By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pina (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)
The Story: You’re not truly living until you’ve thrown up in the streets of New Orleans.
The Review: Previously, on Swamp Thing—thought I’d take a page out of the TV convention book there—we left Alec standing over the withered remnants of the Parliament of Trees. More intriguingly, there were three very nude bodies also sprawled on the swampy ground. I’m sure we all had our suspicions of who they were. The tubby chump with no hair seemed like a shoo-in for Wolf, which made the raven-haired beauty a good candidate for Lady Weeds.
That left one comatose man outstanding, who reveals himself here as one Brother Jonah, the monk who instructed Alec on the Sanctuarium Folium Viride back in #21. At least, that’s what the man claims. It’s hard to see much resemblance between him and the monkish figure who appeared in Alec’s vision of 12th-century France—except maybe the beard. Indeed, when Alec asks if he can trust him, Jonah replies noncommittally, “I am as trustworthy as any man.”
But then, maybe you’re being conditioned to suspicion by the unreadable behavior of Wolf and Weeds. Despite his rotundness, Wolf still manages to convey a sense of danger, or at least trouble. Maybe he’ll stick to the fun kind, like partying it up at Mardi Gras, but there’s something a little worrisome about the excited gleam in his eye at the prospect of this new age he’s been reborn into. This is a man who was wrenched from a luxurious paradise in the Green; it’s going to take a lot of modern life to make up for that.
In contrast, Weeds doesn’t seem like she needs much to get by at all, which should be even more concerning to Alec. Within the first few minutes of her new life, Weeds commits a pointless killing and scathes Alec with her usual sarcasm (“What is your will, oh mighty avatar?”). We know that she actually wanted out of the Green; “So many opportunities up there,” she remarked last issue. Opportunities to kill to her heart’s content? If so, then why does she seem so compliant, however mockingly, around Alec?
Soule doesn’t need to answer those questions; he’s already done his job piquing our interest. Instead, he turns to a plotline left too long on the back-burner while Alec was occupied dealing with the Seeder. As Capucine wryly points out, he’s disappeared every time she tries to tell her story, but this time, he gives her his undivided attention. And why wouldn’t he? Capucine’s life is a fascinating blend of historical science fiction and fantasy, involving desperate monks, bargains with demons, and potent alchemy. By the time she’s done, you can see why she needs Alec’s help, but the task she puts forward to him seems beyond even his powers. The Green is a powerful supernatural force, but what can it really do against the magic of Hell?
On top of all these developments, Soule introduces a new concept to take the place, so to speak, of the one he just sealed away. The Parliament may have been a legitimate nuisance Alec had to get rid of, but doing so removed one of the most compelling parts of the Swamp Thing mythos. The “Sureen,” a cultish looking group who plans to “make [Swamp Thing’s] fondest dreams come true,” may not be the perfect replacement for the Parliament, but their very purpose has the potential to shake up the series in various ways.
As I’ve observed, Pina has a style very close to Jesus Saiz, so much so that someone like me has a very difficult time seeing the difference. Maybe I’m just grasping at straws here, but Pina does seem to have an ever so slightly lighter approach to his linework, or the inking of it, at least. When Saiz draws a shadow, it often threatens to engulf an image; Pina’s shadows are softer, less aggressive, allowing you to appreciate more of his detail. Wilson has such class and taste in his colors that he makes any book look like it can be appreciated by the comic book snobs as much as the escapists.
Conclusion: Purely expository, but written and drawn so well as to make it entirely worth the reading.
Grade: A-
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Also, can I congratulate Pina on being able to convey impatient disgust on Alec’s grassy face?
– It says a lot that Wolf finds the most wonderful part of modern life so far is drinking to the puking stage.
Grade
Conclusion