Swamp Thing #31
Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Jesus Saiz
The mythology of Swamp Thing has always been fascinating to me. The eternal struggle of The Green, The Red, and The Rot has been brought vibrantly to life during Swampy’s run in The New 52. After the catastrophic events of Rot World, Soule’s run has been surprisingly absent of both the Red and the Rot, minus a brief cameo from Animal Man and Arcane’s villains month issue. Instead he chooses to dig deeper into The Green.
The Green is integrally tied into these other life forces so it is impossible to not have them come into play at least every once in a while. What Soule is doing now is expanding the field. Issue #31 introduces us to The Grey which is fungus. Before what was a simple primary battlefield of three teams is becoming more intricate. Things aren't so simple as Green, Red, and Black. Soule is introducing nuance to Swamp Things universe and I love it.
With the arrival of The Grey, I expect to see many other factions as well. Hopefully as these groups appear Jesus Saiz will stay on art duties, because his work is magnificent. He brings the horror to this comic. He really nails the look and feel of how terrifying the avatars should look.
I only have a few gripes about this issue, mostly it involves the pacing. The book moves very quickly and Alec seems to solve his problem with very little effort. He has no trouble at all from his opponents. Also, the humans who initially kidnapped his body seemed to be bigger characters then they actually are. Hopefully this human corporation comes back in a bigger way now that their plans have been miffed.
Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz are doing something special here by expanding the already rich Swamp Thing mythology. It’s only a matter of time before this run becomes a classic.
F.D. White would have to live in a swamp. It's far too humid. You can follow him on Twitter @fdwhite19
Art by: Jesus Saiz
The mythology of Swamp Thing has always been fascinating to me. The eternal struggle of The Green, The Red, and The Rot has been brought vibrantly to life during Swampy’s run in The New 52. After the catastrophic events of Rot World, Soule’s run has been surprisingly absent of both the Red and the Rot, minus a brief cameo from Animal Man and Arcane’s villains month issue. Instead he chooses to dig deeper into The Green.
The Green is integrally tied into these other life forces so it is impossible to not have them come into play at least every once in a while. What Soule is doing now is expanding the field. Issue #31 introduces us to The Grey which is fungus. Before what was a simple primary battlefield of three teams is becoming more intricate. Things aren't so simple as Green, Red, and Black. Soule is introducing nuance to Swamp Things universe and I love it.
With the arrival of The Grey, I expect to see many other factions as well. Hopefully as these groups appear Jesus Saiz will stay on art duties, because his work is magnificent. He brings the horror to this comic. He really nails the look and feel of how terrifying the avatars should look.
I only have a few gripes about this issue, mostly it involves the pacing. The book moves very quickly and Alec seems to solve his problem with very little effort. He has no trouble at all from his opponents. Also, the humans who initially kidnapped his body seemed to be bigger characters then they actually are. Hopefully this human corporation comes back in a bigger way now that their plans have been miffed.
Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz are doing something special here by expanding the already rich Swamp Thing mythology. It’s only a matter of time before this run becomes a classic.
F.D. White would have to live in a swamp. It's far too humid. You can follow him on Twitter @fdwhite19
A Look Inside
