Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Yanick PaquetteMoss fills lungs. Leaves scrape across skin and wood against bone. A Swamp Thing is rising in The Green’s hour of darkest need…but is Alec Holland a part of it? Or is he just bleeding out in a ditch? And as Alec falls, a horrible champion is taking the throne of the Bone Kingdom at Sethe’s right hand!
The first arc of the relaunched “Swamp Thing” draws to a close, and everyone is asking the same question: how bad does the Swamp Thing stink? Does he smell like garbage, or like a bunch of wildflowers?
This question, and many others, remain unanswered after the cut. There is a comic review, though.
On the one hand, everyone saw the end of this issue coming. I will try not to spoil anything, but what you have probably been thinking would happen sooner or later happens at the end of this issue. Hell, it has even been confirmed in later solicits. Still, there’s something satisfying about having your suspicions – or lack thereof – confirmed. There’s a snappy little line I like to say when talking film with friends: “If the movie isn’t good when I know the twist ending ahead of time, then it isn’t good at all.” This is true for any kind of story; the plot and its twists aren’t as important as how well-crafted said story is. Even though pretty much anyone would know how this issue was going to end, it doesn’t matter. Scott Snyder gives this issue all the proper twists and turns, the proper build ups and releases, that even if you do know what’s coming, you almost feel like you didn’t by the time it arrives. Plotting isn’t reflected in the story itself, but how the story is laid out and paced, and Snyder is a master at this. Not only will this issue be just as satisfying to those bright readers who figure it out by the end (or figured it out a few issues ago), but it will be equally enjoyable five years from now, when the avid fan is rereading this run for the fifth time.
Every time others have complained about the fill-in artists on this book, I remark that I don’t know where they’re coming from. Compared to some other books, the fill-in artists on this book have been quite good. But then Yanick Paquette returns, and I realize what I’ve been missing. Paquette’s line work is ideal for “Swamp Thing.” Everything looks as crisp well-defined as those first few issues of “Batman Incorporated,” but something about the inking style evokes a feeling of griminess; obviously, this is perfect for a horror book involving beings of rot and decay, and nothing about this layer of grime muddles the figures. Paquette is also getting a lot more creative with panel layouts, giving this book an almost psychedelic look that brings to mind the layouts of J. H. Williams III, but without at all aping the latter’s style in any way. And, like Williams, Paquette doesn’t let his fun with panels get in the way of his storytelling. Each page may be highly decorated, but not so much so that the reader gets lost. Paquette has long been one of the better artists active in the industry, but his work on this title has cemented his place among the best.
The only thing I haven’t been enjoying about Snyder’s “Swamp Thing” run is how talk-y it is. I understood it in the first few issues; despite his importance to “Brightest Day,” Swamp Thing is not a character that many “entry-level” readers know much about. Naturally, during a relaunch aiming to bring new readers in, there would be a good deal of exposition setting the record straight about who Alec Holland is, what the Swamp Thing is, and so on and so forth. It seems that with every issue, though, I’ve left thinking “Okay, they’ve done all the explaining that needs to be taken care of, next issue will be a bit less dialogue-heavy,” and come back the next month to find out this is not the case. There’s nothing inherently wrong with lots of heavy dialogue, but sometimes a comic just needs to tone it back for an issue or two. It looks like next issue could be the one where the toning down happens, but… well, I’ve said that before and been proven wrong.
Despite the exposition, this has always been one of the better titles of the reboot. This issue, though, can safely be applauded as the best DCnU issue of the month, even if it’s the first week of March – and might even be labeled the best DCnU issue yet. Snyder and Paquette form a well oiled, if slightly swampy, machine, and I doubt that future issues are going to slow down the stride of this titanic run in the slightest. If you’ve been missing the run so far, be sure to pick up the first trade in August.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy it!
