Dr. Pamela Isley has played many roles in her life, ranging from hero to villain. Despite this variety and refusal to be fenced in, nobody would describe Pam as diplomatic. However, for the sake of the Earth she loves so much, Pam must play the part of an ambassador in Poison Ivy #30.
Written by G. Willow Wilson, with art by Marcio Takara, Poison Ivy #30 continues the ongoing trials of Pamela Isley. Her solo series opened with her attempting to breed a special fungus as part of a plan to force humanity to respect nature. As a result of averting the unintended consequences of this, Ivy was reborn with a greater connection to the Green.
However, she was also denied a chance to become a true champion of Parliament of Trees. The Green, it seems, prefers its guardians to be less passionate than the all-too-human Pamela Isley. Additionally, she found her powers had expanded to include fungi in addition to plants.
Poison Ivy #30 finds Pamela being stalked by a creature she recognizes as a “shepherd of the Grey.” Much as the Green connects all plant life, so does the Grey connect all fungi. To Pamela’s surprise, the shepherd, who identifies itself as Xylon, had not come to punish her. Indeed, it needed her help.
Poison Ivy holds a unique place between the Green, the Grey and humanity
Xylon explains that the Grey and the Green had once waged war on one another. In that time, humanity rose to dominate the Earth. While the Green evolved to communicate with humans and create champions, such as Swamp Thing, the Grey made no such changes. Indeed, until Poison Ivy tapped the Grey, no outside being had talked to the hive mind called the Mycelium.
Like Poison Ivy, Xylon has observe the accelerating destruction of the Earth at humanity’s hands. It concluded that the continued survival of plants, fungus and humans depends on an accord. To that end, he asks her, as the one being capable of talking to all three factions, to act as the ambassador of the Grey.
Poison Ivy is quick to try and refuse the role, pointing out she’s personally ill-suited to diplomatic talk and negotiation. Besides that, the Parliament of Trees hates her, and most humans see her as an insane terrorist. Xylon agrees it will not be easy, but points out she has the powers of two mystic networks on her side.
Poison Ivy #30 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
