Dr. Holland's Destiny
Dr. Alec Holland has been summoned by a Swamp Thing who was once a WWII fighter pilot and is told the story of how Swamp Things come to be. Not only does he learn that The Green chooses people based on a difference in their DNA, but that he was never actually Swamp Thing. He had a mental connection to the one that was created, but he never truly became the spirit of vengeance for the plant world that he should have been. Meanwhile, the rot that is infecting and trying to destroy human life is coming for Dr. Holland, and it's coming with axes, broken glass, and creepy zombified people with their heads twisted backwards.
Scott Snyder's run on Swamp Thing is reminding me why I love the comics medium so much. His writing for this series is so good I feel like I can't do it justice. I was completely sucked in from the first page to the last. The new direction that he's taking Dr. Holland and the Swamp Thing mythology on is exciting and is leaving me thirsty for more.
Yanick Paquette's artwork is phenomenal in this issue. I've never wanted to buy actual page art from a comic before, but I would love to have a reprint of this issue taken apart and displayed page-by-page in a poster frame. From the opening scene with the fighter pilot to the spread where the rot is killing people on the main street of a small town, it's all wonderful and great eye candy.
This comic gets a solid 5/5 with no hesitation. I feel sorry for people who are afraid to stray away from conventional comic books and won't take the chance on other genres and titles, even from the big publishers. Snyder and Paquette are making my first Wednesday of the month a whole lot brighter.
