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WRITING
Recent Posts: Jess Jodloman Sunken Pearls of Cap'n Hatch Joe Kubert Tor 2008 The first issue of Kubert's revived primitive hero High Cost of Four Color Fun Reaction to Tom Spurgeon's essay on the state of comic books Madame Sans-Gene Illustration and review of the 1894 play starring actress Gabirlle Rejane Spirit #15 Art by Paul Smith. DC Comics - - - - - - - - ONLINE COMICS
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COMIC BOOK BRAIN REVIEW There is a pun in the story title, and it has to do with super-villain Poison Ivy breaking out of Arkham and being hunted by a mutant-like form of plant life. A sympathetic Batman hides her away at the Batcave under the guard of Robin, whilst he searches for an explanation for Ivy's sudden reversal in the plant kingdom from commanding it to fearing it. Dini's story is straightforward and reinforces what is already known about Poison Ivy, i.e., she is a psychopathic beauty without scruples and a negligible ability to distinguish consequences from actions. The character plays with the sympathies of others; or perhaps more directly she allows (or cannot tell) that other characters are pinning sympathy upon her due, presumably, to her pouty "feminine charms" (which seems to be mostly a stigmatic elongated distortion of the female physique. It reminds me of El Greco but with wild, curly hair.) The tale is compact and fits its 22 pages, and though I can hardly understand why Batman puts up with Poison Ivy's killing rampages (or for that matter, Jokers, Penguins, etc.) Dini's story makes it clear what is the black and white of the characters actions. What stood out to me is the artwork and frenetic page design of Joe Benitez. I am not familiar with Wraithborn, which I take from a cursory look at the internet is the principal Benitez vehicle for his work. In this Batman tale, Benitez (and inker Victor Llamas) use caricature and obsessive squiggly ink lines to good effect - - the pages are fun, with nice design work and filled with small details that add up to good, overdrawn "Superhero" style artwork. This was the most enjoyable Batman tale I have seen since the (funny) 2005 Bat-Mud tale from Detective Comics #805.
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September 26, 2006 
Story: Paul Dini; Pencils: Joe Benitez; 
HOSTING AND DESIGN FROM
eeweems.com
