Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #2 variant cover, via DC Comics.
Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #2 — G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Atugan Ilhan, Penciller; Mark Morales, Inker; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray — 8/10
Ray: Last issue, Poison Ivy found herself trapped inside her worst nightmare — suburban bliss. She woke up not to a nightmare seeking to force her to relive her worst fears, but to a 1950s-style suburban home where Harley Quinn was her loving wife, Catwoman and Batman lived next door, and everyone was happy — whether they wanted to be or not. Anyone who dissented from the program found themselves hunted by the Stepford-like residents of the town. This soon posed a major problem for Janet from HR, who quickly became aware something was very wrong in the town and found herself sealed away. Ivy, meanwhile, put her initial doubts at ease and tried to make this new status quo work for the sake of Harley, but it became clearer and clearer as the issue went on that something was not right in Mayberry. And as the issue begins, it’s becoming impossible to ignore.
Family dinner. Via DC Comics.
Like most of the Knight Terrors minis, the strength of this series is in its disturbing visuals. Atugan Ilhan is up to the task of creating horrific plant-based monsters, but the eeriest part here is the way the smiles on the Stepfords’ faces start to feel less natural and more plastic with each panel. Even Ivy starts to feel less like herself, until she make a daring escape that forces her to fight her way through everyone she loves. Janet, meanwhile, has been locked up deep below in a house made of dirt, and tries to climb her way out to safety. This issue doesn’t have any big reveals about Ivy’s character or give her any real catharsis, but it does have her realize some interesting things about what she wants in life. The fact that she has to split the focus of the issue with Janet kind of makes things feel a little incomplete at times, but it sets both of them up for more creepy adventures in the coming arc.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
