Poison Ivy Week: Poison Ivy from "The Batman" animated series was a Powerful Villain

Since this is my last post for Poison Ivy Week, I wanted to write something about Poison Ivy from The Batman animated series. She is one of the most powerful yet often times overlooked version of the character. I feel like this show tends to get dismissed by fans who tend to compare it to Batman: The Animated Series which is a shame because this show was really good. The series follows a young Batman who was still relatively new as the hero protecting Gotham City.

The third season introduced Pamela Isley as a teenager and friend of Barbara Gordon in the episodes Batgirl Begins parts one and two. Despite that interesting take on the character, Pamela was still into protecting plants and the environment. She was an extreme eco-activist who protested companies that she felt were destroying the environment. Although Barbara was involved in the protests, she had no idea that Pamela had secretly hired the villain Temblor to destroy companies that were harming the environment.

L to R: Barbara Gordon and Pamela Isley       (The Batman season 3 episode 1 "Batgirl Begins part one")

Poison Ivy Week: Art of the Day: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy

Artwork: Batman: Harley and Ivy issue #1 cover by Bruce Timm

I can't believe I have this book sitting on my shelf and I haven't read it yet. I think I'll add it to my summer reading list.

Poison Ivy Week: Mego Poison Ivy Action Figure (Toy Corner)

Even though I think most of the Mego figures look horribly cheap, I wouldn't mind having this Poison Ivy action figure in my collection. It actually looks pretty good especially compared to some of the other action figures I've seen, they look awful.

Has anyone else notice that there's not as much official Ivy merchandise as there used to be? I hope DC Comics is in the process of creating more because fans want more Poison Ivy products (including a comic book series).

Mego Poison Ivy Action Figure                                 $19.99                                  Target (target.com)

- 14 inches

- Includes small plastic plant

Poison Ivy Week: Why was Poison Ivy left off of the "Batman & Robin" 4K cover?

Warner Bros. is releasing the 4K Ultra HD versions of the 1989-1997 Batman movies on June 4th. Each cover features Batman and the movies' villains. I thought that was a cool idea and each of the first three covers (Batman, Batman Returns and Batman Forever) look fantastic, however, that's not the case for Batman & Robin.

The cover for the fourth movie only features Batman and Mr. Freeze but not Poison Ivy. It makes no sense that Poison Ivy was purposely left off the cover when she was the second villain in the movie. It's not as if Poison Ivy is the reason that movie is generally panned by fans and critics, there were a lot of things that resulted in the demise of that film.

To me it seems intentional to not have included Ivy on the cover especially since Batman Returns features both Catwoman and Penguin as well as Batman Forever features Riddler and Two-Face. It's disappointing that Ivy was not included especially since these are really great covers.

Do you think Poison Ivy should have been left off of the Batman & Robin 4K Ultra HD cover?

Poison Ivy Week: Peyton List was Perfectly Cast as Poison Ivy on Gotham

Although, I liked Maggie Geha's portrayal of Ivy Pepper/Poison Ivy during the 3rd season of Gotham, it always felt like something was missing. So when Ivy was recast with Peyton List (seen below) taking over the role, this new portrayal brought a more self-assured, deadly and ruthless quality to the character.

After being reborn for the second time, Ivy was more confident and had a clear sense of focus in her role as the protector of plants. Poison Ivy used to be shown as deadly but I think in an attempt to show a more heroic side to her, lately in most takes (from comics books to animated shows and movies) it seems as though she has been de-thorned. So it was nice seeing the classic old school villain take on Ivy during the 4th and 5th seasons of Gotham.

If you watch Gotham what did you think of Peyton List's performance of Ivy Pepper/Poison Ivy?

(Gotham season 4 episode 13 "A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness")

Poison Ivy Week: Should Poison Ivy Have a Comic Book Series?

With it being Earth Day, today would have been a the perfect day for DC Comics to announce a Poison Ivy comic book series. But seeing as that's not going to happen anytime soon, I just thought I would put it out there that fans really want a Poison Ivy comic book series. I really don't understand why Poison Ivy is the only member of the Gotham City Sirens (Catwoman and Harley Quinn), who has never had an ongoing series. It's such a wasted opportunity for DC Comics not to give Poison Ivy a series especially since the character has a considerable fan base that's clamoring for more stories.

There is so much about this amazing character, who is a brilliant scientist, a feminist and not to mention her extreme love for the environment, that still has not been explored yet. I could see placing Ivy in so many different stories and on occasion including Harley Quinn in a few but the main focus should definitely center around the Queen of Green.

Do you think Poison Ivy should have a comic book series?

(Gotham City Sirens issue #6)

Poison Ivy Week: Confession: Poison Ivy and the Birds of Prey

I'm starting this Poison Ivy week with a Confession. Are you ready for it? Well, here it goes, I hated Poison Ivy being a member of the Birds of Prey during the New 52. That seemed so out of character with her being placed in a team book especially since she really doesn't like people that much, with the exception of Harley Quinn (her love) and to some extent Catwoman (her some what friend). With her not exactly being a people person, having Ivy try and work with all those different heroes didn't turn out too well especially since she ended up trying to force the team to help her stop several companies she felt were destroying the environment.

Dr. Pamela Isley is smart, powerful and perfectly happy being solitary, it's how she thrives. I still feel like it was a mistake making Ivy a member of the Birds of Prey because with her strong desire to protect nature and the environment at the cost of everything else, I did not see it meshing well with the motivation of the team. Although, Poison Ivy might not be the villain she once was, there is no way I see her adhering to all the rules that come with being a hero.

Even though, I need to finish reading the New 52 Birds of Prey, I still think Ivy should not have been a member of the team.

Birds of Prey issue #11 cover by Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau

Art of the Day: Poison Ivy (and Info about "Poison Ivy Week")

Artwork: Poison Ivy by Aaron Lopresti

Next week (April 21-27) will be Poison Ivy Week. I thought it could be a fantastic way to honor the Queen of Green with a week of her own. Feel free to share your comments next week, I want to know what you think about Ivy.