Written by Charles Soule
Art by Jesus Saiz
Published by DC Comics
Dr. Alec Holland has finally accomplished what he set out to do as Avatar of the Green. He’s finally in total control of his power having ousted the Parliament he’s free to do as he pleases without the constant nagging of the corrupt leaders of the Green. In typical Swamp Thing fashion though, he has a whole new set of problems he’s going to have to deal with. First of all, Wolf and the Lady of the Weeds have both gone missing; it’s not that they’re prisoners; they’re both just extremely shady beings and can’t really be trusted on their own! There’s also the newly discovered cult called the Sureen. They worship the Avatar like a god and offer to do humanly favors for him in return for him growing a specific fruit that allows them to get as close as humanly possible to the Green. Not all is as it seems with these people though; in typical cult fashion it becomes pretty obvious that they can’t be trusted.
Charles Soule has firmly planted his name in the upper echelons of the big-time writers in comics. As much as I love Swamp Thing, I absolutely love seeing all the new ways that Soule can think of ways to just absolutely rip his world apart. His Alec Holland is one of the most persistent, resourceful characters in all of comics and it’s great to see him work his way out of the constant barrage of messes that Soule throws his way. As dark and bleak as this book can get, there’s a unique charm to each and every one of his characters that you don’t often see in comics. Alec is a GREAT character, but his supporting cast is just as fantastic. I’m really interested in seeing where the storyline with Wolf and the Lady is going. They both came through for Swamp Thing in a pinch, but it’s pretty obvious that they’re both as corrupt as people can get; I guess holding such prestigious positions of power in the Green for so long will do that to anyone.
This was my absolute favorite issue in this run as far as the creative use of art goes. There’s a page of the Sureen going on a psychedelic trip that is absolutely stunning to look at. The use of color was spot on, but I think my favorite part was the decision to use Swamp Thing’s limbs to separate the panels. I thought it was a really refreshing take on an ever-changing landscape of how to panel a page. While there wasn’t much use of Alec’s powers in this issue, I get the distinct feeling that we’re in for some super trippy stuff in this three part arc. I can’t wait, but I always love a good action-packed issue of Swamp Thing, I was slightly disappointed when we didn’t get to see much in this issue.
This creative team continues to put out top-notch content and somehow figure out a way to set the bar even higher for the series with every arc. I’m really excited to see where they’re going to go with this new cultish story because I think we’re in store for something we haven’t seen from Swamp Thing in any adaptation yet. The adventures of Alec Holland will continue to remain at the top of my reading pile for the foreseeable future!
4.5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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