DC has delivered the team-up I didn’t know I needed right in time for Halloween in a new one-shot special titled Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees. As the title suggest, the issue brings Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing together in a haunting and emotionally complex adventure that conveys a clearer understanding of Swampy and Ivy’s roles in the protection of the green and how the Parliament of Trees fits into that equation and how they perceive outsiders. Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees #1 keeps you hooked on the greater mystery and emotionally invested on the people in the center of it all the way through, and it’s an adventure you won’t want to miss.
A Delightful Team-Up
Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy make for a compelling duo throughout the special, both in terms of their core personalities and in their relationship with the green. While there is a bigger story unfolding, this is just as much a character study of Swampy and Ivy, and their differing approaches play off each other extremely well.
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G. Willow Wilson continues to work her Ivy magic, and the character has rarely felt more human, especially when contrasted by the patience and bluntness Swampy regularly displays. Ivy’s ability to act at a moment’s notice and her directness in that action is put up against the at times seemingly plodding nature of Swampy and the Parliament of Trees, and though assumptions are made when these two mentalities collide, fans will likely come away with a new appreciation for both characters and their approaches by story’s end.
Speaking of appreciation, plenty is reserved for artist Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Their Swamp Thing is a sight to behold, especially in regards to his facial expressions and how the team utilizes the shadows created by the vines that overtake parts of his face. Swampy can go from menacing to contemplative on a dime, and yet the more you learn about the character the more you realize it’s all really the same tempered personality in all those instances.
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The juxtaposition of personalities isn’t the only driving force however, as the exploration of what it means to serve and be a part of the green is also of great importance, and creates the space for some truly enlightening conversations. It’s not just Ivy and Swamp Thing having those conversations either, as a few other surprise characters are also found along the way, and each one has something unique to add to the discussion.
An Emotional Core
There’s one particular person at the center of all this discussion as the story progresses, providing yet another lens in which to view Ivy’s humanity and empathy, as well as Swamp Thing’s cold assessments. That’s selling him short in a way however, as it’s a matter of perspective, and Swamp Thing and the Parliament of Trees decided where they were standing long ago. There’s no clearly right answer to some of these questions, and that’s part of what makes how these characters react and which sides they choose so compelling.
The work from the art team on Ivy and Swampy is to be applauded, but so is their work on this particular element of the story. The haunting shadows and snow covered trees of the forest fade into equally dour flashbacks, even as the sun and bright lights try to pierce through. Those final pages are just as impactful if not more so, and will likely leave an impression on anyone, regardless of who they ended up siding with more.
I didn’t expect Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees to leave that sort of impression, but it certainly did, and everyone should have a chance to experience it.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Published By: DC Comics
Written By: G. Willow Wilson
Art By: Mike Perkins
Colors By: Mike Spicer
Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou