A 60th ANNIVERSARY SALUTE: The one-time second-rate Batman villain debuted in April 1966… By CHRIS FRANKLIN Poison Ivy first bloomed 60 years ago in Batman #181, on sale April 19, 1966, with a cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson, a story by Robert Kanigher, and interior art by Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella. After first using her seductive, poison kiss on the Caped Crusader, she returned just two issues later in Issue #183, and then largely disappeared. She’d been created with the Batman TV show in mind — the producers wanted more female villains — but never made it on screen. (She was, however, written as Catwoman’s assistant in an early draft of the two-parter that guest-starred Lesley Gore. By the time the show aired, she’d evolved into “Pussycat.”) So while Ivy didn’t take root in Gotham right away, she did spread throughout the DC Universe — but not until the ’70s. Even then, she rarely made solo appearances, instead popping up on various teams of bad-guys: She appeared in Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane battling the Thorn, joined the Injustice Gang, the Super-Foes and the Secret Society of Super-Villains across issues of Justice League of America, Super Friends and the SSSOV’s own title. She even fought Wonder Woman in a pair of tales in World’s Finest Comics. But other than a few appearances together with other Bat-rogues and a one-off confrontation with Batgirl and the Huntress in Batman Family, she was more of a utility villain, rather than a true foe of the Masked Manhunter. In the 1980s, she returned to Gotham City, even with a fair amount of hype, matching wits with Batman in his own title and Detective Comics. But then Crisis on Infinite Earths came, and in its aftermath, Ivy got a new origin — but one tied to the Atom villain and Swamp Thing supporting character Jason Woodrue. She appeared in Swamp Thing, Secret Origins, the acclaimed Black Orchid mini-series, and joined the Suicide Squad. So, what made her one of the definitive Batman villains who spring to mind when you get past the eternal four of Joker, Catwoman, Penguin and Riddler? Batman: The Animated Series. Poison Ivy’s inclusion as one of the Dark Knight’s recurring foes firmly planted her in the upper echelon of his rogues gallery. As with many lesser-developed villains, the showrunners rethought...