[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Owl Goingback
Artist: Matt Merhoff, Dave McCaig
Summary
Poison Ivy hunts down a vampire demon destroying her forest.
Positives
Although this was only a 10 page short within the New Talent Showcase, there were definitely some good things to come out of this story. For starters, new writer Owl Goingback certainly stood true to the character of Poison Ivy. Having her care so much about the environment and little about human kind is the very essence of who the character is. Another great character reference was her relationship with Harley Quinn, and even going so far as incorporating Harley’s property to save the day was a nice touch.
I certainly enjoyed the choice of scenery and background in this story. A graveyard and forest late at night was very creepy, and definitely set the mood for the story, not to mention for the antagonist of choice. It all flowed very well.
The art by newcomer Matt Merhoff and veteran colorist Dave McCaig really impressed me. Although there wasn’t too much in the way of facial expressions, the lines were very well done and looked amazing, as well as the bright beautiful colors. Ivy looked incredible, and the dark atmosphere of the graveyard was certainly evident by the dark shadows and colors.
Negatives
As it was only a 10 page short, there wasn’t much room to really tell a full story, or expand on what we read. I would have loved to seen something different with Ivy, rather then the usual “must save plants at all costs” persona, but I understand that there is only so much you can do with 10 pages, and that it’s only a book introducing and showcasing DC’s newest talent.
Verdict
A solid Poison Ivy story with very impressive artwork. The future looks very promising with Owl Goingback and Matt Merhoff within DC Comics.
