The Good
Rotworld had some great moments despite parts of the overall story dragging. After a powerful final issue, Alec Holland, as Swamp Thing, is moving in a new direction. Charles Soule swoops in and takes full control over the character as he truly accepts his role as the avatar of the Green.
Holland's narration as he goes about his business is interesting. We see his struggle to retain his humanity despite being a plant. He can feel the draw of the Green and we even get a glimpse at what it is really like.
As seen on the cover, there's going to be a confrontation with Superman. The reasoning does make sense, in a way. It was in the very first issue that Superman paid Holland a visit. Now it's Alec's turn to visit Superman to ask some important questions. This is where Soule's taking a risk in bringing Swamp Thing into the rest of the DCU. The good and bad thing about Scott Snyder's run was the feeling the title took place in a separate corner of the DCU. At times it was perfectly fitting but you do want to see that the characters are part of a larger world.
The choice of Scarecrow is also odd but the explanation too makes sense here. Having a brief mention to JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #2 was great.
The art by Kano works here and seeing how Swamp Thing's appearance differs slightly depending on where specifically he is was a nice touch.
The Bad
Some of Holland's narration felt off. We're talking about a guy who was essentially 'dead' for some time (resurrected right before the New 52 began at the end of BRIGHTEST DAY).
Having Swamp Thing go to Metropolis almost feels too sudden after 18 issues (plus the zero issue). The same with his confrontation with Scarecrow. We had a character with pretty much no interactions and now we're seeing him go up against a random Batman villain. It is interesting but it's something we could have been eased into. Also, Superman doesn't quite play the role teased on the cover. At least not yet.
Being the first issue for Soule, we'll have to wait and see where exactly he takes Swamp Thing. There are some questionable moments but that could be in part of Alec's full acceptance into his role.
The Verdict
Change can be a scary thing. This is especially true when it comes to creative changes in comics. What better villain to have Swamp Thing go up against that Scarecrow? Charles Soule takes Swamp Thing on a different route than we've seen in the previous issues. With the Rotworld story finally over, we can see Alec Holland embrace his role as the avatar of the Green and explore the rest of the world, performing the duties the Green needs him to perform. We're off to an interesting beginning but it almost feels a little too sudden to have both Scarecrow and Superman, two non-Swamp Thing characters, show up right away. Soule is setting up things nicely and you can't help but be curious to see where he's going to take the character. Change can be scary but things are looking pretty good.