Batman: Arkham: Poison Ivy (Batman

Batman Arkham Collections #5

by Gerry Conway, Robert Kanigher, Marc Andreyko

GOTHAM'S DEADLIEST BEAUTY

Poison Ivy was once Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, a young woman with a unique fascination with botany and toxicology. But then she was seduced and later experimented on by her mentor, Professor Jason Woodrue, also known as the super-villain Floronic Man.

Now a constant thorn in Batman's side, Poison Ivy uses the toxins in her bloodstream to make her touch fatal to whomever she chooses, giving her the ability to create pheromones that make men her slaves while she stops at nothing to ensure plant life will retake Earth.

BATMAN ARKHAM: POISON IVY collects some of the villain's greatest stories by some of the industry's greatest creators, including Robert Kanigher (THE FLASH), Gerry Conway (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA), Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN), Guillem March (CATWOMAN), P. Craig Russell (WONDER WOMAN), Mark Buckingham (FABLES) and many more!

Collects BATMAN #181, #339, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #42-43, BATMAN: POISON IVY #1, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT ANNUAL #3, BATMAN VILLAIN SECRET FILES #1, DETECTIVE COMICS #23.1, GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #8, JOKER'S ASYLUM: POISON IVY #1, SECRET ORIGINS #36, THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #10, WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITIVE DIRECTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #18, WHO'S WHO IN THE DC UNIVERSE #5 and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #251-252.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2016

About the author

Gerard Francis Conway (Gerard F. Conway) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics' vigilante the Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. At DC Comics, he is known for co-creating the superhero Firestorm and others, and for writing the Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ivy so much. She just wants to grow plants and kill men in peace and I think we should let her.

[Trine Cederlöf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Poison Ivy collection, though I still think she deserves her own series instead of being a supporting character in almost everything else. Remember to also read "Cycle of Life and Death", it's all Ivy!!

[a ☕︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a well-curated collection that i have a newfound appreciation for ivy as a supervillainess. i honestly think making her harley’s girlfriend is a disservice to the character, she’s much more than that and much better when she can conspire independently (or seduce batman, tbh). loveee love love that every single comic has a big reveal panel where she blooms and bespells a room with visions of dark forests, briar patches, or tropical groves. batman describes her as a medieval witch, poison ivy describes herself as queen of the may (and titania, who’s finally found her winged fairy king in bat). a few of the comics end with passages from tennyson or chesterton: come into the garden, maud, / for the black bat, night, has flown, / come into the garden, maud, / i am here at the gate alone; / and the woodbine spices are wafted abroad, / and the musk of the rose is blown.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Even though this collects Ivy appearances over the years it still provides a reasonably cohesive storyline. Mostly this offers a lot of insight into Ivy as a character, which is just a nice thing in general.

[Rylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s so interesting to see how ivy evolved past a criminal who had a romantic obsession with batman into the eco terrorists we know today

[Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of DC's supervillains, I love Poison Ivy the most.

This collection is the argument why. Ivy, with varying real names, is just a misfortunate girl. Were it an evil professor using her as a test subject or an abusive father, she is a product of her environment - not evil or crazy per se. Her ability to grow, to flourish almost despite circumstances makes her a great antagonist.

In the collection, there are several different Ivys. In the 60's Beware of -- Poison Ivy! she's an aspiring (female) world public enemy #1. In Pavane written by Neil Gaiman she's terror and madness. John Francis Moore's Poison Ivy comments on war industry and peaceful retreat, whereas the Ivy in Deflowered and The Green Kingdom is all murder and mayhem. The untitled Gotham City Sirens comic shows Ivy without life-granting sunlight.

I would have loved a small foreword included. Otherwise, a great collection.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy is a compilation of some of the best representative of Poison Ivy stories over the years centering one of the more deadly seductive foes in the Batman Rouges. This collection features Poison Ivy in all his many incarnations throughout the years.

This trade paperback collects Batman #181 and #39, Batman/Poison Ivy #1, Batman Chronicles #9, Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #3, Detective Comics #23.1, Gotham City Sirens #8, Joker's Asylum: Poison Ivy #1, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #42–43, World's Finest #251–252, and Secret Origins #36.

Pamela Lillian Isley as Poison Ivy is a fictional super-villain created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff, she first appeared in Batman #181 (February 1966). The character is a Gotham City botanist obsessed with plants, ecological extinction, and environmentalism. She is one of the world’s notorious eco-terrorist. Like her namesake, Poison Ivy uses plant toxins and mind-controlling pheromones for her criminal activities, which are usually aimed at protecting endangered species and the natural environment.

As a whole, Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy is a rather well collected anthology of Poison Ivy stories. Story selection must have been difficult to say the least. Poison Ivy has a long and varied history and has been featured or cameos in many stories over many titles and it is no easy feat to pick out the best or favorite from the masses.

The thing is those measuring sticks are subjective and will never reach perfect consensus. Actually, we all can agree that in a collection like this, we could all agree on one story: Batman #181 – the first appearance of Poison Ivy – the rest is debatable. This anthology served its purpose – giving the reader a nice overview of Poison Ivy.

Regardless, I think the editors picked a somewhat nice selection, would I swapped some stories out for others – sure I have my favorites, but it is difficult if not impossible to please everyone, since everyone is different. Overall, I was happy of which stories were presented.

All in all, I think Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy is a somewhat well selection of stories that gives a nice glimpse into the psyche of one of the most deadly villain in Batman's Rouge Gallery – Poison Ivy. It is a good anthology for both the avid and subdued fan alike. However, for the newly initiated I would recommend a collection that is more substantial and cohesive.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A variety of Poison Ivy stories from across the decades, starting with her rather clunky debut and running through a more modern interpretation that features her interacting with other Gotham villains-turned-anti-heroes.

The most fascinating part of this in my opinion is just how hard it's been to figure out how to use Ivy as a character. She's boring as a "I love Batman" character but when complexities are added, they seem to almost make matters worse, such as when John Francis Moore looks to soften the villain aspects of her character while maintaining the "I love Batman" vibe. As a result, the stories here are extremely uneven, and almost seem like character whiplash at times. I know the point of these stories was to show the character's growth, but I'm not sure that happens here. What I saw instead was this cool character struggling to find a niche. I think they may have a better handle on her now, but I don't really read modern DC. I will say I liked the take in Gotham City Sirens and the villain one-shot, the final entries in the anthology, blending her into more of an deranged eco-activist who can sometimes be on the side of right.

Artistically, anytime you get a P. Craig Russell story, you're winning. Mark Buckinghim and Cully Hammer also make appearances, and if you like overtly sexualized women, Guillam March will make you very happy. It's also cool to see how a change of artists on a two-part story really brings out how good of an inker Jack Abel was--and Vince Colletta was not.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but not quite as much as, say the Riddler batch in the same anthology series.

[S.E. Martens · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology collecting various Poison Ivy stories from 1966 - 2013. It is interesting to chart Ivy's evolution as a character across the decades as writing and art styles change and shift.

The character has come a long way from being lovelorn over Batman. Unfortunately this particular anthology does not show her current relationship with Harley Quinn (because of when it was released.) Readers who are looking for the modern version of Ivy should check out Willow G Wilson's excellent ongoing monthly Poison Ivy series.

I noticed that in nearly all of these stories, Ivy's origin story was told and then retold/finessed. This doesn't happen with other recurring villains like Catwoman when they appear. I wonder what it is about Ivy that various writers feel the need to include her backstory or expand/adjust her origin. Even Neil Gaiman took a crack at retelling Poison Ivy's genesis in Secret Origins No. 36 (1988).

The Shadow of the Bat Annual No.3 (1995) is a pretty straightforward retelling of the character's 1966 debut, updated for 90s audiences and it's fascinating to read both versions together like this.

The Poison Ivy (1997) special one-shot by John Francis Moore was one that I had as a kid and really loved. I remember reading my old copy of this repeatedly back in the 90s when it came out. However, rereading it in 2024 I have to admit the story is pretty thin. Brian Apthorp's pencils are beautiful, though.

I enjoyed this. Even though I prefer the modern iteration of the character, it's fascinating to see the various versions of her over the years. I would love to see an updated version including some Ivy/Harley content.

[Ian Raffaele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compilation of Poison Ivy stories going all the way back to her first appearance in 1966. The most recent is from 2013. I enjoyed the compilation series on The Cheetah more. This graphic novel is a reminder of how Poison Ivy was a one-note villain for decades. She was a very shallow character whose primary goal seemed to be bedding Batman. It comes off as ridiculous when read today. The most disappointing part was how long it took to give her any sort of depth or agency. DC and Marvel comics are this strange entertainment medium where their base characters are silly, childish things. It is only with clever writing and talented art that we can accept the premise of a man dressing in a bat costume and beating up mental patients at night. When the writing and art are good the illusion works. Compilations like this show the decades of work and evolution of character writing it took to make comics something an adult would enjoy. The book is good as instrument to show how this character has evolved in the eyes of the writers and artists of DC over the past half century. My only regret is that the stories, and in many cases the art, were not all that enticing. I would love to see Stjepan Šejić take on this subject. We already got a glimpse of his vision of Ivy from his recently released story on Harley Quinn.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of comics focusing on Poison Ivy. If I was reading these collections in order of my favorite Batman rogues, I would have read this way earlier. The poison ivy crown she is wearing in her first appearance (Batman #181) is nice, and I think I read the comic "Poison Ivy" (Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #3) in Batman: Four of a Kind. "A Kiss of Death Times Three" (World's Finest Comics #251) was strange to me since it features Wonder Woman and not Batman. My favorite stories were "Pavane" (Secret Origins #36) because it is written by Neil Gaiman and is the comic (at least in this collection) to first mention the name Pamela Isley and her past with Jason Woodrue; "Hot House" Parts 1 and 2 (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #42-43) because I also wanted to believe Ivy was no longer dangerous; "Passion's Fruit" (Batman Chronicles #9) because it shows Ivy in a sympathetic light (The best line is from Killer Croc: "I wish you hadn't told me that. I wanted to believe one of use made it into the sunlight."); and "The Green Kingdom" (Detective Comics #23.1) because it shows flashbacks to Pamela Isley's childhood and how that also played a part in her decent into madness.

[Tyler Zamora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection of Ivy comics! It includes her first appearance, which I had never read before. I will say I always knew her character was a man eater, but I didn’t realize how misogynistic the earlier comics were to her. It’s still interesting to see her character unfold throughout time. I forget how she came to be and her horrible origin story (which slightly changes in names and details) which makes her motives completely justifiable in a way. She’s a great Batman villain because she carries the same duality as the rest of the roster. She has a duty to the Green because she feels no one else in the world can save or appreciate the environment anymore. Her goals are admirable in a way, but then the psycho comes out when she kills and poisons people. Either way her character is awesome and completely relevant in a time when people would completely deny her very mission of environmental rehabilitation because global warming doesn’t exist. Get ‘em Ivy!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the previous ones I read (last winter) the Arkham series have two small problems.
1. They are attempting to be a best of villain X collection but often don't serve that purpose.
2. With most of these books you get the origin story five or six times. (Once for each of the DC Universes many revisions.)

This was true of Two-Face and Man-Bat. It get's more monotonous with Poison Ivy.

Now, I give the editor's points for selecting at least ONE best of story not drawn from a Batman story. But if they were going to claim it was a best of Poison Ivy collection and then not do her meetings with Swamp Thing. Really, those stories are great. Granted, I borrowed my copy from the Library and at least if it is a 'mainstream title' they are sometimes reluctant to carry one that would required an adult ID to check out.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this comic, I have to admit.
It's supposed to be a ''best of Ivy''-collection, but almost every story is told from a males point of view, and almost all of them focused on her being a sexy little thing that really just needs to be saved.
Not to mention we got the origin story in almost every comic included.
There were so many things they could have chosen to have in this collection, but they picked the main stream titles, the ones even non-fans of Ivy could relate to.

I am tempted to give it 2 stars, to be honest, but that's a little too low, I feel, so in the end it's another 2.5/5 stars. it felt like they just published this as an answer to the #SavePoisonIvy movement, but didn't really listen to their message, their wishes. Instead, they gave us another book about men saving the day, and women being crazy and hysterical.

[Kristin Katsuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me this comic started off terribly so don't dnf it! It gets better much better trust me. I didn't enjoy the vintage comics to poison ivy because it has a weird narrating system & the characters are terrible cliches. Story development is terrible. As you read forward story gets much better. This whole comic book as a whole is great because it gives the whole origin story to poison ivy from the very beginning. I really enjoyed her cleaned up story development as time went on. The first origin was sad for an origin story & glad how they played it off to be a joke from her later on to make a better story for her. Would have gotten five stars from me if it weren't for the boring vintage comics but I wouldn't take them out from this story either.

[Russio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Ivy and her more modern version as an Eco-warrior is a creation that appeals. Back in the 60s the character was clearly a 1-D crank obsessed with flowers but as time has moved on, so society's views shift and move around to her way of thinking. In the final story her vision of a renaturalised Gotham is some of the more paradisal art in the collection.

Fascinating as a barometer of the time, charting a little of society changing and a lot of the increasing sophistication required by the comic reading public, this broadly gets better as it ages.

One drawback, however, is that as she pops up across the various titles, so do we get a constant retread of her origin.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of stories showing the origins of Poison Ivy. If I'm being honest a good amount of these storylines were duds for me in terms of plot or conflict. It soon became clear the majority of the writers made Ivy's goals mainly seducing Batman. Did it still lead to a fun time? Yes and no; some moments were so ridiculous that they were funny while others I just felt bored. I don't ask for a lot of depth from old comics but still a smidge more would be nice. I did enjoy the more recent issues within the volume as there was a shift in Ivy's stories to be less about her obsession with Batman and more to do with herself and her violent plant-y ways.

[Jud · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection, we get to see Ivy's origins through the years and her development and... WOW. I ADORE Ivy, so I wasn't expecting to find her so dull in her first appearances. Luckily, with time, Ivy has been developed as an anti-heroine with her own interests, motives and relationships: I think she suits far better this eco-terrorist role she displays now and I love her relation with Harley and Selina.

Overall, a very good read!

PS: I love how her character was constructed around all these misogynistic ideas and how she has been developed into a strong female who does not need a man. What an ICON! Simply brilliant! Way to go DC!

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read in more than one way-it’s sort of a fictional study of cultural customs as much as stories of the various incarnations of Batman super villain poison ivy, as this archive collects stories of Ivy from many different decades. It’s both interesting to see the social changes going on beneath the surface of these stories as it is to see the evolution of Ivy’s legends and abilities. She is kind of a tall tale where each generation of writers have expanded, twisted, and grown on what comes before.

[Diana Marie Denza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. As a very new fan of Poison Ivy (I know her best from the new Harley Quinn animated series), it was both entertaining and interesting to witness how her character developed from an extremely shallow villain obsessed with Batman to a much more complex "eco-terrorist" who occasionally teams up with other female villains and exacts vengeance on those who harm the planet. This collection provides a good starting point for those interested in learning more about the character and some pretty defining moments for her.

[Colton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection. I never realized Poison Ivy showed up outside of Batman comics. She has a unique origin story that makes her as much a victim as a criminal, and most of the time, she is battling other criminals. The early stories are dated, but necessary to see her beginnings and growth as a character over the decades.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall - 3 stars

Beware of...Poison Ivy - 1.5
A Kiss of Death Times Three - 2.5
A Poison of the Heart - 2.5
A Sweet Kiss of Poison - 2.5
Pavane - 3.5
Hot House, Part 1 - 3.5
Hot House, Part 2 - 3.5
Poison Ivy (1995) - 2.5
Poison Ivy (1997) - 4.5
Passion's Fruit - 3
Deflowered - 4
"Untitled" (Sirens #8) - 3
The Green Kingdom - 3

Overall - 3 stars

[Isto R. Eipäs · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-depth look into the seemingly one-note poison-kiss, mind-controller and bank-robber that is Poison Ivy, later reimagined as an advocate for plants, a betrayed scientist and lone wolf. Here's all you need to know about her, backstories (in plural) and moments that tie to a plethora of other stories: e.g. Black Orchid, Gotham City Sirens and Swamp Thing.

[Mark Singer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of Batman villain Poison Ivy stories from her first appearance in 1966 up until 2013. What I found fascinating was the evolution of her character from a human with plant-like tendencies to a full-blown mutant who wants to destroy humanity.

[Sini Vehniäinen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, when you're deep into your hatred for humankind maybe it isn't the best idea to read Poison Ivy comics. Or maybe it is just the right thing to do.

Feels like I'm walking on a thin, thin, line between my own origin story: is the end result Wonder Woman or Poison Ivy?

[Luis Dion-Dussault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belle découverte!

Plusieurs récits sélectionnés à travers le temps.

Avec ce livre, j’ai appris que le personnage d’Ivy avait eu plusieurs « histoire d’origine »!

Juste pour les découvrir, ça vaut la peine!

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the evolution of a character over several decades.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved learning more about my cosplay character through this book. Fun to see how she's evolved over the years and in different iterations. Love her.

[Viktória Larišová · Rating 3 out of 5]

It got better since p. 67. Pheeewww.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little compendium on the basics of Poison Ivy. Basics in this case meaning a variety of first appearances and origin stories.