Poison Ivy

Women I Love to Love

Pamela Lillian Isley first appeared in Batman #181 in 1966. Like Athena she appeared fully formed and without a back story. Showing up in basically a leafy swimsuit, tights(character design by Shelly Moldoff) and very little story she failed to catch on first go around.

Unable to capture the public's imagination in #181 Poison Ivy was shelved (if you don't count Siren played by Joan Collins on The Batman TV show) until feminism began to saturate the public and the need for more independent, beholding to no man, women were needed. Be they superhero or villain. Especially since Catwoman was becoming more and more sympathetic to readers and less a villain. On her reintroduction she appeared in Batman Comics and Suicide Squad. With all these manifestations a true origin was needed for Ivy.

She was now Dr. Pamela Isley, a brilliant botanist. Until the Floronic Man (aka Dr. Jason Woodrue) showed up in her life. Experimenting upon her, trying to hybridize plants and humans, he pumped her blood full of toxins. With those experiments she became immune to all poisons, viruses, bacteria, and fungi and just a touch bit insane. The experimentation also left her unable to mother children and plants became her substitute for the children she could never have. In one of these early stories during a fight with Catwoman one of Ivy's own formulas fell on her, turning her skin green. The transformation from Dr. Pamela Isley to Poison Ivy was now complete. One of Ivy's chief new powers was the ability to control plants telepathically.

Another nifty ability she uses is being able to release plant pheremones to control men or women and making them fall madly in love with her. One of her favourite powers is releasing either toxins or pheremones through her kisses.

Coming out of Batman: The Animated Series (Writing, Paul Dini, artist/character design Bruce Timm) is her friendship with Harley Quinn (aka Dr. Harlene Quinzel). Wanting only to get Harley out of her abusive, destructive relationship with The Joker, Harley and Ivy team-up from time to time.

The most recent change to her character was during Batman: Cataclysm storyline where Ivy took care of some children, recently orphaned during the earthquake that nearly leveled Gotham City. She began to believe that her powers and the poisons she gave off were sickening and killing some of the children in her charge. For this reason she convinced Batman to take her powers away and make her only human again. Later convinced by the villain Hush to retake the serum to reaquire her powers the process apparently killed her. When her grave was visited it was covered in ivy and vines making her 'death' short lived.

She returned in Gotham Central #32 to murder some of the cops she reckoned killed one of her orphans.

Poison Ivy is one of my favourite Batman villains because she believes what she's doing is right. Not like some of the mustache twirlers who just do evil for evil's sake and wish to take over the world. Her next main appearance is during Battle for the Cowl in Gotham City Sirens, co-starring Catwoman and Harley Quinn. I really dig Dini's take on all these characters and I reckon it's going to be the best out of the bunch along with Detective Comics starring Batwoman. So, fingers crossed that it's as good as I hope.

Below are some of my favourite Poison Ivy pics. Please click to embiggen.

Ani DeFranco

Women I Love to Love

Maybe I'll make this a Friday thing? So, don't know if I mentioned it last weekend, but I went on a Tori Amos kick on Last.FM last weekend. Today it's been Ani DeFranco. Yes, I know she's militant, but nothing makes a woman more attractive in my eyes then talent. What? No one will put out your music Ani? Screw 'em. She started Righteous Records in 1989 (later renamed the very cool Righteous Babe Records). She's produced 20+ albums since.

Here's Ani doing one of her earliest hits like last year at The Forum. Here's Both Hands:

Interesting Bits XII

Want a quick overview of how the twisty labyrinth of my mind works? Tough. You get one anyways. Since the premier of Dollhouse Friday (13-2), which by the by I enjoyed tremendously, some people not so much (click to embiggen):


But, I was one of the ones who dug it. (Along with this guy @IO9.) Where was I? Oh yeah, twisty labyrinth (are labyrinth's twisty by definition?). Anyhoo, from Dollhouse to Doll Posse to Tori Amos.

Tori is one of those women who their very presence on this planet makes me happy. I got to see her first in '94 for her Under the Pink tour. I've spent money to see her 9 times since. The only person I've ever seen look sexual with a piano (Bosendorfer, always Bosendorfer).


Which (kinda sorta brings us back) to her release from 2007, American Doll Posse. Great music (Although my favourite remains the '96 release Boys for Pele), especially since it's 17 years since her first, Little Earthquakes. Here's a clip from ADP, Big Wheel. (Favourite bit? "Yes, I am an M.I.L.F. Don't you forget")



Your Blog and You. A Users Guide



The Electronic Frontier Foundation has revamped their legal guide for bloggers. Letting us know what is legal in this ever expanding (contracting? Fuck you Diane Feinstein for trying to kill net-neutrality) interweb frontier.

"The difference between you and the reporter at your local newspaper is that in many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to bloggers.

But here's the important part: None of this should stop you from blogging. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom."

Best Interweb Dating Service

A new dating service went live as of Valentine's Day. Why is this better than Eharmony and Match.com? It's called Till-Death-Do-Us-Part.com and it's goal is to connect people with terminal illnesses.


"Till-Death-Do-Us-Part.com is profoundly different from other dating sites. We're dealing with people who know they are facing imminent death. They are aware that their days are numbered and they know, more or less, how long they have to live. This service does not require members to answer the frivolous questionnaires other dating sites provide, although they can if they want to. We are not interested, as we are sure our clients are not either, in the inane, trivial and essentially meaningless come-ons and delusional fantasies of finding the perfect mate. We assume our members don't care if someone's eyes are blue or green, whether they wear glasses or not. According to Marketing Director Joseph DiAngelo, "This site is designed to cut through the superficiality and embrace issues we think are most meaningful -- the desire and need for understanding, compassion, empathy and comfort between human beings facing their greatest challenge."

Tell me a better goal? Not just for people who don't know how to strike up a conversation with the object of their desire, but people who know their time is short and want to spend it with someone special. I haven't a clue as to whether it will work or not, but I do wish them all the best.

You Are What You Eat

Following on the heels of the salmonella scare with peanuts came this Op-Ed piece from the NY Times telling us the facts of what is actually allowed in the food we consume. I warn you if you haven't eaten as of yet today:
"In its (falsely) reassuringly subtitled booklet “The Food Defect Action Levels: Levels of Natural or Unavoidable Defects in Foods That Present No Health Hazards for Humans,” the F.D.A.’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition establishes acceptable levels of such “defects” for a range of foods products, from allspice to peanut butter.

Among the booklet’s list of allowable defects are “insect filth,” “rodent filth” (both hair and excreta pellets), “mold,” “insects,” “mammalian excreta,” “rot,” “insects and larvae” (which is to say, maggots), “insects and mites,” “insects and insect eggs,” “drosophila fly,” “sand and grit,” “parasites,” “mildew” and “foreign matter” (which includes “objectionable” items like “sticks, stones, burlap bagging, cigarette butts, etc.”).

Tomato juice, for example, may average “10 or more fly eggs per 100 grams [the equivalent of a small juice glass] or five or more fly eggs and one or more maggots.” Tomato paste and other pizza sauces are allowed a denser infestation — 30 or more fly eggs per 100 grams or 15 or more fly eggs and one or more maggots per 100 grams."

And with that, tomato juice is now off the grocery list until I forget about this.

What Most Reminded Me of The Sandman Today

Apparently falling asleep in public in Japan is kosher with most Japanese. From Danny Choo who blogs about his life in Japan.

These pics remind me of a Neil Gaiman comic come to life. Things have gone terribly wrong in the Dreaming, and people are beginning to fall asleep where they stand through out the world. Check out the entire link for all the fotos.

Geek Apparel

Inspired by Star Trek: The Next Generation comes this corset. Or as I like to think of it, What I really wanted to see Counselor Troi in during the show. It can be found at Etsy.

Funny Bits

You know I generally try and end this on a funny note. Thank you BBC for giving me one. Apparently London's been having a bit of snow. They set up a camera outside the steps of Paddington Station...just to watch people fall. Only the link, but well worth clicking as long as you just think humour and not stuff like, "I hope he didn't hurt himself." Sorta like Jackass for the BBC.

Interesting Bits XI

Everybody been good? Good. Lots of interesting things going about on the interwebs this week. Want to know how I do this real quick? From my Feed Reader I bookmark different stuff. Now, depending on how busy my week is and how quickly I crank this thing out is how full the bookmark folder gets. This week? 76. Heh. I open all tabs, sort and go from there. See? You learned something new and highly inane today.

Women I Love to Love

Tonight is the premier of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. If a resume including: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel & Firefly on TV and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alien Resurrection & Serenity in movies weren't enough for you...ummm..it's got Eliza Dushku in the lead roll.


As my favourite Slayer on BtVS I've watched almost everything Eliza has been in from Bring it On to bad The New Guy to the worse Tru Calling. She's lovely and has a real je ne sais quoi.


I'm troubled that the show is going to be on Fox (I know I'm not the only one who's still bitter about what they did to Firefly) rather then Sci Fi (where it would be given a proper chance), but hope springs eternal when it come to Whedon projects for me. Make sure and check out the pilot tonight at 9 eastern 8 central. If you wish to peruse her entire body of work the Internet Movie Database is always the best place to start.


For some of my favourite galleries with Eliza Dushku please check: here, here, or here.

Heidi (Mrs. Seal aka Ms. Auf Weider Zane) Klum is in this month's GQ from Germany.


Not bad for a 35 year old mother of two, huh?


Also, Megan Fox came to some child's house for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to play video games. I commend the child's choice, but I probably would've picked a hula hoop game or something that involved strenuous movements on Wii.


Lastly, how did I miss this promo shot for the new season of Battlestar Galactica? Katee Sackhoff is just fun to look at for me.


Politicians

A happy 200^th birthday to our 16^th President, Abraham Lincoln. The inventor of the emoticon. You only thought Lincoln was ahead of his time before this, but this document of a speech in 1862 has recently surfaced.


See the lil wink emoticon after his joke?

Greatest politician ever? Nikiski, Alaska has the awesome sense to have an assemblyman named…

Gary Superman.

I dunno about you, but this is easily one of the best things I’ve read this week, just for the name of the headline alone. “Superman Not Pleased With Borough Mayor.” All I can think about is heat-vision or a super-powered flick to the head (promptly causing said mayor to hit escape velocity).

Our Sad World

A recently un-ex-communicated Catholic Bishop has made headlines lately. And boy is he showing how grateful he is to the Pope for bringing him back into the fold. Bishop Richard Williamson has recently denied that the Holocaust ever took place. I shit you not. From Reuters:

"Bishop Richard Williamson is a member of the ultra- conservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). In late January, Pope Benedict XVI decided to lift the excommunications of four members of the SSPX, Bishop Williamson among them. Just days prior to the retraction of his excommunication, Bishop Williamson said on Swedish television that he didn't believe the Holocaust took place and said that between 200,000 and 300,000 Jews died in Nazi concentration camps instead of the commonly accepted 6 million. The resulting scandal has led to doubts about Benedict's leadership of the Catholic Church, though Benedict last week demanded that Williamson recant his statements."

Check out an interview with the Bishop at Spiegel Online.

It's shit like this (and the 500 year too late apology for the Inquisition) that makes me consider myself a recovering Catholic. Sorta like an alcoholic, just because you stop drinking doesn't mean you aren't an alcoholic. Just because I don't go to church anymore doesn't mean I don't want to. I was brought up in the church and childhood teachings (brainwashings) are the hardest to shake.

Also on the sad world front comes this lil jewel:

"Brazil has called in the Swiss envoy to discuss an alleged skinhead attack near Zurich on a pregnant Brazilian woman that caused her to miscarry twins."

Sometimes I really doubt we'll make it as a species, but things like this give me hope...

Greatest Geek Samaritan

From Sir Steve's Guide:

"Josh "Tycho" Weisleberg has been part of the SirStevesGuide.com community for well over a decade, starting not long after I launched the site. Josh was first known for his newsletters regarding the world of Star Wars comics and books (as well as a die-hard toy collector and diorama builder) until an inherited kidney disorder put him in a coma for months and his longterm health took a sharp turn. So he put aside the newsletter to concentrate on dealing with his health, keeping active in the forums, and eventually even writing a book, while waiting on the donor list for a new kidney. It took the generosity of a fellow Star Wars fan, nearly 3 years, dialysis, and one disheartening false start, but as of February 3rd, 2009, his transplant was successful. The donor (or should I say hero) in this is Barry "bobafrett" Benecke. Barry gave the greatest gift one can give: life. Barry, a father, Star Wars collector, and member of the 501st Legion with several costumes, had never met Josh in person before but they were both active in the Forum. The need for donor kidneys is enormous in this country, there is a kidney waiting list of 90,000 people which had greatly limited Josh's chances, and when his health took a fast downturn in 2006, Barry felt compelled to help out a buddy in such dire need and offered to donate his own kidney, and it's simply amazing that everything worked out. I know there had been ups and downs, Barry had to undergo test after test to ensure that he was a good match, take time off from work, his family feared that he might not survive the kidney donation surgery, plus there were several trips from Barry's hometown of Chicago out to San Diego, all to help out a fellow Star Wars fan. Barry, you are truly a special person! "

A special thanks to Topless Robot for bringing this story to my attention. I truly needed it after those last two.

Talent

Having done a slew of book covers, Magic the Gathering cards and various other projects, Dan Dos Santos has truly outdone himself on the new Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson novel, Bone Crossed.


Please check out the review at Bitten by Books (cheap pop since I review for them as well and have reviews for her first three Mercy books forthcoming). The saying is, 'Never judge a book by it's cover,' but you can fore go that in this instance. Patty Briggs and Dan Dos Santos together make one excellent book.

News of the Weird

"HONG KONG (AFP) — A Hong Kong filmmaker aims to lure audiences back to the cinema with what what he says is the world's first 3D erotic movie, according to a newspaper report.

Stephen Shiu Jnr., chairman of One Dollar Production, said he would use special effects to make the love scenes in his 30 million-Hong Kong dollar (four million US) "3D Sex and Zen" as realistic as possible."

3-D Porn?!? What I'm wondering is why no one has ever done this before? They would seem to go together like a hand in glove or a condom on a...well, you get the picture. Of course it brings up the question of how inadequate some men will feel when the lead actor's schlong isn't only larger then yours, but it coming straight for you!!!

Geek Apparel

I gotta have it. It's been a personal motto since I first learned it. "Oderint Dum Metuant" was basically the only good thing Emperor Caligula introduced to the world. Translated from the Latin, 'Let Them Hate, Provided They Fear.' Now it's on a shirt I must own from Jinx. Purveyors of fine geek apparel.

Funny Bits

Yet again, Robot Chicken out does itself. From an Italian opera written about Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. You're right, that alone is funny...this however takes it a step further.

Everyone try to have a safe, happy and loving Friday the 13^th. Oh yeah, try to make the best out of Valentine's Day too ;)