Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #4: Weird Plant Magic. Gotcha.

The fourth issue in Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy finds the dynamic duo back on their road trip trying to avoid the Floronic Man. They might keep running into other villains, but if they can manage to have a little fun along the way, why shouldn’t they?

That brings us to Dinosaur World.

Look, Harley and Poison Ivy will be a team up that will almost always gain my attention regardless of the creative team. But for most of this issue we follow the two around this theme park before meeting Dracorex (an elderly woman wearing a dinosaur costume) and it’s simply not that enjoyable. The jokes are a bit cheap and the plot is thin, as they end up only serving to make the Floronic Man’s appearance that much more terrifying.

The creative team pulled off a great surprise that really kicks things up a notch in the last couple of pages, but I couldn’t help but ask, where was this for the rest of the issue? The pivotal moment in the final pages might leave you on a high note after finishing, but when looking back at the rest of what transpired, it’s essentially all inconsequential. We have the two stopping at a theme park, getting ambushed by Floronic Man then going back on the road before the cliffhanger ending of Poison Ivy losing an arm. Ultimately, that’s just not enough. Especially in a six-issue limited series where every story has to count.

The artwork remains top-notch, which helps to make the issue more enjoyable. When the Floronic Man does show up, he’s dark, grotesque and definitely on the scary side. Then we follow up with Harley having to chop Poison Ivy’s arm off! These moments do wonders to give the visuals a real chance to shine. The expressions are solid and every page feels well organized, but this was the first issue I found myself wanting some of Dave Sharpe’s lettering for Harley Quinn. Gabriela Downie seems to be fond of Poison Ivy a bit more in the approach to uniqueness, but I would love to see that with Harley’s as well.

Overall, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy #4 is a good, not great continuation in the mini-series. It’s got plenty of fan service to keep you happy while reading but hopefully the story starts to come together in a bit more cohesive way as the final two issues round out the series. If you’ve come this far, you might as well stick with it to see how everything plays out!