History: Pamela Isley grew up in Seattle; she was very emotionally unstable and always self-critical of her appearance. Pamela preferred solitude and became interested in botany early in life. In college she studied under Dr. Jason Woodrue (Floronic Man) who took personal interest in her and performed experiments on her that left her not quite human. Pamela and Dr. Woodrue also worked with Dr. Alec Holland in researching the creation of a sentient plant, and this research would one day cumulate in the creation of Black Orchid I. After college she traveled to Gotham City to meet Batman who she fantasized about.

(Batman I #181) - Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson attended a pop art show celebrating the world's top three public enemies, femme fatales Dragon Fly, silken Spider and Tiger Moth, and dick said he couldn't wait until he was old enough to pursue them. Poison Ivy crashed the gallery, saying she deserved to be world public enemy No. 1, but her crimes were too perfect, so she lacked infamy. She flirted with Bruce, before telling him she wasn't ready to go to jail yet, blinding him and those nearby with a lipstick that sent out electrical impulses when photographers started snapping pictures of her. Blinded Bruce changed into Batman, and plummeted down an elevator shaft before arriving outside and managing to fight off Poison Ivy's goons despite his handicap. Robin helped him mop them up as his sight returned, and the fleeing Poison Ivy developed a crush on Batman at first sight, not knowing if she found him or Bruce more attractive. Ivy sent a letter to Bruce, giving him her address and challenging him and Batman to fight for her affection. Batman and Robin decided to play along with the ruse, but found a gang rumble on Ivy's property. She'd sent letters to Dragon Fly, Silken Spider and Tiger Moth challenging them to prove who deserved to be public enemy No. 1, and they'd brought their gangs in tow. Batman and Robin rounded up the gang members while Ivy presented a crown to the villainesses, asking which of them deserved it. They all reached for it, and received an electric shock that knocked them out. Poison Ivy grabbed Batman and momentarily paralyzed him with her kiss, but as she fled he summoned the strength to knock her off her feet with a Batarang. Poison Ivy was sent to prison, but she said she'd have Batman yet.

(Batman I #183) - Bruce Wayne went on dates with glamorous women, but kept finding himself fantasizing about Poison Ivy. Robin wanted him to get out of his head, and was pleased when there was a penthouse robbery to get him back into action as Batman. Ivy was thinking about Batman as well, and gave a pocket mirror she'd made to the warden to give to him. Batman accepted the gift, and the warden said she was trying to go straight and wanted Batman to forgive her for her past. His distracting thoughts about Ivy almost led to disaster when the Dynamic Duo foiled a ferry heist, so he broke the mirror and sent it back to her. The warden soon told Batman that Ivy was in the hospital, dying of a broken heart. Batman visited her, but it turned out she'd poisoned herself, and had explosives hidden in her hair, threatening to explode the hospital room if Batman didn't help her escape prison. She knocked him out with poison and he woke in her lair tied to a leash. He went on a hunger strike as protest, and days later she tried to hook him up to an IV tube and he escaped. Robin, who'd followed Batman to Ivy's lair, but wanted him to prove he wasn't in love with her, burst in, and took care of Ivy's goons. Ivy went to jail again, but said Batman had caught Poison Ivy for life, and would never not love her.

(Batman I #339) - Ivy planned to take over the Wayne Foundation, and tracked down every board member, including Bruce Wayne, and kissed them while wearing hypnotic lipstick. The board members all felt compelled to make their way to the Ambassador Theatre where Ivy commanded them to sign the Wayne Foundation’s assets over to her. She gave another post hypnotic suggestion, forbidding them from contacting the authorities, knowing the legal papers she had them sign weren’t lawfully valid because they were being coerced. After Bruce signed the papers he changed into Batman and confronted Ivy. Ivy tossed a ivy vine at Batman that strangled him, saying he’d made the worst mistake of his life by turning down her advances and deserved to die for rejecting her. Batman freed himself using defoliant from his utility belt, but Ivy had already escaped. Batman tried to call Commissioner Gordon about Ivy’s hostile takeover, but the words caught in his throat because of Ivy’s hypnotic control.