ABSOLUTE BATMAN Unleashes a Twisted First Look at Its Reimagined Poison Ivy
Absolute Batman keeps finding new ways to mess with Gotham in some wild new ways, and next February it’s Poison Ivy’s turn to step into the spotlight. The Absolute line has already reinvented some of Batman’s most iconic enemies, and now readers are getting their first unsettling glimpse at what this universe has planned for Dr. Pamela Isley.
The reveal comes courtesy of an exclusive variant cover illustrated by Björn Barends, created specifically for East Coast Comics. While this version of Ivy doesn’t stray quite as far from tradition as the Absolute takes on Bane, the Joker, or Harley Quinn, it still feels very much at home in this darker corner of Gotham.
In the artwork, Ivy looks less like a costumed villain and more like something that’s been grown rather than born. Leaves push out from her body, her skin appears scarred or tattooed with chlorophyll-like patterns, and plant life seems to be growing straight from her hands.
The character’s proper debut unfolds across Absolute Batman #17 and #18, with guest artist Eric Canete joining series writer Scott Snyder for a two-part arc that leans hard into horror.
The official description for issue #17 reads: "Absolute Poison Ivy sinks her teeth into Ark-M! Dr. Pamela Isley has been unleashed from the Ark-M facility with an unending hate and burning fire for revenge on Gotham City, and those who put her in the belly of the beast."
"When Batman hunts her down, he must survive a labyrinth of leveled horrors, one more gruesome after the next," it continues, "as he tries to save the city from a monster it created."
Things only escalate in Absolute Batman #18. According to DC Comics, "After the explosive reveal ending last issue, and Batman continues to fight Poison Ivy's mutated monsters and winds up uncovering an even more gruesome horror that has embedded itself in the city's very foundations. All while the Joker's machinations start to coalesce in a partnership with a new ally."
Snyder has also been teasing the arc directly, hinting that there’s more going on than meets the eye. He shared on social media:
"ABSOLUTE BATMAN 17 & 18, February and March, is a special 2-part story by me & the amazing @EricCanete that has Bruce face off against our version of Poison Ivy! But expect a couple surprises in 17 big enough DC is redacting the covers for 18."
The Absolute line has become a powerhouse for DC, regularly outperforming mainline titles and even competing with some of Marvel’s biggest releases. Functioning as DC’s answer to the Ultimate Universe approach, it’s given creators room to get weird, intense, and unpredictable, and fans seem to like it.
