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Batman has plenty of iconic rogues, but Poison Ivyhit a landmark moment with the thirtieth issue of her first ongoing solo series on February 5th, 2025, with the phenomenal creative team of writer G. Williow Wilson, artist Marcio Takara, colorist Arif Prianto, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhao – the same creative team that started Ivy’s current series back in June 2022.
Poison Ivy is one of DC’s best comics from the 2020s, and the ongoing story does justice by the brilliant scientist turned eco-terrorist time and again; that said, Poison Ivy never meant to become a villain.
While the series proves its star to be a force of nature, Poison Ivy also captures the humanity of Pamela Isley, and it’s easy to fall for the character, even when Poison Ivy is about to bring about a mushroom-fueled apocalypse. Readers cannot get enough of this comic series, but the original plan for Poison Ivy was for a much shorter miniseries.
Poison Ivy’s Ongoing Comic Series Was Intended to Be a Mini-Series
Thankfully, Poison Ivy Kept Getting Extended
While Poison Ivy is an ongoing series at the time of this writing, when the series was announced back in March 2022, it was announced as a miniseries. Marketed initially at six issues, the series has gone on for five times that length at the time of writing. Those first six issues also read as a complete arc and are collected in tradepaperback and hardcover as the first volume of Poison Ivy. While the story felt complete, that didn’t mean readers wanted the journey with Pamela Isley to end, and DC decided to extend Poison Ivy for another six issues.
Poison Ivy kept going with the same team it had from the very start, delivering one of the best Poison Ivy comic books ever.
Come August 2022, only two months after Poison Ivy’s first issue, DC announced that there would be a second arc, making the miniseries twelve issues instead of six. Once more, Poison Ivy won over readers with every issue. So much so that DC confirmed this extended miniseries would become an ongoing series, and it’s now gone on for nearly three years straight – a major achievement for a B-list, queer, female anti-hero in the turbulent direct market.
What’s even more impressive is that Poison Ivy has, for the most part, held on to the same all-star creative team since the beginning. While other artists, like Atagun Ilhan, Guillem March, Luana Vecchio, and Haining, would tap in for some issues, writer Wilson has been with this series since the very beginning, and series artist Takara continually returns after taking the occasional break. Even with DC launching its “All In” initiative – which saw most titles switch up their creative teams – Poison Ivy kept going with the same team it had from the very start, delivering one of the best Poison Ivy comic books ever.
Despite Being Among the Most Iconic Batman Villains, Poison Ivy Rarely Gets Her Own Spotlight
Introduced Over 50 Years Ago, Poison Ivy Has Starred in Only a Handful of Solo Series
It’s impressive that Poison Ivy started as a miniseries and kept being extended up until it achieved ongoing status. It’s even more impressive when one thinks about how Poison Ivy has rarely gotten a solo series for herself. Introduced in 1966, Poison Ivy’s first solo series wouldn’t be released for another sixty years. Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death by Amy Chu, Clay Mann, Seth Mann, Ulises Arreola, and Janice Chaing was also a miniseries at six issues, but it was not extended like the 2022 Wilson/Takara series was.
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Of course, Poison Ivy has played a major role in many Batman comics, and she has starred in countless one-shots over the years. She’s also shared the spotlight with other villains, like in Gotham City Sirens by Paul Dini, Guillem March, José Villarrubia, and Steve Wands. She’s even gotten a young adult graphic novel focused on her past as a teen with Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger and Sara Kipin. However, when it comes to Poison Ivy’s solo series, those are few and far between, and the 2022 Poison Ivy title is genuinely a breath of fresh air.
Poison Ivy #30 is available now from DC Comics.
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