girl Comics, publisher of Girls Night Out and other comics. Frequent comic-con panel speaker and moderator.
Follow me on amychu.bluesky.social, @theamychu tiktok, @amy_chu instagram
Follow me on amychu.bluesky.social, @theamychu tiktok, @amy_chu instagram
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
April 12, 2022
(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: It starts alright, all rosy, tight, a budding concept built, but doomed, it zooms, no room to bloom: the final issues wilt.
Notes: It starts alright, all rosy, tight, a budding concept built, but doomed, it zooms, no room to bloom: the final issues wilt.
February 28, 2017
Cycle of Life and Death is so shitty it’s only fit for compost – no wonder Poison Ivy’s never had a solo title before!
Because she has to for this book, Ivy’s suddenly gone straight and gotten a job as a plant researcher at the Gotham Botanical Gardens – but then her colleagues start dying! Oh noooo, could it be her or could it be some crap Scooby-Doo-esque villain? The answer will make you fill your pants with boredooooommmmm…
This is a bad whodunit largely because there’s barely any time spent on trying to figure out whodunit – the killer just reveals themselves at the end. Sooooooo exciting… Meanwhile Ivy, while not responsible for the first couple of murders, does kill another person from the lab so… what’s the difference between her and the murderer? So much for turning over a new… leaf (hoho)… but why did she want to turn her back on a life of crime in the first place? We never find out. Amy Chu’s writing stinks.
The guy Ivy kills was so unnecessary too. He’s blackmailing her for being her alibi for the first murder even though she had no involvement with it and was hanging out with Harley at a bar – so why did she allow herself to be put in that position by having him lie for her instead of just copping to the truth!?
Besides the other Gotham City Sirens, Harley and Catwoman, briefly appearing, Swamp Thing also cameos, probably to keep the reader momentarily awake. Ivy grows some sentient plant-human hybrids for stem cell-related reasons but why make them sentient if you’re just growing them to harvest?! Her “kids” turn out to be as violent and bratty as Ivy so I guess like mother, like daughters – still didn’t care about any of them! Clay Mann’s (his parents had a sense of humour!) art is fine but nothing you wouldn’t see in a thousand other superhero comics.
How does the rhyme go – “leaves of three, let them be”? Agreed. Let Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death be.
Because she has to for this book, Ivy’s suddenly gone straight and gotten a job as a plant researcher at the Gotham Botanical Gardens – but then her colleagues start dying! Oh noooo, could it be her or could it be some crap Scooby-Doo-esque villain? The answer will make you fill your pants with boredooooommmmm…
This is a bad whodunit largely because there’s barely any time spent on trying to figure out whodunit – the killer just reveals themselves at the end. Sooooooo exciting… Meanwhile Ivy, while not responsible for the first couple of murders, does kill another person from the lab so… what’s the difference between her and the murderer? So much for turning over a new… leaf (hoho)… but why did she want to turn her back on a life of crime in the first place? We never find out. Amy Chu’s writing stinks.
The guy Ivy kills was so unnecessary too. He’s blackmailing her for being her alibi for the first murder even though she had no involvement with it and was hanging out with Harley at a bar – so why did she allow herself to be put in that position by having him lie for her instead of just copping to the truth!?
Besides the other Gotham City Sirens, Harley and Catwoman, briefly appearing, Swamp Thing also cameos, probably to keep the reader momentarily awake. Ivy grows some sentient plant-human hybrids for stem cell-related reasons but why make them sentient if you’re just growing them to harvest?! Her “kids” turn out to be as violent and bratty as Ivy so I guess like mother, like daughters – still didn’t care about any of them! Clay Mann’s (his parents had a sense of humour!) art is fine but nothing you wouldn’t see in a thousand other superhero comics.
How does the rhyme go – “leaves of three, let them be”? Agreed. Let Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death be.
June 29, 2016
Very good! So Poison Ivy has her own series, well mini-series anyways! So the story is that Ivy works at a research lab, her boss is killed(who was the only one willing to give Ivy a chance, due to her being a supervillain), and she needs to find out who did it! The story was funny in some parts, and was overall very good! We also see 3 guest appearances, 2 of them you kinda expect, the last one though at the end, was completely unexpected, I did not see that one coming! I guess my only gripe, is that it kind of just ends abruptly. But other then that, its pretty good, if you wanna know more about Ivy!
February 17, 2018
'Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death' has its flaws, but damn did it make me feel warm and good after reading. I've read so many disappointing books recently that I've been in kind of a slump - not the best way to end the year, for sure - but maybe something fun was what I needed. And Poison Ivy's first solo comic miniseries is anything but poisonous. It's a light refreshment, or like a break to have a girls' night out, complete with a makeover and dancing. No alcohol required.
I had never really cared for Batman's plant-controlling femme fatale adversary in the past - far too many of her incarnations are scantily-clad and exploitative. She's a misogynist's wet dream, with her sexual allure portrayed in a negative light (female villains can be sexy, of course, but it shouldn't be the reason why she's a villain to begin with), and her deadly kisses and lack of a real personality outside of sultry Eco-terrorist who cares more for plant life than human life. A grown woman who knows what she wants, sure, but Poison Ivy to me always represented the most stereotypical negative traits associated with being female; right down to using the power she has - her intelligence and sexuality - to seduce, control and kill men. And she's as boring as moss growing on a plank of wood. Clearly Ivy's male writers and artists were "preoccupied" with her body rather than her as a person.
However, her friendship with the jovial Harley Quinn may have saved her character, in my opinion. The partnership is so complex and entertaining in how they interact and bounce off of one another. Harley and Ivy are even canonically a romantic pair now, which, after many years of seeing how their game-changing and irresistible coupling has progressed, makes perfect sense.
'Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death', written by Amy Chu, sees Dr. Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy, as: A brilliant scientist; a thawing ice queen towards humanity; a lover of all plants and trees and their intricacies (she can talk to them through "the green"); a mystery solver (one character remarks that it feels like they're in a Scooby Doo episode, very funny); a mother hen caring for female human/vegetable/flower hybrids; and an all-around semi-reformed villainess taking control of her life after leaving the Gotham City Sirens behind.
There are cameos from Harley (there's a little like a lovers' spat between the two, if in a queer-baiting subtext, and it's resolved nicely in the end), and Catwoman. No Batman or any other famous villains here. Hurrah! Plus Ivy is given a new friend, Darshan Bapna, who is a POC and an interesting, funny character in his own right. Ivy doesn't form any romantic attachments to anyone in her comic; except Harley, but that could've benefited from being a lot clearer.
Poison Ivy without a male love interest? Hallelujah! Praise Gotham for its unlivable hellhole and swine!
Also, huge bonus for the commentary on how sexist men think women in STEM fields are "a distraction", and showing that touching a woman without her consent is definitely wrong.
Despite the miniseries's good characterizations, richness and good humour, I am well aware it has problems. Pam is still drawn to wear little clothing even when it's impractical, and is subjected to T&A shots - where it looks like she had breast implants in between chapters and panels. It is so ridiculous.
Like the cover of the book itself.
The creative team apparently decided that the best way to introduce a fresh, new Poison Ivy to new and old fans alike is to have her pose sexually, porn-style. Of course. Not like it's 2016 and we should know better when portraying women by now, or anything. The cover alone almost made me want to skip reading the book, not giving me anything I haven't seen hundreds of times before. Fanservice = sexist, objectifying, degrading, pointless (we've had the internet for twenty years - why do comics still do it!?), exhausting, and boring.
Then there's Pam's morality curve and scale, or lack of. I guess her murdering two men - one a stalkerish, sexist pig and the other a dog abuser - is meant to show her struggle in changing her villainous, human-hating (or, specifically, man-hating) ways. That she can't help herself sometimes, for old habits die hard. But she is absolutely remorseless throughout, and there is no internal conflict in that regard. It's cathartic, maybe, especially in an anti-heroine, but iffy.
It doesn't occur to the reforming femme fatale that if she could get a second chance, why can't other bad people? Ivy hasn't earned a redemption arc. She uses her flower power and human and plant stem cell research to create life in this story, to become an overprotective mother. But she isn't the least bit fazed with abruptly ending the lives of those she doesn't like at the drop of a hat.
By the way, both times Pam kills, it is right under the nose of the decent and caring Darshan. He never finds out, and it doesn't become the slightest issue in their growing friendship. Even more baffling is Pam doesn't face any consequences for killing - the two murders are barely a footnote in the plot - and did I mention she is already a murder suspect of her lab partner and boss at that point? Not very smart, Pamela, she with the mysterious wiped-out history and low profile (how can nobody recognize her as Poison Ivy, anyway? It is seriously the glasses?).
And yet, I think I love 'Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death'. It is simple, adoring, with educational aspects on ecology. Fairly well-structured, plotted and paced for a mystery, the characters are fun (go Rose, Hazel and Thorn - Ivy's own Cabbage Patch Kids!), the artwork is nice despite the questionable anatomy on female bodies, the action gritty and drawn solidly with exciting haste, and the ending is surprising yet satisfying. It really follows through with its title, 'Cycle of Life and Death': this theme is played out in different ways in terms of story and character development.
Amy Chu gave Poison Ivy and her solo comic outing heart. It blossoms into something imperfect, but beautiful.
It's good to be green.
Final Score: 3.5/5
I had never really cared for Batman's plant-controlling femme fatale adversary in the past - far too many of her incarnations are scantily-clad and exploitative. She's a misogynist's wet dream, with her sexual allure portrayed in a negative light (female villains can be sexy, of course, but it shouldn't be the reason why she's a villain to begin with), and her deadly kisses and lack of a real personality outside of sultry Eco-terrorist who cares more for plant life than human life. A grown woman who knows what she wants, sure, but Poison Ivy to me always represented the most stereotypical negative traits associated with being female; right down to using the power she has - her intelligence and sexuality - to seduce, control and kill men. And she's as boring as moss growing on a plank of wood. Clearly Ivy's male writers and artists were "preoccupied" with her body rather than her as a person.
However, her friendship with the jovial Harley Quinn may have saved her character, in my opinion. The partnership is so complex and entertaining in how they interact and bounce off of one another. Harley and Ivy are even canonically a romantic pair now, which, after many years of seeing how their game-changing and irresistible coupling has progressed, makes perfect sense.
'Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death', written by Amy Chu, sees Dr. Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy, as: A brilliant scientist; a thawing ice queen towards humanity; a lover of all plants and trees and their intricacies (she can talk to them through "the green"); a mystery solver (one character remarks that it feels like they're in a Scooby Doo episode, very funny); a mother hen caring for female human/vegetable/flower hybrids; and an all-around semi-reformed villainess taking control of her life after leaving the Gotham City Sirens behind.
There are cameos from Harley (there's a little like a lovers' spat between the two, if in a queer-baiting subtext, and it's resolved nicely in the end), and Catwoman. No Batman or any other famous villains here. Hurrah! Plus Ivy is given a new friend, Darshan Bapna, who is a POC and an interesting, funny character in his own right. Ivy doesn't form any romantic attachments to anyone in her comic; except Harley, but that could've benefited from being a lot clearer.
Poison Ivy without a male love interest? Hallelujah! Praise Gotham for its unlivable hellhole and swine!
Also, huge bonus for the commentary on how sexist men think women in STEM fields are "a distraction", and showing that touching a woman without her consent is definitely wrong.
Despite the miniseries's good characterizations, richness and good humour, I am well aware it has problems. Pam is still drawn to wear little clothing even when it's impractical, and is subjected to T&A shots - where it looks like she had breast implants in between chapters and panels. It is so ridiculous.
Like the cover of the book itself.
The creative team apparently decided that the best way to introduce a fresh, new Poison Ivy to new and old fans alike is to have her pose sexually, porn-style. Of course. Not like it's 2016 and we should know better when portraying women by now, or anything. The cover alone almost made me want to skip reading the book, not giving me anything I haven't seen hundreds of times before. Fanservice = sexist, objectifying, degrading, pointless (we've had the internet for twenty years - why do comics still do it!?), exhausting, and boring.
Then there's Pam's morality curve and scale, or lack of. I guess her murdering two men - one a stalkerish, sexist pig and the other a dog abuser - is meant to show her struggle in changing her villainous, human-hating (or, specifically, man-hating) ways. That she can't help herself sometimes, for old habits die hard. But she is absolutely remorseless throughout, and there is no internal conflict in that regard. It's cathartic, maybe, especially in an anti-heroine, but iffy.
It doesn't occur to the reforming femme fatale that if she could get a second chance, why can't other bad people? Ivy hasn't earned a redemption arc. She uses her flower power and human and plant stem cell research to create life in this story, to become an overprotective mother. But she isn't the least bit fazed with abruptly ending the lives of those she doesn't like at the drop of a hat.
By the way, both times Pam kills, it is right under the nose of the decent and caring Darshan. He never finds out, and it doesn't become the slightest issue in their growing friendship. Even more baffling is Pam doesn't face any consequences for killing - the two murders are barely a footnote in the plot - and did I mention she is already a murder suspect of her lab partner and boss at that point? Not very smart, Pamela, she with the mysterious wiped-out history and low profile (how can nobody recognize her as Poison Ivy, anyway? It is seriously the glasses?).
And yet, I think I love 'Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death'. It is simple, adoring, with educational aspects on ecology. Fairly well-structured, plotted and paced for a mystery, the characters are fun (go Rose, Hazel and Thorn - Ivy's own Cabbage Patch Kids!), the artwork is nice despite the questionable anatomy on female bodies, the action gritty and drawn solidly with exciting haste, and the ending is surprising yet satisfying. It really follows through with its title, 'Cycle of Life and Death': this theme is played out in different ways in terms of story and character development.
Amy Chu gave Poison Ivy and her solo comic outing heart. It blossoms into something imperfect, but beautiful.
It's good to be green.
Final Score: 3.5/5
May 8, 2020
The plot of this graphic novel was pretty intriguing. I wanted to know what was going on, it had a lot of unpredictable mystery. The dialogue was well written, it wasn't corny or unnatural. The panels could be crowded and clustered. Note to the team, Poison Ivy can be a badass without obscenely large breasts and without being practically naked with her nipples out. The ending was meh, but overall it was decent.
April 5, 2022
Poison Ivy has landed her dream job at Gotham Botanical Gardens, but when not one but three of her co-workers turn up dead, it's up to her to solve their murder before the police turn their attention her way and ruin everything she's built for herself.
I'm honestly surprised Ivy hasn't had a solo series before, but I think this series does kind of show why - she doesn't really work on her own. Sure, her motivations are there, but it's all fairly one-note and repetitive. Ivy wants to do her work and be left alone, and she hates pretty much all humans. That's fine, but it doesn't make for a compelling protagonist, which is why the strongest issues of this series are the ones that feature other characters, like Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Swamp Thing, and even just the friend Ivy makes at work, Darshan.
The mystery of the book's pretty well done with a double fake out that makes sense, but the addition of Ivy's sporelings takes a lot of the attention away from the main plot. Rebellious teenage daughters isn't the first thing you think of when it comes to Poison Ivy, and none of them really shine as worthwhile characters. There are glimmers of individual personalities between the three of them, but their inclusion in the book doesn't do anything that omitting them wouldn't have also accomplished.
The artwork is all over the place. Clay Mann draws three of the six issues, and manages to hold off on the cheesecake for the most part (although his civilian Ivy's shirts are WAY too tight), while the other three issues are a tagteam of artists, none of whom really fit the same aesthetic as Mann including Stephen Segovia, Robson Rocha, and Cliff Richards. I always wonder why comic companies insist on using artists that they know aren't going to get six issues done without significant lead time. I'd rather wait a few months longer then get everything by the same person, personally.
Poison Ivy's first solo mini-series isn't bad, but there are definitely some story weeds that need pruning. Some of the art looks nice, but when you take the entire bouquet into consideration, it's not quite as pretty as you first thought. Alright, enough plant puns, I'm making like a tree and leaf-ing.
I'm honestly surprised Ivy hasn't had a solo series before, but I think this series does kind of show why - she doesn't really work on her own. Sure, her motivations are there, but it's all fairly one-note and repetitive. Ivy wants to do her work and be left alone, and she hates pretty much all humans. That's fine, but it doesn't make for a compelling protagonist, which is why the strongest issues of this series are the ones that feature other characters, like Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Swamp Thing, and even just the friend Ivy makes at work, Darshan.
The mystery of the book's pretty well done with a double fake out that makes sense, but the addition of Ivy's sporelings takes a lot of the attention away from the main plot. Rebellious teenage daughters isn't the first thing you think of when it comes to Poison Ivy, and none of them really shine as worthwhile characters. There are glimmers of individual personalities between the three of them, but their inclusion in the book doesn't do anything that omitting them wouldn't have also accomplished.
The artwork is all over the place. Clay Mann draws three of the six issues, and manages to hold off on the cheesecake for the most part (although his civilian Ivy's shirts are WAY too tight), while the other three issues are a tagteam of artists, none of whom really fit the same aesthetic as Mann including Stephen Segovia, Robson Rocha, and Cliff Richards. I always wonder why comic companies insist on using artists that they know aren't going to get six issues done without significant lead time. I'd rather wait a few months longer then get everything by the same person, personally.
Poison Ivy's first solo mini-series isn't bad, but there are definitely some story weeds that need pruning. Some of the art looks nice, but when you take the entire bouquet into consideration, it's not quite as pretty as you first thought. Alright, enough plant puns, I'm making like a tree and leaf-ing.
December 12, 2018
Art: 10
Story: 1
A great book of wallpapers, I mean the art of this story is 10/10, rarely seen comics as good, but the story sucks, it is so bad I had to give it a 3 despite the breathtaking art.
Story: 1
A great book of wallpapers, I mean the art of this story is 10/10, rarely seen comics as good, but the story sucks, it is so bad I had to give it a 3 despite the breathtaking art.
September 15, 2019
Poison Ivy works best when she has other characters to bounce off of. This mini-series doesn't really give her that. Instead we get a murder mystery, a couple of cameos (one of which I will admit is very effective), and a genetics-gone-awry story that has some goofy bits and a pretty decent climactic battle.
Ivy has decided that she wants to be a scientist again and requires funding? So she is working in a lab where of course people start dying and strange mutations get created (the whole idea of Ivy being a single mother is weird but it does kind of work). I wasn't thrilled with the story, but it was okay, and some of the new characters make for decent if uninspiring foils. The art is good throughout, and thankfully stays away from the over-sexualized outfits of the past (she even gets to wear a lab coat some of the time), although I'm not sure anyone told the cover artist that.
It's not a character-defining mini-series, but it does have its moments and I don't regret reading it. For the New 52, that counts as a win.
Ivy has decided that she wants to be a scientist again and requires funding? So she is working in a lab where of course people start dying and strange mutations get created (the whole idea of Ivy being a single mother is weird but it does kind of work). I wasn't thrilled with the story, but it was okay, and some of the new characters make for decent if uninspiring foils. The art is good throughout, and thankfully stays away from the over-sexualized outfits of the past (she even gets to wear a lab coat some of the time), although I'm not sure anyone told the cover artist that.
It's not a character-defining mini-series, but it does have its moments and I don't regret reading it. For the New 52, that counts as a win.
August 13, 2020
Very cool story. Loved the overall idea, and the writing was great. Wasn't a great fan of the art, but that's not to say it wasn't good quality art; just not to my taste.
January 25, 2022
I want more of Ivy + Harley immediately, merci
and the sisters omg where they went
and the sisters omg where they went
July 4, 2016
Very solid tale that has potential for far reaching consequences!
I read the single issues.
Ivy, the other half of the crazy Harley/Ivy duo. She's gone through a lot of changes these last couple of years, from crazy plant villain to bio terrorist and now the deep and complex character that she is. How does this mini series read? Pretty good.
World: The art is good, the colors and framing appealing. Is it jaw dropping? No, but it's solid. The world building is also strong. The main story is fairly self contained in it's world and the scope is not very large. However, that being said, I really really like how with the New52, she's tied with the Green. The ramifications of that and her inclusion into the larger world makes Ivy matter more and way more interesting.
Story: A fairly standard whodunit and Ivy story. This is nothing we've not read and seen before in comic books and cartoon. That being said, the inclusion of the Green made this story matter more than usual. The pacing is fine and the story was predictable with it's beats and cameos. It's well told. But it's the inclusion of the Green in the later parts of the story that makes this story matter more. I wish there was less whodunit and more interactions between Ivy and her Sporelings. Oh well.
Characters: Tying Ivy to the Green made me so happy. It immediately makes the character matter more and the ending does that well. She's a complex character and her motivations are well presented her, but fairly surface. I wish the book focused more on diving deeper that just a standard whodunit. It's good but could have been better. The Sporelings are interesting and their story is not over, I want to see them and how they fit into the Green, they could have used more development character wise.
Good story that fits too much into the standard whodunit. The pieces are there for something brilliant.
Onward to the next book!
I read the single issues.
Ivy, the other half of the crazy Harley/Ivy duo. She's gone through a lot of changes these last couple of years, from crazy plant villain to bio terrorist and now the deep and complex character that she is. How does this mini series read? Pretty good.
World: The art is good, the colors and framing appealing. Is it jaw dropping? No, but it's solid. The world building is also strong. The main story is fairly self contained in it's world and the scope is not very large. However, that being said, I really really like how with the New52, she's tied with the Green. The ramifications of that and her inclusion into the larger world makes Ivy matter more and way more interesting.
Story: A fairly standard whodunit and Ivy story. This is nothing we've not read and seen before in comic books and cartoon. That being said, the inclusion of the Green made this story matter more than usual. The pacing is fine and the story was predictable with it's beats and cameos. It's well told. But it's the inclusion of the Green in the later parts of the story that makes this story matter more. I wish there was less whodunit and more interactions between Ivy and her Sporelings. Oh well.
Characters: Tying Ivy to the Green made me so happy. It immediately makes the character matter more and the ending does that well. She's a complex character and her motivations are well presented her, but fairly surface. I wish the book focused more on diving deeper that just a standard whodunit. It's good but could have been better. The Sporelings are interesting and their story is not over, I want to see them and how they fit into the Green, they could have used more development character wise.
Good story that fits too much into the standard whodunit. The pieces are there for something brilliant.
Onward to the next book!
December 20, 2021
I need to make a hurried review because I've been slack about all my adult responsibilities surrounding the holiday season, and that big fat roc has come home to roost today.
(Which I shouldn't, a hurried review, that is, because I've known Amy Chu for a while and count her among my friends, and this book deserves good marks!)
Writing-wise, there are some advanced themes presented smoothly and with wisdom - parenthood, sociopathy, 'misunderstood villain', to name a few. There are a few plot holes in the last couple chapters, for me at least, that could have been filled with a little exposition, but weren't too glaring . I would have preferred a few more breadcrumbs, false or true, as to the main mystery. Oh, and the large number of sudden scene changes made me feel less well connected to the story.
I don't think the art supported the writing, themes, or characters as well as it could have. If you set out to write a female lead by a female write and make some female-centric points (motherhood, again, being significant), then less focus on figure and action are in order. Not bad art & color teams, but not, I think, the ones for Ms. Chu's story.
(Which I shouldn't, a hurried review, that is, because I've known Amy Chu for a while and count her among my friends, and this book deserves good marks!)
Writing-wise, there are some advanced themes presented smoothly and with wisdom - parenthood, sociopathy, 'misunderstood villain', to name a few. There are a few plot holes in the last couple chapters, for me at least, that could have been filled with a little exposition, but weren't too glaring . I would have preferred a few more breadcrumbs, false or true, as to the main mystery. Oh, and the large number of sudden scene changes made me feel less well connected to the story.
I don't think the art supported the writing, themes, or characters as well as it could have. If you set out to write a female lead by a female write and make some female-centric points (motherhood, again, being significant), then less focus on figure and action are in order. Not bad art & color teams, but not, I think, the ones for Ms. Chu's story.
October 16, 2023
Poison Ivy'nin ilk solo serisiymiş meğer bu kitap. Yazar Chu karakterin keşfedilmemiş potansiyelini değerlendirmek istemiş ve fena da bir iş ortaya koymamış gibi. Ivy'nin bitkiler ve insanlar alemi arasında sıkışık kalmış kişiliğini ve ıslah olmaya çalışan bir eski suçlu olarak yaşadığı ikilemleri güzel veriyor seri. Çizimler zaten inanılmaz güzel. Ivy'nin çekiciliğini tam anlamıyla görüyoruz. Maalesef hikayenin kurgusu ise pek başarılı değil. Bir cinayet/kayıp araştırması gibi başlayan seri devamı için umut vermişti. Ne olduysa oldu ve hikaye Ivy'nin yarattığı ergen kızlarıyla çatışmasına dönüştü. İlk yarısını ne kadar beğensem de ikinci yarısında gizem unsurunu yitirip sıkıcı bir hikayeye evrildi.
January 26, 2021
rumours are true pamela isley is the love of my life <3
April 7, 2020
(originally reviewed at
thelibraryladies.com
)
I will admit that my love for Poison Ivy was late blooming (HAHAHA) in all my years of Batman worship. I don’t know if it was because “Batman and Robin” (though Uma Thurman is a goddess and I now appreciate her characterization in spite of everything), or my disinterest in plants in general, but it took far too long for me to love Dr. Pamela Isley. It didn’t happen until I was looking for a cosplay outfit that wouldn’t require a wig, and I dove heart and soul into making a Poison Ivy costume. And it turned out AWESOME, if I do say so myself.So now that my love for Ivy is here to stay and all encompassing, I was totally tickled when I saw “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death” during a weeding project at work. I wanted to give this book a stay of execution and wanted to see what author Amy Chu had done with my girl.
There were two, maybe three, really strong aspects to this book. The first is that we get to see Pamela back in her research role, and we get to see how awesome she is at it. While we are used to seeing her as an eco-terrorist or just a general baddie that Batman has to take on, it’s sometimes easy to forget that she is a brilliant scientist, and seeing her passionate and stupendous at her work was heartening as hell. Chu shows that Pamela is in her element, and even throws in some really satisfying moments of fighting back against sexism and misogyny in STEM. True, it’s with violence, but it’s a power fantasy so that’s just fine. The second aspect I enjoyed (a mild spoiler alert here) was the exploration of Poison Ivy as not only a scientific creator, but as a mother as well. She creates human plant hybrids that she raises as her daughters, and I thought that showing motherhood and nurturing sides of Poison Ivy while still letting her maintain her strength and power. Too often these more feminine themes are thrown aside as if they aren’t strengths in superhero stories, so to see it here was great. And the third aspect was seeing some other DC lady favorites like Harley Quinn and Selina Kyle show up and help Ivy when needed, as well as a cameo from another DC character that I’m going to keep under wraps.
Those aspects aside, “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death” didn’t have the oomph that I wanted from it. While I liked Ivy as a mother figure, her relationship with her three ‘daughters’ Rose, Hazel, and Thorn didn’t get enough deep dive attention. The affection was there, sure, but we didn’t really get to see it build and transform, as a time jump to speed up the plot deprived us of the actual character and relationship development. Another quibble I had was that the relationship between Ivy and Harley Quinn wasn’t nearly sapphic enough. There was something of a hint towards them perhaps being an item if you knew to look for it, but there was a bit more attention towards Ivy’s scientist colleague Darshan and the sexual tension there. To Chu’s credit, while Darshan is a nice addition to the story, his relationship with Ivy doesn’t really go anywhere. But the fact that even the hint of her being with a guy got more attention than the long standing undertones of the Ivy/Harley relationship made me even more frustrated.
And finally, I didn’t really care for the artwork. The reason for this is that while this story really is great in that it puts Ivy at the front and gives her agency and a lot of cool things to do, the character design was definitely still through the male gaze. It just doesn’t fit with the tone of the story.
I’m glad that Poison Ivy got her own story where she could show off her strengths, and there were certainly good things about “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death”. I just wish that we had gotten more. But if you like Poison Ivy, you will find things to like here.
I will admit that my love for Poison Ivy was late blooming (HAHAHA) in all my years of Batman worship. I don’t know if it was because “Batman and Robin” (though Uma Thurman is a goddess and I now appreciate her characterization in spite of everything), or my disinterest in plants in general, but it took far too long for me to love Dr. Pamela Isley. It didn’t happen until I was looking for a cosplay outfit that wouldn’t require a wig, and I dove heart and soul into making a Poison Ivy costume. And it turned out AWESOME, if I do say so myself.So now that my love for Ivy is here to stay and all encompassing, I was totally tickled when I saw “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death” during a weeding project at work. I wanted to give this book a stay of execution and wanted to see what author Amy Chu had done with my girl.
There were two, maybe three, really strong aspects to this book. The first is that we get to see Pamela back in her research role, and we get to see how awesome she is at it. While we are used to seeing her as an eco-terrorist or just a general baddie that Batman has to take on, it’s sometimes easy to forget that she is a brilliant scientist, and seeing her passionate and stupendous at her work was heartening as hell. Chu shows that Pamela is in her element, and even throws in some really satisfying moments of fighting back against sexism and misogyny in STEM. True, it’s with violence, but it’s a power fantasy so that’s just fine. The second aspect I enjoyed (a mild spoiler alert here) was the exploration of Poison Ivy as not only a scientific creator, but as a mother as well. She creates human plant hybrids that she raises as her daughters, and I thought that showing motherhood and nurturing sides of Poison Ivy while still letting her maintain her strength and power. Too often these more feminine themes are thrown aside as if they aren’t strengths in superhero stories, so to see it here was great. And the third aspect was seeing some other DC lady favorites like Harley Quinn and Selina Kyle show up and help Ivy when needed, as well as a cameo from another DC character that I’m going to keep under wraps.
Those aspects aside, “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death” didn’t have the oomph that I wanted from it. While I liked Ivy as a mother figure, her relationship with her three ‘daughters’ Rose, Hazel, and Thorn didn’t get enough deep dive attention. The affection was there, sure, but we didn’t really get to see it build and transform, as a time jump to speed up the plot deprived us of the actual character and relationship development. Another quibble I had was that the relationship between Ivy and Harley Quinn wasn’t nearly sapphic enough. There was something of a hint towards them perhaps being an item if you knew to look for it, but there was a bit more attention towards Ivy’s scientist colleague Darshan and the sexual tension there. To Chu’s credit, while Darshan is a nice addition to the story, his relationship with Ivy doesn’t really go anywhere. But the fact that even the hint of her being with a guy got more attention than the long standing undertones of the Ivy/Harley relationship made me even more frustrated.
And finally, I didn’t really care for the artwork. The reason for this is that while this story really is great in that it puts Ivy at the front and gives her agency and a lot of cool things to do, the character design was definitely still through the male gaze. It just doesn’t fit with the tone of the story.
I’m glad that Poison Ivy got her own story where she could show off her strengths, and there were certainly good things about “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death”. I just wish that we had gotten more. But if you like Poison Ivy, you will find things to like here.
October 19, 2018
Catwoman (when she made her cameo): Long time no hear, girlfriend. What’s up? Cat got your tongue? (Oh nooooes, being in costume and having cool powers doesn’t actually exempt you from lameness?! 😛)
Harley Quinn showed up too, and of course, there can be no Harley Quinn without some mention of her famous lover (‘…..wasting my life over some psychotic ex-boyfriend’).
🍃Okay, jokes aside, this was actually a fun and quick read for me. I know a lot of people didn’t really love this miniseries due to its lacklustre plot and storyline. I guess I’m lucky in this regard, as I had zero expectations going into this. I didn’t read any reviews beforehand, and I barely even know anything about Poison Ivy as it is... so for me, it was just a chill time learning about this woman who’s partially human and partially plant on a basic level. And also what she is choosing to do right now with these abilities of hers.
“Selective gene technology means it’s now possible to combine plant and animal DNA. Magnificent. We’ve used hybridization to breed plants with other plants for decades. This breakthrough has given me a new purpose, a new beginning. Beyond someone else’s idea of a hero or a villain.”
We don’t see Poison Ivy in a villainous role, but one in which she wants more like her to exist in the world. She carries out researches in Gotham Botanical Gardens in hopes of creating a healthy, sustainable plant/human hybrid, while also developing some other fun things on the side like pheromone recipes. 😯👀 Additionally - which is actually the less interesting part of the story for me - she also has to figure out who is going around killing her fellow scientist colleagues. The part I enjoy more of is seeing the results of her research come to fruition and the process of it, it would have been fun if they did more with the sporelings.
On dogs that tried to attack them (quote I like, applicable to almost all species I’d say) 🐶:
“Fight or flight. It’s survival of the fittest in Gotham. And these dogs have survived atrocious conditions and abuse at the hands of humans. Now they’re angry. Pitbulls are a misunderstood breed. I can emphatize. You put any creature in a hostile environment and they develop defense mechanisms. But that doesn’t make them bad.”
Harley Quinn showed up too, and of course, there can be no Harley Quinn without some mention of her famous lover (‘…..wasting my life over some psychotic ex-boyfriend’).
🍃Okay, jokes aside, this was actually a fun and quick read for me. I know a lot of people didn’t really love this miniseries due to its lacklustre plot and storyline. I guess I’m lucky in this regard, as I had zero expectations going into this. I didn’t read any reviews beforehand, and I barely even know anything about Poison Ivy as it is... so for me, it was just a chill time learning about this woman who’s partially human and partially plant on a basic level. And also what she is choosing to do right now with these abilities of hers.
“Selective gene technology means it’s now possible to combine plant and animal DNA. Magnificent. We’ve used hybridization to breed plants with other plants for decades. This breakthrough has given me a new purpose, a new beginning. Beyond someone else’s idea of a hero or a villain.”
We don’t see Poison Ivy in a villainous role, but one in which she wants more like her to exist in the world. She carries out researches in Gotham Botanical Gardens in hopes of creating a healthy, sustainable plant/human hybrid, while also developing some other fun things on the side like pheromone recipes. 😯👀 Additionally - which is actually the less interesting part of the story for me - she also has to figure out who is going around killing her fellow scientist colleagues. The part I enjoy more of is seeing the results of her research come to fruition and the process of it, it would have been fun if they did more with the sporelings.
On dogs that tried to attack them (quote I like, applicable to almost all species I’d say) 🐶:
“Fight or flight. It’s survival of the fittest in Gotham. And these dogs have survived atrocious conditions and abuse at the hands of humans. Now they’re angry. Pitbulls are a misunderstood breed. I can emphatize. You put any creature in a hostile environment and they develop defense mechanisms. But that doesn’t make them bad.”
December 7, 2024
The first comic book by DC Comics that I have read since 2021. I don't keep-up with major (American) comics like I use to, but I still have a sizeable backlog of comics from when I did read these comics that I want to read and this is one of them. I can't remember why I bought this comic as I am not a particular fan of Poison Ivy, but I think the idea of her going from Batman villain to anti-hero was intriguing. This mini-series (as well as Batman, Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar?) seemed to have been made to set Ivy on this path. From what I heard, this was derailed somewhat by Heroes in Crisis and G. Willow Wilson has been putting the character back on course. But that brings us to this series.
Somewhat reformed Dr. Pamela Isley is back in her old line of work being given a chance by her old mentor and doing some personal research on her own with the resources from the Gotham Botanical Research Foundation. Of course, when you are in Gotham, everybody is shady so even if Isley is trying to lay low others around her are not and they are trying to use her for their own aims. This, and Isley trying to maintain her relationship to her FWB Harley Quinn while walking the no-supervillain path is not as easy as she thought.
This was a solid miniseries. If you were interested in following the current iteration of the character more, this would be the place to start. The artwork is fine and the writing by Chu is solid.
Somewhat reformed Dr. Pamela Isley is back in her old line of work being given a chance by her old mentor and doing some personal research on her own with the resources from the Gotham Botanical Research Foundation. Of course, when you are in Gotham, everybody is shady so even if Isley is trying to lay low others around her are not and they are trying to use her for their own aims. This, and Isley trying to maintain her relationship to her FWB Harley Quinn while walking the no-supervillain path is not as easy as she thought.
This was a solid miniseries. If you were interested in following the current iteration of the character more, this would be the place to start. The artwork is fine and the writing by Chu is solid.
April 1, 2022
Pretty average, but also fun. Harley Queen and Selina are both there and I really liked seeing the way they interacted, all the banter and drama that one would expect. I feel like we moved from one thing to the other too fast, there were too many sub-plots to explore and because of that none felt engaging enough. I relly enjoyed the concept of Ivy really wanting kids in order to not be alone, then not knowing how to deal with them, and I really liked their character designs. I wish the story allowed itself to slip more into the horror elements than it did, since they're very clearly there but very briefly tackled. Overall, this book had way too much going on but for what it was it was still a fun read.
April 23, 2025
Picked it up because of the premise of Ivy making plant babies for herself (love some asexual vibes and mom by choice feels!) but wound up super disappointed.
The kids are cute and I enjoyed the theme of second chances, but that was about it. It has some pretty terrible diversity rep that soured the story for me, and the main side character felt flat.
Overall, it's not the worst standalone I've ever read, but I can't recommend it. If you wanna read it, I vote checking your local library for a copy!
The kids are cute and I enjoyed the theme of second chances, but that was about it. It has some pretty terrible diversity rep that soured the story for me, and the main side character felt flat.
Overall, it's not the worst standalone I've ever read, but I can't recommend it. If you wanna read it, I vote checking your local library for a copy!
March 11, 2022
Need more Ivy comics
December 22, 2024
Sen tempo non era para darlle un comic en solitario a Ivy. Feliz de que fora sobre o seu traballo como botánica e non calquera outra tontería.
Amy Chu escribindo comics sobre Poison Ivy e Carmilla... she rolls with the lesbians.
Amy Chu escribindo comics sobre Poison Ivy e Carmilla... she rolls with the lesbians.
January 1, 2018
The last 2 issues really tugged at my heart.
July 16, 2025
the reading challenge is in hell so the comics r coming out again. my queen poison ivy is the only one where im reading a fun story in like 20 minutes but she also brings up crispr and breaked every ethics rule ever. how is this legal? who knows. this is also the last ivy comic thats currently out so ill need to find some other easy books now sadly until more come out. still absolutely not over her casually choosing to gene splice human dna into plants though why is no one stopping this
June 23, 2019
Though the story was super basic, I’m still glad I picked this up. Loved seeing Ivy in her own series kicking some major ass. It’s was great to delve a little more into her motives for being who she is and her general demeanour towards others as well. I feel like she usually gets a bad wrap; seen as just a sexy villain or a crazy plant lady with no substance. As said before, story was a little basic but it was wrapped up generically and was fun to see some old faves (Harley, Selina, Alec) make some appearances. Still don’t understand how she was able to just get a job at a high quality science facility... what’s with those background checks? Even if someone “let her in” persee, I’m pretty sure everyone kinda knows what Poison Ivy looks like... but meh. I guess worth the read if you like Poison Ivy though! 💚
August 3, 2019
I really wanted to like this one.
I've been trying to find this series for a while. Ivy rarely ever gets her own writings so I was pretty excited for this one. Unfortunately, I don't feel like it got all of Ivy right.
Poison Ivy is just looking for a second chance. Shes tired of the villain life and wants to spend more time on science! After getting hired at Gotham Botanical Gardens, Ivy starts to work on these hybrid planet babies. But someone is after her work! Trying to raise kids and solve a mystery is hard work, good thing she has friends!
Im not sure what more I was expecting from the book. I didnt like how she treated Harley, I didnt like that she would just murder people when it was convenient (yeah shes a bad guy but shes more clever then that!). It didnt really give us anything new, it didnt make Ivy special, and the end was open ended... on to the next one.
I've been trying to find this series for a while. Ivy rarely ever gets her own writings so I was pretty excited for this one. Unfortunately, I don't feel like it got all of Ivy right.
Poison Ivy is just looking for a second chance. Shes tired of the villain life and wants to spend more time on science! After getting hired at Gotham Botanical Gardens, Ivy starts to work on these hybrid planet babies. But someone is after her work! Trying to raise kids and solve a mystery is hard work, good thing she has friends!
Im not sure what more I was expecting from the book. I didnt like how she treated Harley, I didnt like that she would just murder people when it was convenient (yeah shes a bad guy but shes more clever then that!). It didnt really give us anything new, it didnt make Ivy special, and the end was open ended... on to the next one.
December 29, 2019
This was interesting. I feel like Ivy's interpreted differently in every single comic I've read with her in it. My favorite take being the New 52's birds of prey, surprisingly.
This book did a great job maintaining Ivy's ferocity in every aspect of her life from protectiveness over her work, protectiveness over life and protectiveness over her sporelings. I liked Luisa and Darshan as characters. Harley and Selina popped up for a bit. The sporelings were interesting.
I quite enjoyed the art and it was interesting because I don't entirely think it was overly sexualized. I liked the detail put into ivy's look with the vines intertwined over her legs.
Tentative recommend for me. I didn't find the story as engaging as I would have liked but I was pretty entertained.
This book did a great job maintaining Ivy's ferocity in every aspect of her life from protectiveness over her work, protectiveness over life and protectiveness over her sporelings. I liked Luisa and Darshan as characters. Harley and Selina popped up for a bit. The sporelings were interesting.
I quite enjoyed the art and it was interesting because I don't entirely think it was overly sexualized. I liked the detail put into ivy's look with the vines intertwined over her legs.
Tentative recommend for me. I didn't find the story as engaging as I would have liked but I was pretty entertained.
September 18, 2016
I loved this! I want more I want an adventure with Rose, Hazel and Thorn!!!
December 26, 2016
I need more Ivy!! Why is this only a miniseries?
December 13, 2020
This book is AWESOME AND COOL!!!
Poison Ivy blossoms her first solo adventure!!!
I really like this book and that's why I rate it 5 stars.
Poison Ivy blossoms her first solo adventure!!!
I really like this book and that's why I rate it 5 stars.
February 17, 2024
The way I picked this up, read halfway and went hmmm why does this story seem familiar? Oh yeah because my dumbass read it back in 2017 when I had first started reading some comics every now and then. I didn't write a review but I feel I was way too generous with those three stars so I will be taking that down a peg.
The story started out okay- Ivy is working at Gotham Botanical Gardens, studying plants and the possibilities of plant / human hybrids. But then her mentor and other fellow scientists start getting murdered. She gets on the case trying to figure out who is doing it and to get her stolen work back.
I gotta say I understand Poison Ivy is a femme fatale sexy looking character but this artist is my enemy. Trust me, you can make her sexy without having her giant tits out, wearing almost no clothing with weird angles of her ass. And then ofc when we see Harley and Catwoman?? Oh okay so it's just how you draw women then. Got it. Art like this will always piss me off because even in her own miniseries Ivy is just an object for men and like damn sorry, I like it when women get to be actual characters instead of heh plant woman nipple.
I didn't like how the story progressed and I didn't like the ending either. Truly the annoying (and also cluttered) art ruined any enjoyment I was having.
The story started out okay- Ivy is working at Gotham Botanical Gardens, studying plants and the possibilities of plant / human hybrids. But then her mentor and other fellow scientists start getting murdered. She gets on the case trying to figure out who is doing it and to get her stolen work back.
I gotta say I understand Poison Ivy is a femme fatale sexy looking character but this artist is my enemy. Trust me, you can make her sexy without having her giant tits out, wearing almost no clothing with weird angles of her ass. And then ofc when we see Harley and Catwoman?? Oh okay so it's just how you draw women then. Got it. Art like this will always piss me off because even in her own miniseries Ivy is just an object for men and like damn sorry, I like it when women get to be actual characters instead of heh plant woman nipple.
I didn't like how the story progressed and I didn't like the ending either. Truly the annoying (and also cluttered) art ruined any enjoyment I was having.
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