Swamp Thing #39

I was, to put it frankly, let down by last issue, even more so because we’re getting so close to the end, and I want so badly for Soule to end his otherwise remarkable run right. But between the inexplicable appearance of Abby Arcane and a few other poorly fleshed out moments, it was like amateur night at the local karaoke bar for #38. Still, I have faith that Soule will pull himself together for the final push, and get us all across the finish line in glory.

Things do seem to be picking up at the start of this issue, with the return of the surprisingly genuine horror that both Scott Snyder and Soule infused into this mainstream title. Some might say the sight of Alec’s animated corpse feeding on his rotting avatar body, bloating in an alarming way in the process, is less horrific and just plain gross. But the scene also serves a purpose by contrasting Alec’s total helplessness and Lady Weeds’ complete control (and sadism). Anyway, whether it’s fear or disgust, your skin will crawl either way.

Fortunately, before you start retching, the issue proceeds towards more palatable business. You’ve known from the moment that the Calculus chose Weeds as their avatar that her domineering style of leadership wasn’t always going to fly with them, and so it goes. This being Weeds, however, she’s already outgrown her benefactors, and their attempts to restrain her backfire horribly. I’m particularly sad to see the pop culture-obsessed Calculus B go; Soule clearly gets a kick out of writing his hepcat lingo every time: “Abort! Abort! Omega, I propose your mouth is writing a check our ass can’t cash!”

Less predictable, but somehow more boring, is a return appearance by John Constantine, who deus ex machina’s Alec’s Rot into temporary submission. His page-time is too brief to really get much out of the character, and it’s not really credible that a contrary wise-ass like him would just roll over on Alec’s request for help, just because Alec’s “the sort of person you want to stay on good terms with.” It’s plain he exists to get Soule where he needs to go, and that’s always a lame use of a character.

But then the same would apply to Abby, who plays an even more marginal role here than she did last issue. Instead of slicing and dicing her way through various minions, she gets to tramp grumpily through Alec’s swamp home, prop him up as he chats with John, then distract Arcane from a distance while Alec goes in for the kill. Soule does realize she’s an avatar herself and should have at least equal stake in this conflict, rather than act as back-up, doesn’t he?

This is undoubtedly Alec’s book, however, and it’s right and just that he figure out the key—or, rather, reveal the key—to turning this whole thing around. There’s no need to spoil the moment; it’s probably the last big one before the finale itself. It’s enough to say that Soule does a nice callback to one of the most important developments of his run, and it sure does make the last issue look a heckuva lot more exciting. That’s a very good thing, because these past few issues haven’t done much to pump you up.

When all this is over and done with, I’ll be expecting to see Saiz on another ongoing project somewhere else in DC, because his work deserves it. There’s just something inherently sensual about his art, a vibrant quality that makes even Swamp Thing look sexy. Vibrant’s a good word; his work just brims with life, so he’s never more at home than when he’s drawing the verdant, tangled growth of the Green. But then he draws everything else perfectly well, too, giving as much care to the gross and the sterile as much as the lush and the beautiful.

Some Musings:

– I don’t blame Lady Weeds for keeping zombie Alec around. He’s weirdly, creepily cute—like one of those puppies that look like their faces have been turned inside out.