Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley first appeared in Batman #181, published in June 1966, and the story continued in Batman #183. She was originally created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff and modeled after Bettie Page. Poison Ivy's origin was partly inspired by the story Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, about a maiden that becomes resistant to poisons but poisonous to others after tending a garden filled with toxic plants. Depending on the comic her height ranges from 5' 2" to 5' 10" and weight 100 - 135 pounds.
Another possible influence on the appearance of Poison Ivy may have came from the Li'l Abner comic strip character Stupefyin' Jones, which was also played by actress Julie Newmar in the 1959 Li'l Abner Broadway show and gives an unintentional connection to Batman as Newmar also played Catwoman in the Batman 1966 series. Here is an illustration by Frank Frazetta of Stupefyin' Jones found in the May 1957 issue of Playboy Magazine’s "Li'l Abner's Gals” and Julie Newmar from the broadway show.
Her second printed appearance actually came in the Batman newspaper comic in the last panel of the December 10, 1966 strip. Her story arc continued from December 12, 1966 - March 18, 1967 (the December 11 strip was a Sunday comic that was not part of the Poison Ivy storyline).
When was Poison Ivy first portrayed as green-skinned? Alex Jaffe on the DC Universe website answered this question. The first occurrence of Poison Ivy’s skin going green was in the 1988 Black Orchid limited series.
The next appearance would not be until 1997 where her skin had a green tint in the Batman: The Long Halloween comic, and a pale olive complexion for The New Batman Adventures animated series.
Poison Ivy’s skin in comics began turning up green after that more commonly, especially when she made regular appearances in the Harley Quinn comics in the 2000’s.
What was Poison Ivy's strangest costume? Because Poison Ivy requires sunlight to live, her fashion sense is usually quite revealing in order to expose as much skin to the sun as possible. Her costumes range from combinations of green tights and leaf-patterned tops to simply nude. I think her most unusual look came in Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman issue #12 (digital version #31) where she formed a suit of wooden armor and...wings!
Poison Ivy's birthday can be found in Batman Family #17 (May, 1978) where Madame Zodiac revealed that her, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy all shared the birthdate of March 14.
Poison Ivy aliases? Pamela Lillian Isley may be the accepted real name for Poison Ivy, but there were a couple times comic writers seemed not to be on the same page. In World's Finest Comic #252, her name was referred to as Lillian Rose.
In Detective Comics #566 she was called Penelope Ivy.
In the DC Bombshells series her name is Pamela Ysley.
Poison Ivy has not had many associates in her history. The closest ally to Poison Ivy is Harley Quinn, first paired together in the Batman Animated Series, and since have shared many film and comic appearances. In Injustice 2 #70 (digital comic) it even alluded that that Ivy and Harley accidentally got married in Las Vegas.
In the digital comic Injustice: Year Zero #8 which is a prequel to the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn did get married.
In the Harley Quinn Animated series S02 E13 'The Runaway Bridesmaid' Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn also decided to get married.
Other notable teams Poison Ivy were involved with are Gotham Girls, Gotham City Sirens, and Birds of Prey, along with brief team-ups in various groups here and there. For the most part, Poison Ivy is a solo act, preferring to live among plants than humans.
Poison Ivy has used people under her powers to do her bidding but rarely has Ivy actually had a crew or sidekick. In the Batman Animated Series episode Eternal Youth, Poison Ivy employs a couple of henchwomen named Violet and Lily.
Poison Ivy also had a couple henchwomen in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold series.
In the Super Friends comic #1 (1977) Poison Ivy actually had a sidekick named Honeysuckle, however, by issue #2 she turned on Ivy and surrendered. With help like that no wonder Poison Ivy prefers to work alone.
In the Super Friends comic #1 (1977) Poison Ivy actually had a sidekick named Honeysuckle, however, by issue #2 she turned on Ivy and surrendered. With help like that no wonder Poison Ivy prefers to work alone.
And in World's Finest Comic #252, Ivy employed some henchmen that wore these unfortunate outfits:
Poison Ivy's 'Children'
It is generally accepted that the chemicals which transformed Pamela Isley into Poison Ivy left her sterile and unable to bear children. However, in the limited series Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death, Poison Ivy engaged in genetic engineering that resulted in the creation of three plant-human hybrid children named Rose, Thorn, and Hazel.
It is generally accepted that the chemicals which transformed Pamela Isley into Poison Ivy left her sterile and unable to bear children. However, in the limited series Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death, Poison Ivy engaged in genetic engineering that resulted in the creation of three plant-human hybrid children named Rose, Thorn, and Hazel.
In the Batman: The Animated Series episode 'House & Garden', Poison Ivy created an artificial, but unstable, family from plants that would eventually mutate in a more monstrous form. Below are images of the human and final forms.
What type of weapons has Poison Ivy utilized? In her original incarnation, Poison Ivy was just another Batman villain with a plant-based theme who wielded a handgun at times during her heists.
She has also used a wrist crossbow, most notable in the Batman Animated Series, and a blowgun in Detective Comics #566. She even used an axe once to chop up an unfortunate victim in the Joker's Asylum: Poison Ivy comic.
Otherwise, her weapons come from her own toxins, such as mind-controlling pheromones often administered through a kiss, or from the plants she controls. Before Poison Ivy gained her mutated physical abilities, in the comic Justice League of America (1960) #111, Poison Ivy was part of the Injustice Gang and used a gun given to her by the villain Chronos which had the ability to control plants. In a failed attack on the Justice League, Aquaman destroyed the weapon. I believe this was the first time Poison Ivy was shown manipulating plants, albeit by using artificial means.
She has also used a wrist crossbow, most notable in the Batman Animated Series, and a blowgun in Detective Comics #566. She even used an axe once to chop up an unfortunate victim in the Joker's Asylum: Poison Ivy comic.
Otherwise, her weapons come from her own toxins, such as mind-controlling pheromones often administered through a kiss, or from the plants she controls. Before Poison Ivy gained her mutated physical abilities, in the comic Justice League of America (1960) #111, Poison Ivy was part of the Injustice Gang and used a gun given to her by the villain Chronos which had the ability to control plants. In a failed attack on the Justice League, Aquaman destroyed the weapon. I believe this was the first time Poison Ivy was shown manipulating plants, albeit by using artificial means.
The Mettoy Playthings #7143 Batman Spin Dart Target Game was released in Europe in 1966 and is the earliest piece of merchandising I have found bearing the image of Poison Ivy. Another unusual thing about this toy is that there is no Joker included with the villains.
Superboy #181
Superboy #181
There has been some confusion that this advertisement on the inside front cover of Superboy #131 predated the release of Batman #181, and technically would be the first Poison Ivy appearance. However, Superboy #131 (July 1966), as per DC Wikia, was first published on May 17, 1966. Batman #181 was first published on April 19, 1966. Thus, Batman #181 should be considered the first appearance of Poison Ivy in DC comics.
Batman The Joker War Zone #1 was the first appearance of Poison Ivy going by Queen Ivy.
