Review

Ray: This series was supposed to be six issues, then 12, and now it's an ongoing, so there's always been a little awkwardness in the transitions between arcs as G. Willow Wilson expands her plans for the series. This issue shows that, but also makes something great out of it as three of the DCU's most talented artists jump on board for a unique jam issue. Ivy is back in Gotham, and back with Harley Quinn, but she's not exactly welcome since her last turn in the city during Joker War and beyond. That means she's got a lot of people looking for her—including Batman, who makes clear that he's watching for any signs of her returning to her old and dangerous ways. Wilson also has a lot of fun writing Killer Croc, who is in the way when Ivy scouts out a new living situation in Slaughter Swamp. Croc and Ivy have always been two of the biggest wild cards in Gotham's villain scene.

The story is strong, setting Ivy on the path of fighting gentrification by taking down the new high-rise complex for the wealthy being built in Gotham, but potentially coming up against an old enemy in the process. However, the real star here is definitely the art team. Usual artist Marcio Takara does a good job on his few pages, but then the art shifts to regular Sirens artist Guillem March, iconic Batman horror artist Kelley Jones, and newcomer writer/artist sensation AL Kaplan (the creator of Circuit Breaker). All do an excellent job of capturing the unique vibe of Gotham, as Wilson sets up Ivy's next move in the city. So far, Ivy's quest to return Earth to its original masters has been confined to the small towns and prairies, but now she has her sights on the largest city in the DCU. This has the potential to be a huge escalation, and I’m very intrigued by how Wilson will handle it.

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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.