REVIEW: ‘Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy,’ Issue #6 (of 6)

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy is a six-issue mini-series written by Jody Houser, with pencils from Adriana Melo, inks by Mark Morales, colors by Hi-Fi, and letters by Gabriela Downie. It centers around DC Comics’ best friends: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. It takes place after the events of Heroes in Crisis which left Ivy dead and Harley in mourning, until she realizes that the Green has allowed Ivy to grow again. While the two villains have turned over a new leaf, at the end of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #5 shows the real rival to Ivy’s power in the in Green, herself.

Now, in Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #6, it looks like it will be the end of the road for these two Gotham City Sirens as the identity of the Ivy double is revealed. In a twist that I didn’t see coming, revealed in the preview for the issue, the villain behind the hordes of plants coming after the anti-heroic duo is an extension of Ivy, but even more so, she’s claiming to be the real deal. When Lex Luthor sent his gift, instead of just restoring Ivy, it made pods each of which housed other versions of Harley’s Pammy. But Harley’s connection to her best friend is in trouble as the Ivy who has been attacking them tells her that instead of saving Pammy with the fire she started in issue one, she was instead, leaving her to die.

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #6 doesn’t have an ending that was expected and it’s definitely a somber one for fans of the duo. The choice of ending is my issue with this issue and overall the mini-series as a whole. It feels as if the two women growing together over the course of five issues is undercut in the choices made in the sixth. That said, even though I wanted the two continuing their adventure, I respect how Houser pulls off her ending – even if it doesn’t feature any overt romantics and instead ops for an intimate forehead kiss that could be read as platonic. Additionally, Ivy gets a hero moment that opens up a future after this mini-series that sees the parts of Ivy’s self united. I don’t like Houser’s ending but narratively it’s executed well.

Melo’s art wonderful, as it has been this entire mini-series and Morales’ inks are strong and defined that makes each piece of the character pop. Additionally, Hi-Fi’s colors are perfect. That said, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #6 isn’t the strongest issue of the series, instead, I can see it dividing friends of the two. Not because of Ivy’s hero or villain identity but because of how they separate in the end.

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #6 is available now where comics are sold.