Swamp Thing #38

Soule’s time on Swamp Thing comes to an end in a couple months and given the good run he’s had so far, he probably wants to close out with a big, splashy finish—hence the creation of a whole new kingdom and its alliance with established players like Miki and Anton Arcane. If Soule limited himself to just that, he’d have more than enough to get the climax he wants. In fact, he has to be careful not to overstretch himself, lest we get a jumbled, rushed, somewhat confusing finale. We don’t want another “Oh, Zola was Athena the whole time” situation.

I’m afraid nonetheless, the last few issues are going to be a bewildering read, even without any last-minute twists. This issue throws you for a loop from the moment it opens on Alec fighting off Weeds’ mechanical minions, Abby Arcane on his side. When the hell did that happen? Last we left off, Alec had just received an ominous warning from John Constantine and Weeds had only just found Anton dumpster-diving in a back alley. I’m pretty sure I didn’t skip an issue this time; so how did Abby and Alec suddenly find themselves thrown back together?

Soule foregoes answering that question completely, most likely in the interest of time. [Spoiler alert!] He’s got his hands full trying to keep Weeds’ plan chugging along: reanimating Alec’s human corpse, capturing and controlling Gaurav, invading the Green, restoring Anton’s powers, etc. To his credit, Soule has so much going on that the logistics of Alec and Abby’s reunion does seem like a minor detail.

But by failing to show us that scene, Soule sacrifices a lot of important character interaction. Even though Scott Snyder never established much genuine chemistry between Alec and Abby on his run, they are still very much soulmates in the Swamp Thing canon. Between that and their rather sad parting in #18, you’d expect more heartfelt dialogue between them than Soule offers. There really isn’t much emotion between them in this issue at all, in fact. The most passionate reaction you get is Abby’s frustration when Alec leaves her hanging in the middle of a major battle.

In his hurry, Soule also misses an opportunity to elevate Gaurav’s character to real active player, leaving him trapped as mere means to an end. His glory peaks with one avatar-stunning spell, which is immediately herp-a-derped by Anton, who gleefully crows that he’s no avatar.

Once Miki takes over the poor Sureen’s brain,* that’s when things get really crazy. Soule basically abandons explanation altogether once he has Gaurav open a portal to the Green (a power you didn’t know the geezer had), allowing Anton to enter and communicate with the Parliament of Decay (an act you didn’t realize was possible in the Green), who then restore Anton’s powers (a decision you didn’t think would be likely, given how pissed they were with him before) so he can deliver a mortal blow to the Green.** Soule simply strains the suspension of disbelief you’re willing to give with so many inexplicable developments in a row.

While Pina can’t do much to hide the fact that this issue is a rather messy affair, plot-wise, he throws as much energy as he can into the effort, encouraging you to just let the story carry you away. But the usual level of detail seems absent here, with even the sight of Alec’s reanimated corpse looking more lumpy and sad than horrifying. The action also seems to be missing a little zing, as Alec and Abby rush into battle with only slight modifications to their body, demonstrating no creativity along the way.

Some Musings:

* Using, of course, the ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus. That’s the third time that plot device has been used/referenced in a comic in as many months: see The Multiversity: The Just #1 and the third episode of The Flash.

** I wonder how the Parliament will feel about that once they realize Anton’s partnering and making promises with a brand-new kingdom.