Posted in: Batman, Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman, dc comics, fear state, gothamgossip, harley quinn, poison ivy

A Tale Of Two Poison Ivys In Batman: Fear State Alpha (Spoilers)

Poison Ivy has been treated in a very haphazard fashion by DC Comics in recent years. Switching between a stock Batman villain to an altruistic protagonist. A human hater and a human saver. There was an editorial and creative battle back-and-forth between those two positions, with creators and editors dodging one editorial dictate, then clashing with the next. So Poison Ivy was either an environmental activist villain, Harley Quinn's firm-head-on-her-leafy-shoulders girlfriend, or a wise scientist with remarkable insight looking to make the world a better place for everyone. The Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy mini-series even literally split her into two people, good cop and bad cop Poison Ivy. Then, simultaneously, Batman reinvented her as Queen Ivy, looking to destroy Gotham (while keeping an eye out for Harley) while Catwoman saw her captured by Simon Saint Industries as a source for new drugs hitting the streets of Gotham. Swamp Thing then hits that dichotomy on the head.

Was this happening in reality, in the imaginary world of the Green, inside Ivy's head or outside of it? It was all up in the air…

And also giving us two versions of Poison Ivy – whether separated as in the mini-series, or existing as a debate within the projected version of Ivy, that's your call as the reader. You can have Queen Ivy… or just Ivy.

This means that everyone gets the Poison Ivy that they want. Or none of them do. Today's Batman: Fear State Alpha #1 make that a little more textual as gossiped about three weeks ago.. As the Unsanity Collective find Poison Ivy's Eden as a place to put down roots for a bit.

With The Gardener, he reformer girlfriend, diagnosing Ivy's issue for Harley Quinn, Ivy's supposedly-current girlfriend, if you don't count Booster Gold (and no one does).

Queen Ivy is Poison Ivy missing a bit. So while she lets the Unsanity Collective stay, courtesy of memories of Harley Quinn… but that's all…

…elsewhere, the other half of Poison Ivy, Just Ivy, is bedded down in Alleytown with Catwoman – if a little down for the count.

However, remember that Bleeding Cool's Gotham Gossip sees Poison Ivy as much greater threat to Gotham if she is so minded. And while Poison Ivy in Future State is much more together, she also saw her relationship with Harley Quinn as toxic – what, in Fear State, might lead to that outcome?

BATMAN FEAR STATE ALPHA #1 (ONE SHOT) CVR A BEN OLIVER
(W) James Tynion IV (A) Riccardo Federici (CA) Ben Oliver
The event over a year in the making begins Fear State settles upon Gotham City, and no one is safe! Overwhelmed by the dual threat of the Scarecrow and Peacekeeper-01, Batman and his allies have been one step behind since the events of Infinite Frontier #0 and with the arrival of a mysterious anti-Oracle and the return of Poison Ivy, Batman might have more than he can handle!
Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 08/31/2021

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