By Cat Wyatt

Issue #42 of Batman has one of the more dramatic titles I’ve seen lately, ‘Hunted by the Justice League.’ It reminds me of the Injustice series, even though I know that isn’t the case here. Based on the cover it isn’t hard to get a good idea of who is behind the fight of Batman versus the Justice League (hint: how many Batman villains do you know of that love plants, are frequently represented by the color green, and have been known to hypnotize people via toxins?).

The beginning of this issue is surprisingly eerie, something I wasn’t expecting. Batman and Catwoman are wandering the city, but it’s like a ghost town. Everywhere they go they’re being watched (namely by Superman, who always seems to be hovering overhead), and the interactions with the few humans they come across are…stunted and off. The word bubbles for everyone minus Bruce and Selena are in a green hue, which gives a pretty good idea of how far Ivy’s control reaches.

So it’s clear that Ivy has taken control over almost everyone around, including Superman. Though having control over a body and knowing how to control it? Two entirely different things. Which is pretty much the only reason Bruce was able to do any damage to Superman, to begin with (I imagine Superman would have known better than to let his ears get damaged by a surprise whistle from Bruce).

Clark isn’t the only superhuman that Ivy has managed to take control over. I’m not surprised by this fact, though I was somewhat surprised to see the three Flash’s arrive. Further proof that Ivy can’t control them perfectly? Catwoman pretty much handled the three of them on her own (I’m not saying Selena isn’t good – but it takes a specific level of good to take on three Flash characters and win).

Whatever is going on, it isn’t terribly surprising that Batman has an idea of how Ivy pulled her stunt off. His investigations (because of course he needed proof) only push Ivy further. Before this she had been content to leave them be (granted she wanted them to stay confined to the Mansion), but now her hand is being forced.

….Which is why in the next scene we see our two heroes (the two that aren’t playing puppets) hanging from a high-rise building. Did I mention they were upside down? Now, I’m not entirely sure how long a person can be hung upside down without taking damage, but I do know there’s a limit. So naturally this scene has me a little bit anxious.

Surrounding our heroes are a few of the possessed heroes whom can fly; obviously Superman is there, as well as Wonder Woman, and a Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz). Ivy uses these characters to speak with Bruce. Instead of listening to her, he keeps pushing and pushing until he hits a nerve. This is usually a bad idea with Ivy to begin with, but doing so while she’s controlling other superheroes (and thus doesn’t know their limits)? Borderline suicidal.

Or not borderline at all, really. I’m pretty sure that’s the fastest death/revival turnaround I’ve seen in quite some time. It didn’t really give me much time to process the damage (was he dead? Severely injured? What?) before they continued on with the narrative.

I’ll confess out of all the twists shown, it’s the final one that had me the most surprised. There aren’t many humans that Ivy cares about, and I have sort of assumed that the few she did care for would be exempt from her actions. Apparently that isn’t the case this time, which I find to be slightly heartbreaking (also a little confusing). I wonder how that betrayal will play out, once Bruce finds a way out of this mess.

This was an interesting issue. Normally I’m not a fan of the whole mind control plot, but it was played out in subtle and unique ways here. For instance – the creepy intro with the silence all around, followed by only green hued words was shockingly well done. It felt like getting a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. Having that followed up by Ivy’s obvious lack of finesse with the heroes was brilliant. It makes sense that having that much control over a person’s specific actions would result in unanticipated consequences.

The artwork was pretty decent for this issue. I loved the expressions in particular; such as Selena’s face when challenging Ivy, or the smug expression on Harley’s face at the end (which I suppose is really a smug expression of Ivy’s?). Ivy’s costume looks a bit off though. I always picture her green skintight outfit to be one made of plants, but in this issue it looks more like a green leotard with some plants over the torso. It’s oddly one dimensional and flat, which is ironic considering how vibrant and alive it should look.

Score: 4/5

Batman #42
DC Comics