(Photo Credit Warner Bros.)
There is a long tradition of comic book villains dabbling in politics. Perhaps the most famous examples are Lex Luthor becoming the American President and Kingpin becoming Mayor of New York City. Now, a major Batman villain has followed the same path to power, becoming mayor of Gotham City. Their motivations are somewhat noble, though destined to set-up a major DC event later this year.
The new Mayor takes office in Poison Ivy #42 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara. Unsurprisingly given the book, the villain taking charge of Gotham is Dr. Pamela Isley herself. However, her reasons for doing so go beyond making Gotham the most green-friendly city in the world. She also wants to get current GCPD Commissioner Vandal Savage off her back. This leads to an awkward first official meeting, which establishes their conflict for new readers.
The main cover and first five pages of Poison Ivy #42 may be viewed below.
How Poison Ivy comic sets up Batman: Bad Seeds
The Batman comics of recent years have seen some substantial changes to the status quo. Chief among these is immortal villain Vandal Savage taking over the GCPD. He did this following an attempt to recreate the incident that made him immortal after his longevity started fading. Savage succeeded, but at a price, as his powers now only function in Gotham.
Under Savage’s misrule, the GCPD turned upon the vigilantes of Gotham City, including Batman. He also began clamping down on any threat to the kingdom he was building for himself. This included Poison Ivy, who had unwittingly became the de facto leader of an eco-activist group called the Order of the Green Knight.
(Image Source: DC / Marcio Takara)
Ivy has never been one to play well with others, much less lead a team. However, after Savage tried to blackmail her and threatened Harley Quinn, Ivy fought back. Her actions struck a chord with the people of Gotham, making Ivy into a hero in their eyes. This apparently fueled her victory when she decided to run for office on the final page of Poison Ivy #41.
It is unclear at present just how bad things will become in Gotham with Isley and Savage fighting for position. However, DC has confirmed the upcoming Batman: Bad Seeds event will be born of this conflict. This makes the DC Next Level Poison Ivy comic one that every comic-reading Batman fan should watch closely.
Poison Ivy #42 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 4, 2026.
