Pam is dying. It’s kind of been a long time in coming. She was, after all, living with a deadly parasite that would have killed nearly anyone else in much less time. So it’s not exactly a surprise to find out that she’s finally going to lose all signs of life. Of course, nothing’s ever simple for Pamela Isley as she is about to find out in Poison Ivy #24. Writer G. Willow Wilson ends her second year with  Pam in an emotionally crushing issue brought to page and panel by artist Marcio Takara. Things get quite complicated for Pam in a remarkably well-orchestrated horror drama.

It’s really all the fault of a single doctor. He’s really the one who’s to blame for just about everything. Naturally, there WOULD be things that would be involved that go way beyond him, but if Pam’s going to live with an easy conscience, she’s going to have to die. The parasitic fungus that’s deep within her is going to have to win some kind of victory. And that’s not going to be easy, but Pam’s going to have to let go. Somewhere in the midst of everything she’s going to find herself in the presence of The Tree of Life itself. It’s going to be kind of a strange journey.

Wilson has been gradually expanding complexity of things that shouldn't since she first started to tell Pam's story a couple of years ago. It's quite breathtaking to see where she's brought the story to at this stage. Everything is so very, very still. But there is kind of a crescendo going on as the momentum of narrative reaches a climax here at the end of the second year. Quite impressive. Wilson has taken character and extended ensemble through a few different places over the course road trip and that has come after. This is an apt conclusion to quite a lot that's going on so far.

Takara covers all of the angles on the visuals with a steady and somber sense of drama. The atmosphere moving in around the edges of the action is very consuming. There's a rich sense of visual depth about the action that adds considerably to everything that's going on in the story. Above all, there is the central drama, which is very strange and subtly horrifying on a variety of different aesthetic levels that is captured delicately in the faces of the title character and the various people in her life.

The big 25th issue awaits. And it's going to be really fun to see if the series reach this next phase. It'll be interesting seeing where Wilson and company send her next. There is so many different possibilities at this stage. There are so many different ways for her wife to continue. The 25th she promises to take an in-depth look at her past present and future. So it should be interesting seeing exactly what Wilson and company have in mind for the character moving forward. Time will tell. But this really does look like a very thoughtful and executed series that continues to show promise into its third year.

Grade: A