Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy: A 6 Issue Mini By Jody Houser and Adriana Melo

[Denirac]

Set in the Aftermath of HiC and firmly in the Year of the Villain:
https://www.cbr.com/exclusive-harley...medium=ios_app

[Pohzee]

With a Wally series and a Harley and Ivy series, I'm fully expecting a Booster and Beetle series announced soon here.

[Denirac]

With a Wally series and a Harley and Ivy series, I'm fully expecting a Booster and Beetle series announced soon here.

It’ll be King’s one

[Frontier]

I'm sure there are probably here that are down for it but I'm kind of over Harley and Ivy in the current continuity, both relationship-wise and character-wise. Especially after HiC and how they ended up depicted contrasted with Wally.

So I'm not really all that enthused about another book probably out to make the pair come off more "virtuous" and present their relationship without very many flaws. But that's just me.

[kjn]

Reading the solicitation, it seems DC still are afraid of presenting Harley and Ivy as a couple: "it’s a journey across the DC Universe that will change their friendship forever". I guess it's the double whammy of both DC's aversion to having their characters in a relationship and some form of homophobia that's an issue here. (And it need not even be overt homophobia, just fear of the reaction from the more overt homophobes.) But Houser is definitely a writer that sees them as a couple and has the writing and storytelling chops to pull it off, given what she did in Mother Panic Gotham AD.

[Frontier]

Reading the solicitation, it seems DC still are afraid of presenting Harley and Ivy as a couple: "it’s a journey across the DC Universe that will change their friendship forever". I guess it's the double whammy of both DC's aversion to having their characters in a relationship and some form of homophobia that's an issue here. (And it need not even be overt homophobia, just fear of the reaction from the more overt homophobes.) But Houser is definitely a writer that sees them as a couple and has the writing and storytelling chops to pull it off, given what she did in Mother Panic Gotham AD.

I don't know if it's an issue of homophobia given how explicit they've depicted the relationship in the past, and it's not like writers have been subtle about it in interviews either.

(Oh, and I guess Harley wearing her classic look was apparently just for HiC).

[JasonTodd428]

With a Wally series and a Harley and Ivy series, I'm fully expecting a Booster and Beetle series announced soon here.

That wouldn't surprise me at all.

[kjn]

So the mini concluded today with #6.

When this started, I was cautiously optimistic, mainly because Houser did a stellar job with Harley and Ivy in Mother Panic: Gotham AD. But what a letdown.

First, the art, which never really managed to work for me. It had a plastic quality that worked somewhat for Harley (and was effective in a couple of frames), but I think never really worked for Ivy.

But the plotting was rather weak, the characterisation never grew or changed, and the story never managed to say anything new or interesting about Harley or Ivy, or their relation. The big reveal at the end of #5 was a deus ex machina with little support from the opening issue. And the end leaves Harley and Ivy into an even bigger lurch when it comes to their relationship, and Ivy reduced to mulch.

DC really managed to do something here. They took a character that was in a bad narrative spot after Heroes in Crisis and left her in an even worse spot.

[millernumber1]

I don't ship Harley and Ivy, but man. This series is a massive slap in the face to fans of either character, or their relationship. Talk about the absolute most cowardly creative choices to make. I don't understand how this could satisfy anyone? (And I actually liked Heroes in Crisis.)

[Nite-Wing]

DC copping out when it comes to this pairing is par for the course even afraid to show them kissing when they've done it before
IDK what's next for Ivy but at least there's the Harley Quinn animated series

[kjn]

It's just so cheap, and I have no idea how a writer as good and as aware of social issues as Houser managed to write this.

First, the ending of Heroes in Crisis had a strong hint that Ivy would be a more heroic character going forward (no matter that the way they managed that left at least me with a seriously sour taste and I think went against everything the character stands for). Along the way they fridged her. And now here Ivy is turned crazy. Again at the instigation of a man.

In short, Ivy here is totally robbed of moral agency.

Second, the characterisation of Poison Ivy here is just off. If we look at many of the best depictions of Ivy—"Pavane", "Cast Shadows", Batgirl Annual #2—she is written with a certain aspect of serenity. It's not that she lacks emotions or passion, but there is a slow inevitability in them. She bends, but do not break. She changes gradually but steadily. She grows slowly but inevitably. Everything she does is measured.

I don't see any of that here in this story. "Good" Ivy might appear a bit more calm, but she is far from serene.

And then we have the bait-and-switch done to the readers who supported this as a story where Harley and Ivy would be a couple. Didn't DC learn anything from the BatCat fiasco?

[kjn]

Had a couple more thoughts on Harley and Ivy while out walking today.

First: I want them to be shown as having a strong positive relationship. They have such a rich history together, and friendships between women are far too uncommon in comics. I don't care if they're friends, in a platonic relationship, lovers, or something else, but they should be expressed as positive forces for each other. The beginning of this mini held to that, but then tossed it away in the end.

Second: gaybaiting is a real thing, and DC has done more than its fair share with Harley and Ivy. They might be presented as a couple in some out-of-continuity or lighter stories, but in continuity or over a longer story arc? Almost nothing. With this one, we got an inkling of some sort of them being happy together at the end of HiC, and then going through difficulties together in this mini, but only for them to being separated again. Not cool.

Third: partly related to the second, we have a decent amount of stories where we get to see their relationship from Harley's point of view, and how Harley sees Ivy. But we have very little on their relationship from Ivy's point of view, or how she sees Harley. To some degree this is natural because Harley is the more prevalent character with her own title, but even in this mini we see a lot of Harley caring for Ivy as a person, but not that much the other way around. To perhaps explain their relation in the mini a bit better: Harley helps Ivy, but Ivy rescues Harley.

[cranger]

And then we have the bait-and-switch done to the readers who supported this as a story where Harley and Ivy would be a couple. Didn't DC learn anything from the BatCat fiasco?

I know this makes good drama, but the only thing I got from DC's promotion of this if BFFs on road trip. Everything is just wishful thinking, and not at all misleading like the wedding.

After some time passed I just don't have much to say about this series other than it was mediocre. Whatever other assessment you have is probably fair, and I would try to address some of them by citing things in the book, like maybe Lex's "Gift" is to blame for the irrationality of Poison Ivy, but the story never bothered to explain it or what happened at all really with the multiples, just that one of them was angry because it needed to be angry.

[Confuzzled]

Why is DC so scared of showing Harley and Ivy kissing on the lips LOL