Seeder revealed.
I think this issue is one of the weakest of Soule’s run so far, but it’s still an amazingly enjoyable read full of interesting plot twists (very interesting) and it’s a solid read, but it won’t leave a lasting impression on you like #21, Anton Arcane or the Whisky tree arc. This issue however will set a lot of things in motion and I’m sure what’s to come next will definitely be worth it and the upcoming Annual looks to be well worth the wait.
Let’s just discuss the problems with this issue first off. I think the main problem is it’s the start of the next arc and it has to establish where the book is going from here, but at the cost of some of the pacing, as part of this issue is just a fight between Swamp thing and Seede. It just takes a bit to get into it and the whole issue is a transition period between the last arc and the next and in that aspect it works, but it’s just very slow. Also Capucine just seems like the mystery character for too long and while you get a bit more information I’m losing a bit of interest in the character if there aren’t little Easter eggs here and there a mystery character loses a bit of interest, but I think Soule should introduce a few more little teases to keep the interest with this character going.
Spoiler so in this issue the identity of the Seeder is revealed and it is exactly who I thought it would be, but I also think that the reveal itself worked very well and the fact you don’t actually know the whole story and how the character got to this point makes it all the more interesting.
So the majority of the issue is discovering who the Seeder is and a fight between Swamp thing and Seeder and it doesn’t go the way you think it would, but the scene is very intense and I was shocked to see what was happening in the scene and it was very well done, but I think Alec was being a little arrogant, but he was in a difficult position. The ending of the issue is perfectly summed up in the final big speech balloon WHAT? The ending is shocking and I absolutely cannot wait for the annual after that ending.
Andrei Bressan does some fill in artwork and he does a very good job on this issue and while I wished Kano had done the issue he did an admirable job on the book and while out of all of the artists Soule has had on his run Bressan is the weakest, he’s still a very good artist and brings a good level of detail and emotion to the issue. Bressan’s style is a little more cartoony than the other artists, but his version of Swamp thing works very well and he looks like a proper twistsed monster, with a slightly patchwork about him as well with all his covering of Foilage on him.
This is another issue of a great series that is worth the read and if you have been following the series this issue is a crucial part of the overall story. Just don’t go in expecting this to be as good as the issues that have come before it, but do expect some big twists and a very solid read.
4 stars
