Batman #41-42 - "Everyone Loves Ivy"

[laughing_tree]

Comments

[crinos]

Wow, this is a bit more ambitious than Ivy's usual fare isn't it.

I mean she straight up just went full on Purple Man.

[thatnickguy]

He beat Superman with a whistle? Between this and jobbing out the Flashes in the other post's scans, this is REALLY going too far.

[crinos]

Well to be fair at least they explain the Whistle thing is only something that would work while Supes is under mind control.

But really they only way they can get out of this is by having everyon job super hard to Batman. Of course I don't get why they didn't just restrain Ivy's mind control thing to Gotham instead of the entire world.

[icon_uk]

A sound a human can make is enough to poleaxe Superman?

[crinos]

Its not as far fetched as it sounds on its face.

There have been instances where Superman has lost control of his powers (because he's infected with a fungus from Krypton or someone is messing with him) and during those times stuff happens like sound becomes overwhelming to him.

I think the canon is that Clark has to exercise a lot of control and restraint over his powers in order to function. Not just the super strength but also his super senses. And Ivy possessing Supes body would probably not be aware of that, giving Bruce the opening he needs to take him out.

[kamino_neko]

Having tricked Ivy into focusing the full superhearing on them, and using a technique generally used for particularly loud (and shrill) whistles, one imagines that that would be the same as blowing an airhorn just a foot or two from a regular person's ear.

What was ridiculous was their clocking the Flashes in a later scene.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Yeah, this seemed clever and believable enough (in context) to me.

[nyadnar17]

I like it. It makes Batman look cool and at the same time I think it elevates the other heroes.

Superman and Flash are amazing because of who they are, not because they happen to be a Kryptonia and a speedster. They fact that they explicitly call it out kinda cements the deal for me.

[joetuss]

Lmao...a whistle?!

I really want to like Tom King's work, and I don't know why I don't

[deh_tommy]

Why is Poison Ivy suddenly villainous again? Mind you, I always liked Ivy more as a morally ambiguous villain/anti-hero, but this feels like this came out of nowhere, especially with recent portrayals in other books. The whole monologue about how "I can totally be good" felt really out of character.

How is Ivy controlling everyone? I know they mention that she managed to poison the food supply of the entire world, but what about people who didn't eat their greens that day? If she can just hijack the Green like that, why did she never do this before? Is the Green how she's able to talk through people, too? They did the same thing with the Purple Man recently, and (as far as I'm aware) they never explained that power-up properly either.

Seriously, Batman was the ONLY one who managed to resist Ivy (Catwoman didn't until Bruce vaccinated her)? Batman was the only one who noticed something was wrong? Not Grodd, not the Lanterns*, not Doctor Fate, not even Swamp Thing, no one else but Batman? I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not always comfortable with social gatherings or talking to strangers, so a dream like that would be a nightmare for me. Plus, since everyone's response is shown in the daytime, would no one really notice that they're suddenly hallucinating seeing this woman they're taking out to dance? What about heterosexual women/homosexual men/aromantic people in general/nonhumans like Grodd who aren't exactly too keen on Humanity, wouldn't that be a bit of a weird experience to find themselves fantasising about this woman? Carnivores don't eat vegetables, are they immune to her control?

Okay, I know Batman can plan for every eventuality, but this is a bit ridiculous. Superman's able to be defeated by whistling? Sure, he's not in his right mind, but... whistling? They're able to predict where at least three different Flashes are going to be at that moment? I get that he's Batman, but this feels like the kind of thing Will Arnett's LEGO Batman would satirise.

[jaxjyls]

Isn't it Swamp Thing's job to prevent this sort of thing?

[lego_joker]

Swamp... Thing... believes... in... non... interference... wherever... possible... (unless... his... wife... is... threatened... of... course...)

... at... least... that's... how... the... Moore... run... ended... did... they... change... it... recently...?

[ozaline]

Reminded of the bit in Harley and Batman where Swamp Thing pops up, tells Jason Woodrue his plan is bad, but then says it's not really his place to interfere and peaces out.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

...is that Batmobile a slightly-modified version of the Animated Series version?

[kamino_neko]

Burton movie model.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

You sure? That one has a lot more curves, while the BTAS one (and this one) have more sharp angles.

[shadowpsykie]

i really hope this is an Ivy clone... or she's giving bruce and Selina a wedding present of a his and hers superhero world saving team up... or something...