A Green Angel.
Art: This issue is really all about the art and introducing the temperament and body of this new Swamp Thing and boy does Paquette do the business. The page that gives us our first full fleshed look of the new Swampy is magnificent. With his graceful wings stretched wide and the heavenly rays of sunshine raining down on him, Paquette manages to give this green beast an angelic quality while at the same time maintaining the ferocity and power this Swamp Thing needs to defeat the agents of the rot. These 8 issues were definitely worth the wait.
The scenes of Swamp Thing taking on the huge horde of the rot are very impressive and wonderfully detailed but can sometimes be a little too convoluted and hard to break down as they are all mashed together in one epic brawl. I am not usually one to mention colourists but Nathan Fairburn deserves his name on the front cover. His inking on this series has been out of this world and hugely important in giving us the contrast between the green and the rot.
Plot: Swamp Thing swoops down on the rot kingdom and flexes his new green muscles. Swampy is a true role model to all young boys and girls out there, showing that eating your greens makes you big and strong as he makes mince meat of the rots minions. He's here to rescue Abigail Arcane but finds out it might be a little harder than he thought.
Verdict: It's been a fantastic build up but I think it's safe to say that it's a relief that the Swamp Thing has finally arrived. Yanick Paquette needed to bring his A game for this one and he delivered big time. Swamp Thing is a brave, ferocious and pure warrior but at his core he is still a very human character. With Snyder and Paquette at the helm, I can't wait to see where Swampy is going to take flight next.
One gripe that I had with the issue was the overt metaphorical and philosophical narration. While I adore Snyder's intelligent and insightful writing style (we need more of it in modern comics), sometimes he can over do it I feel. While in last weeks issue it worked perfectly with the symbolism of Swamp Thing rising from the brink of defeat, I don't think he needs to be so thick with it in every issue. I know I sound a little pompous but I just thought it was a little forced this time around. Make no mistake though I consider Snyder one of the best writers in comics right now and I am firmly engrossed in all the stories he is telling right now.
