“We Are The Effect We Have On Our Friends”
Both Animal Man and Swamp Thing have been really upping the game and bringing a horror component to the New 52 that I think the line mostly lacks. I’m not normally into the crazy gore or horror movies, but the mythology they’re building, while simplistic, is still pretty cool. I mean, you’d think that maybe plants and animals would be competitive forces toward each other, but it seems their real enemy is The Black: Rot.
It’s a battle that has gone on since the end of time. Entropy vs. order. Thankfully, Alec has an agent of the Black on his side, the dangerous Abigail Arcane, who he has been warned to stay away from. With a convenient little retcon we learn that Swamp Thing was able to silence the influence of the Black on her.
It’s really quite brilliant how an enemy of the Green is allergic to chlorophyll (is there really chlorophyll in the atmosphere? I mean, it’s a molecule vital for photosynthesis, but I don’t think it’s airborne...whatever, it’s bad science chosen because everyone knows plants make chlorophyll). It’s even better in the greater conflict in that the plants would be actively creating it as a repellent of the Rot.
There’s a neat contrast in the relationship between William and the asshole kids vs. the relationship between Swamp Thing and Abigail. The title quote allows us to infer (obviously) that Swamp Thing is a force for good. He makes Abigail better and allows her to live her life free from the call of the Rot. William, on the other hand, is plagued by children whose friends encourage them to do terrible things. Neither Dr. Durock, whose blindness to the truth of the children’s cruelties, nor Drew, who is a sadistic bastard, consequently bring out the best in William. Instead we get to see some truly disgusting manipulation of dead/corrupted cells. What happens to Drew, in particular, took me a second reading to figure out (I’m not good with art, it’s why I make sure I read a book twice). That one might give you nightmares, guys.
Speaking of the grotesque art, it seems Yanick Paquette got a little help from Victor Ibáñez in drawing one creepy book. I mean, seeing Dr. Durock’s lungs coming out of his mouth? Gross. Paquette also continued his awesome trend of keeping the panel boundaries interesting and the layouts inventive and appropriate. Once the Rot gets involved we see the return of the chaotic, gross panel boundary. Layouts with Alec and/or Swamp Thing have a lovely, organic layout with tree branch gutters and other, more mundane happenings have your normal, boxy layouts.
Swamp Thing was my first (and remains my only) exposure to Scott Snyder, but I’m really digging his work. This is a book with neat ideas and awesome art. No reason not to be reading it.
