In this review of Poison Ivy #36, Poison Ivy faces off against the GCPD while Janet tries to get help from several of Ivy’s old friends and acquaintances.
Poison Ivy #36 main cover by Jessica Fong (DC Comics)
Poison Ivy #36
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Atagun Ilhan
Main Cover: Jessica Fong
Variant Covers: Noobovich, Kyuyong Eom, Gabriele Dell’Otto, Manny Carbonilla
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: September 3, 2025
This comic book review contains spoilers
Poison Ivy #36 opens with Ivy laying in Bella Garten’s bed after infecting her with labia spores. She hides away while the members of the Order of the Green Knight grow impatient outside. Meanwhile, Janet from HR tells Peter Undine that she’s worried what Ivy will do with followers. When she finally reemerges, Ivy tells her followers that they must feed their oppressors to the land. Janet goes to seek the help of her secret conspirator: Bog Venus.
Wendy Richardson tells Ivy that she saw Janet go into the woods, but Ivy dismisses her as trying to sow division. Ivy then confronts the group to find out who betrayed them by revealing their location. Finally, Undine comes running to tell Ivy that Janet from HR has been inquired in the woods.
Analysis
Poison Ivy #36 presents a chaotic plot with numerous characters and elements, making it hard to follow. Ivy appears out of character, having distanced herself from her villainous past, but suddenly takes control of the Order of the Green Knight and organizes environmental terror attacks without sufficient explanation. While the idea of her cult-like influence affecting her behavior is intriguing, it feels underexplored and rushed, lacking the depth needed for a more impactful narrative.
Janet from HR remains a least favorite for me and her half baked betrayal is still being milked for everything it’s worth. I’m not sure what this revelation can really do for Ivy’s character at this point. Ivy is still clearly in a place where she will defend Janet from every accusation, but she’s also turned back to villainy so will Janet’s betrayal just make her more jaded? Will she kill Janet? I doubt it but it’s not impossible. If there was ever a disposable comic book character, this is it.
Atagun Ilhan picks up art duties this month and it’s a mixed bag. Initially, I really dug his style, especially on page 4 during Janet’s conversation with Peter Undine. There’s a great panel where Janet closes her eyes and her bruised face is cast with dark shadows. I also love how Ilhan draws Undine from a side profile with super thin pedals, and gives him a wiry frame inside his casual white shirt and slacks. I also like Atagun Ilhan’s take on Bog Venus. It’s much more 90s Liefeld than Takara’s Jamaican Ent iteration (the feet are even obscured!), but it works.
However, I don’t like the way he draws Ivy. She looks ok in some panels, but her proportions change widely and near the end of the issue, she starts looking very off model. There are also some pages that look like they were redrawn with extra foliage/environmental details to cover up awkward character poses.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Poison Ivy #36 has some interesting ideas but Ivy feels oddly out of character and the plot is moving at breakneck speed. This book remains on unstable ground.
