Things just get more complicated for Pam!
Creative Staff:
Story: Amy Chu
Art: Clayton Thomas Mann, Seth Mann
Colors: Ulises Arreola
What They Say:
As the murder investigation at the lab deepens, a new surprise awaits Poison Ivy in the form of the growing hatched sporelings! As these new lifeforms test the limits of their power, will they soon outgrow the need for their creator?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With its more leisurely pace in exploring the mystery that’s going on this miniseries certainly isn’t pushing forward at a breakneck pace to do what it wants to do. But the mood it creates is working well in giving me something that draws me in, builds its own little world well, and expands on what Pamela is up to. It’s admittedly hard to care too much about the lab and the people there, but it makes sense that she’d have some investment in it considering what she’s learned there and how it’s helped her with her larger plans. The movements in this series are small but it hits some very strong points along the way that often just result in someone’s death.
Hence the police being here again as the events at the lab are getting more complicated now that Grimsley is dead and Darshan can’t quite be sure what/who it was that killed him. That results in the place being shut down down and a lot of uncertainty about who to trust. Though the cast here hasn’t been given a lot of time to be explored there are what feels like some obvious red herrings and some potential quirks in the mix, especially with Darshan. Pamela is the big draw of course as she’s intent on getting her stolen research but is hitting a lot of walls in doing so. Her brush with the police is the most interesting, however, as they’re ready to dig into her as a potential suspect considering what’s gone on only to have their superiors call off any investigation into her. While it’s easy to imagine any number of players that could involve themselves here to help, I like that they keep it a mystery, allowing her to roam free for the moment.
Pamela’s time at home is the most fascinating though as we see how her sporelings have grown and how naturally attuned they are to their individual abilities, such as communicating with plants or growing vegetation. There’s a little natural mad scientist to what Pamela is doing here and the ease through which she accepts all of it, but the idea of her creating life more attuned to her – and her own potential turn to something more plant in nature – definitely makes for a compelling story if it’s explored more deeply. We’ve seen aspects of this in past Vertigo books ages ago but Poison Ivy is a natural way to explore it in this context. Her time with the sporelings and other creations and plants there is scary and fun – sometimes at the same time – but it also reinforces her disconnect from humanity in many ways and that’s chilling, especially with what she does to Winston.
In Summary:
The team here continues to tell their solid story that has the mystery and events unfolding at its pace in an engaging way without beating us over the head with it. I really like how Chu presents Pamela and the almost dual personality she has, but I wish it dug a little more into her plans and reasoning with what she’s doing at home. The Mann’s continue to deliver solid artwork that has a great look to it without going all over the top with sexuality and sensuality with Pamela. It’s inherent in her character for such a long time but by not making it a prime piece here it helps to focus more on the character herself. The arrival of Catwoman is certainly going to be fun, though I expect it to be similar to Harley’s appearance as a supporting character for the moment overall. Good stuff that’s fun and has me excited to see how the remainder plays out.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: March 16th, 2016
MSRP: $2.99