By Cat Wyatt
Batman #43 ended with a bang, so to speak. Poison Ivy has taken control of almost every human being on the planet (with the obvious exceptions of Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle). Being that they’re two of the last people left with free will, they’re feeling somewhat compelled to try and do something to stop what is happening. During their attempts, Bruce may or may not (read: totally did) pushed Ivy a little much and taken a full Superman punch to the face. Needless to say, that didn’t go over to well.
Which leads us to the current situation: Bruce Wayne is in the hospital (after literally being brought back to life; remember he got punched in the face by Superman. Superman!), with none other than Harley Quinn as his attending. Harley is a brilliant person, but she hasn’t been reliable for this sort of issue in a very very long time. That immediately tells us all we need to know about the situation; Ivy is controlling Harley Quinn. Am I the only one that sort of assumed that Harley would be one of the exceptions to this? That Ivy loved Harley so much she couldn’t bear to override her personality?
While Bruce is being forced to talk to Ivy through other people (mostly Harley, at this particular moment in time), Selena is able to talk to the women directly; which is a lot more convenient and conventional. Which is how we learned what is actually going on here.
It all started with the War of Jokes and Riddles. Remember that? Ivy had taken aside (she felt compelled to choose one side or the other, especially when the Joker - the man who persistently hurts the woman she loves – was on the other side) and backed the Riddler. During that time she killed five men. The whole war left her feeling broken and fragile, and not knowing how else to cope with it Ivy decided she had to save the world. The only solution she could find is what you see here – with Ivy taking over the minds of nearly every person on earth.
It’s obvious (to anybody that looks) that Ivy is hurting so much from what happened. She’s wracked with guilt and she can’t forgive herself for what she’s done. This is a new Ivy, as past incarnations of the woman allowed her to be somewhat more brutal than this. I like this new Ivy, the one who grieves of the past, over the pain she has caused.
What a grieving person needs more than anything during a time like this is support. She needs her friends, her family. She needs the people she loves. She needs Harley. Batman is able to cut to the point more clearly than anybody else would likely be willing to. Harley means the world to Ivy. To Ivy Harley just isn’t another person; she’s her person (fans of the Harley and Ivy ship were likely squealing during this particular conversation – and it is pretty cute). That means that Harley is the person Ivy needs at her side right now, and that Ivy has to let go in order to allow that to happen.
Which is easier said than done. Thankfully Selena and Bruce are more than happy to force the issue. It seems like a quick reboot on Ivy (aka Selena punching Ivy and knocking her out for a few seconds) is all it takes to free Harley’s mind from the control Ivy placed on it. Which is step one of their plan. Step two? Getting Harley to Ivy. That part is quite a bit easier – Ivy would never in a million years do anything risky while Harley is nearby, which means as long as Bruce is near her he’s actually relatively safe (good thing too, considering what happened last time).
Thankfully Harley loves Ivy just as much, and knew immediately that the woman needed help. She doesn’t care what Ivy did or tried to do (and I mean, she was with the Joker for years, so there’s a good chance she wouldn’t care even if Ivy hadn’t been hurting so much). And better yet, Harley has a background in psychology, so she can help Ivy better than anyone else right now.
This was an interesting conclusion to this plot. I had been a little freaked out by Ivy crossing the line (in regards to turning Harley into one of her veggie zombies), so I’m happy that it actually became relevant to the plot, as opposed to an oversight. I agree with Bruce be able to tell how much Ivy cared for Harley, and having the guts to call her out on it when it was most needed. I’m still confused on why Bruce and Selena were two of the only people unaffected, but that’s a different story. Speaking of, what ever happened to the boy Bruce was searching for in the last issue? I’m assuming Ivy didn’t kill him (based on how much she was grieving over the idea of killing five grown men), but beyond that I have no clue.
The artwork for this issue was a bit all over the place. Selena and Bruce looked fantastic, and I’ll begrudgingly admit Harley did too (I still don’t love the new look, but this is probably the best she’s looked in a while). Ivy didn’t look right though. The shading on her was flat – you can see the paint brush strokes used for her hair (which wasn’t shaded at all) and her costume looked too two-dimensional as well. It was an odd decision, especially considering she was a focal point for the plot.
Score: 4/5
Batman #43
DC Comics