A Brief Update (and apology)

I'm sure it's rather obvious I've been slacking with my posting duties. I was so overwhelmed at the costume shop this Halloween season I had to make a few temporary sacrifices. One of those being my various internet hobbies. The end of the year Holidays aren't giving me much free time either. However I look forward to working on quite a few Poison Ivy related projects in the new year. Trust me -- I've mulled over these ideas for months now. We're talking action figure/collectible archives, retrospectives, "best of" lists and more. Anyway! Gotham City Sirens seems to be going well. With the occasional dull issue here and there. I felt it took far too long to get the action going. But March's art duties more than make up for that. He recently...

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Gotham City Sirens #3

Alright, let's just get it out of the way...the Sirens were in this issue for only one page. I was not happy about that revelation. Does anyone else find it odd that a new title would hand an entire issue over to another Batman villain this early in the game? The featured villain was, of course, the Riddler -- pardon me, Edward Nigma. You see, the Riddler appears to be reformed and is now a detective on the beat who prefers his civilian name. In this issue Mr. Nigma is on the hunt for a serial killer in Gotham City. The healthy and well-to-do are turning up dead and clues are being left at the scenes of the crimes. It turns out some costumed psycho-fan named Conundrum is involved. She's dressed like a Mortal Kombat flunkie with a slight nod...

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Batman: The Widening Gyre #1 (Review)

"Why's that broad do anything? 'Cause a pocket full of posies told her to." ~ The Joker The first issue of Batman: The Widening Gyre was released this week. I wasn't exactly sure what role Poison Ivy played in this series or if she appeared at all. Well, let's just say I saw more of Poison Ivy than I ever expected -- yikes! The Widening Gyre is a Kevin Smith project. Smith is better known for his screenwriting, directing, and acting efforts. Years ago, Kevin Smith began writing for many of the major comic book houses (to mixed reviews). That leads us to this current DC Comics mini-series. I must confess, I've read very little of his comic book work. Though I did attempt to collect his Spider-man/Black Cat mini-series but gave up after extended...

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Women of the DCU (Adam Hughes Poster)

This much talked about SDCC 2008 promotional poster from DC is available this month for retail purchase. It's officially titled "The Real Power Of The DC Universe" and features Catwoman, Oracle, Zatanna, Black Canary, Powergirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batwoman, Vixen, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. A beautifully drawn panoramic view of the fine women in DC Comics. In the publicity photo for this poster Poison Ivy was not in her current green skin form. But for the official release she appears as she should. Though I must say I'm not sure how I feel about her depiction. I think the upturned face isn't particularly flattering. And there's some serious leaf action going on with that hair. Of course I'm just being nit picky -- beyond those minor...

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Poison Ivy vs. Catwoman

I've been following the Gotham City Sirens monthly and I must say that I'm a bit awed by the idea that Poison Ivy and Catwoman are now aligned. The history between these two characters has been icy at best. But strong women are often seen competing for the spotlight (Betty vs Veronica, Aniston vs. Jolie) and the pages of DC Comics are no different. Well, give or take a few outrageous costumes and the occasional super power. So, I got to thinking about how these two actually met and when the relationship soured. After nosing about my back issues it appears that these two villains are first seen together in "The Batman Family #17" (1978 Dollar Comics). The story titled "Horoscopes of Crime!" (second story) shows Poison Ivy and Catwoman consulting...

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Poison Ivy's Tangled Train

So...guess who had their own roller coaster for a time? Yes, that would be Poison Ivy. Six Flags New England (Agawam, Massachusetts) hosted the Batman themed coaster "Poison Ivy's Tangled Train" for about six years. Although the name of this ride was misprinted as "Poison Ivy's Twisted Train" on the official park map for years. The coaster is a single train with 20 cars. Each car seats two across as you wind through a double figure eight track. The color scheme was a bright lime green and an earthy plum purple. It would seem that the amusement park allowed for fast growing vines (creepers) to wander about this area. A mostly lush environment for the riders to zip around. The were only a few things at the park to indicate this ride was related...

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Salvation Run

The Salvation Run seven issue mini-series ran from late 2007 and into 2008. It coincided with the DC Comics Final Crisis story arc. In this particular venture the villains of earth are rounded up by the Suicide Squad and boom-tubed (teleported) to a distant planet called Salvation (a.k.a. Cygnus 4019). Salvation was thought to be deserted but it turns out that it's a training planet for the New Gods of Apokolips. The villains split into two camps; Lex Luthor takes charge of one while the other is claimed by the Joker. It's the most bitter of rivalries. There are many casualties to be seen. I can't quite figure out why the Brotherhood of Evil took so many hits. Plasmus, Monsieur Mallah, and the Brain all died on Salvation. (Monsieur Mallah...

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Batman: Widening Gyre #1

Poison Ivy appears on the cover for Batman: Widening Gyre #1 but I have no idea if she appears in the book. I will update this post the moment I have time to pick up issue #1. Widening Gyre is a 6 part mini series helmed by Kevin Smith. The official DC promo reads as: Written by Kevin Smith; Art by Walter Flanagan and Art Thibert; Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz Once again, Kevin Smith – the fan-favorite creator behind GREEN ARROW and Daredevil – teams up with Walter Flanagan – the artist on the acclaimed series BATMAN: CACOPHONY – for an all-new adventure starring The Caped Crusader. The stakes are high as Batman encounters a new vigilante under his wing amidst what Smith describes as a "backdrop of romance, intrigue, and geek-bait guest stars...

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Deadly Garden: Banner 8/6/09

As you've probably noticed, there's a new banner for the blog. The original banner was more or less a place holder until I could come up with something unique. My style is...well I don't know how I would self identify. I prefer a pin-up style; gorgeous and glamorous depictions of people and life. Poison Ivy is an ideal candidate for such a thing. Her coloring and shape (including the spiraling hair and vines) lend themselves to fantasy and beauty. My original concept was fairly cliched. Poison Ivy casting lusty gazes while surrounded by lively plants. And you know what? It works. That's why it's been done hundreds of times. Below is my original sketch for this piece. I'm fairly no nonsense (and often broke) so I just doodled this on a page...

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Dustin Nguyen

I've been familiar with the art of Dustin Nguyen for some time -- most notably his comic book covers. He was the featured artist for Detective Comics before moving over to Batman: Streets of Gotham with Paul Dini. I happened upon his blog when following a link (from a link from a link). While there I decided to view all of his Poison Ivy art pieces. I found quite a few nice offerings. Traditional art pieces as well as more stylistic and cartoonish renderings. His techniques are varied. Dustin uses a mixture of pens, pencils, watercolors (his signature) and the occasional program like Photoshop. A nice mixture of old and new. Though he doesn't overuse the software (thankfully) so his art retains an illustrative feel. Dustin's Poison Ivy is...

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DC Direct 13" Poison Ivy

As we all know (or should) the San Diego Comic Con is taking place this weekend. One of the functions of Comic Con is to introduce new lines of comic book related collectible items. If you look to the left you will see a soon-to-be released 13" Poison Ivy action figure. (Image from Action Figure Insider) This is being offered by DC Direct and it's part of DC Direct's 1:6 scale line of characters. I have mixed feelings about this creation overall. The face sculpt is quite pretty but it's a bit too cherubic (round and sweet faced) for my liking. The wavy hair is Jim Lee esque in some ways and the green skin tone is good. However, the costume is a fright. I'm really not sure what the design concept is supposed to be here. It's like an amalgam...

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The Batman

.nobr br { display: none } When "The Batman" premiered in 2004, it had been approximately five years since the Batman character headlined a cartoon. This venture would introduce a new Gotham City; a clean break from the Bruce Timm universe. Jeff Matsuda was given the task of redesigning the characters of Gotham. The Batman was markedly different in style but also tone. It seemed that Kids WB preferred a more user friendly offering. Meaning, more action and less drama. Poison Ivy did not appear in this series until the third season. It was in the two-part story "Batgirl Begins" that a new Pamela Isley would meet the animated world. But this bad seed was not like the others. The Batman took pride in straying from a strict continuity. Poison...

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The Poison Ivy Leaf Eyebrow Masks (A Tutorial)

I've received hundreds of emails with questions regarding this particular costume accessory. Can it be bought? As far as I know there was not a stand alone replica of this mask for retail purchase. Trust me, I've looked. The only thing released was a sequined eye mask made to resemble Poison Ivy's eyebrow prosthetics. That unfortunate creation came packaged with the officially licensed Poison Ivy costume from Batman and Robin. That would simply never do for costume enthusiasts, so most people made their own. This tutorial is very much a do-it-yourself project and it will cost you practically nothing. I've created a template that can be printed out at home; it's no larger than a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. It's available in three different...

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Gotham City Sirens #2 (Preview)

Once again, DC Comics is providing a hearty preview of the upcoming issue of Gotham City Sirens. Featured are the final cover and seven preview pages. I liked what was offered -- a restrained (and snarky!) Catwoman is still being grilled by Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Will she crack and reveal Batman's true identity? Buy Gotham City Sirens #2 and find out! Also, I'm not sure how I feel about Poison Ivy's new orange lips. Apparently, she switched lipsticks while brow beating or the colorist slipped up. GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #2 Written by Paul Dini ; Art and Cover by Guillem March Tommy Elliott, a.k.a. the villainous mastermind known as Hush, has escaped the confines of Batman's headquarters and is wreaking havoc throughout Gotham City all...

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Episode Synopsis & Review: "Pretty Poison"

.nobr br { display: none }Pretty Poison Original Airdate: September 14th, 1992 Season 01, Episode #005 Harvey Dent builds his dream penitentiary for Gotham City with funds donated by Wayne Enterprises. But, it comes at the expense of a rare bloom; much to the chagrin of a certain Pamela Isley. Years later, after a game of seduction, Pamela enacts her revenge on Harvey by planting a poison kiss on his lips. Harvey is left for dead but is rescued by his friend Bruce Wayne. Batman later learns it was Pamela who poisoned Harvey and pays her a visit. While at Ms. Isley's greenhouse Batman battles a few plant-beasts before Pamela steps into the light. At this point, she reveals herself as Poison Ivy and explains her motivations. A greenhouse chase...

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