2002 was an eventful year for me. I had graduated college the year before, but the world was in turmoil so my adult life was a little delayed. In 2002 I moved to a city, launched my career, had my first mature relationship, and once I accepted that my life was (somewhat) stable, I began resurrecting my old hobbies that I hadn't indulged since high school. I suddenly had access to comic book stores again and there was a bit of a renaissance happening. My favorite titles on the shelves that year were Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman, Mike Allred's X-Force, Olivier Coipel's Legion, and of course Jim Lee's Hush storyline in Batman. With a rogue's gallery as impressive as Batman's, it's shocking that no one had attempted a storyline that brought them all together before. Hush was special because, despite it's huge cast, each character truly got to shine. The writing, art, and complex character histories were a recipe for a perfect comic event. It was so impactful that we're still getting merchandise 20-plus years later.
Poison Ivy was a standout character in Hush. In my memory, this was the first time she was presented as truly powerful and a force to be reckoned with. My prior perception of her was as a nuisance villain with a seductive aura, but not a real threat. There have been several attempts to merchandise her over the years, but before this MAFEX figure, they were all pretty much disasters. My previous experience with MAFEX wasn't great. I had the 2015 DKR Catwoman, which had spindly limbs and an odd face. And the more recent 2021 Carrie Kelly Robin had awkward proportions. But Medicom has truly stepped up their game because these newer figures are perfect. And I don't use that term lightly.
A note on Ivy's skintone: The pale shade of green that Ivy's skin is can photograph very differently. My photo session displayed several distinct hues. (I'm only including the ones where she appears to be a minty seafoam shade). The solicit photos on the packaging show a warmer yellowy color. And the actual figure in my packaging photo above appears to be a medium green (I want to describe it as "avocado"). The truth is that she can look like any of these variations with the proper lighting.
Poison Ivy comes with two heads (the one with more windswept hair is smirking slightly, but they are very similar), nine hands, an open briefcase of cash (solid sculpt nd unarticulated), a closed briefcase, a small bundle of bills, and nine pieces of ivy (one for her neck, then a pair for her biceps, firearms, thighs, and shins). FYI the Hush Superman figure comes with three pieces of his own ivy for replicating when Poison Ivy enslaves him.
The Ivy pieces fit very snugly on her body. I assumed these would look bulky and silly, but they are great.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here is the MAFEX Poison Ivy with the 2004 DC Direct Hush Poison Ivy.
And here are the Gotham City Sirens trio together:
MAFEX Hush Poison Ivy, MAFEX Hush Harley Quinn, and MAFEX Hush Catwoman.
And with the MAFEX Hush Huntress added to the mix.
These are the four costumes females from the Hush storyline. What a great lineup.
Cheers!
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