Swamp Thing #34 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pina (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: There ain’t no plan like a Weeds plan.

The Review: In the superhero genre, where it’s common practice for writers to constantly recycle established characters, it’s rare to encounter new characters who are as rich or intriguing as the old ones. Soule has been on a streak in that regard. True, it’s not as if Swamp Thing had a whole host of characters to draw from, so he had incentive to create new ones. But these creations have become a crucial part of his run’s enjoyment, which is no small achievement in this biz.

It’s possibly to classify Soule’s characters as either heroes or villains, but all of them are somewhat more complicated than that. Wolf and Weeds may be antagonists as a consequence of plotting against Alec, but their grievances against him are legitimate. Alec may disclaim any responsibility for their fates, arguing that it’s they who failed to roll with the punches, but this ignores his role in delivering the blows. After unleashing them from the Green, he never did give much thought to their fates afterward. If he had, maybe he could’ve kept them fixed on what they have instead of what they had.

Swamp Thing #33 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Javier Pina (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Jonah proves to Weeds and Wolf that sex is more rewarding than scheming.

The Review: I might have said this before—in fact, I’m almost certain of it—but one of the best things Soule did for this series was introduce us to specific members of the Parliament of Trees, then include them as part of Alec’s supporting cast. Alec has always been a decent, likable protagonist, but the additions of Jonah, Lady Weeds, and the Wolf have given Swamp Thing layers of human intrigue between its supernatural mysteries.

Almost all of that intrigue is generated between Weeds and Wolf alone, not least of all because they have such dramatically different personalities. Wolf prefers to play the long game, slowly breaking down Alec until the final stroke can be delivered. Weeds would rather eschew this Machiavellian approach for a more direct attack. It’s not hard to figure out whose plan will carry the day in the end; it’s just amazing that Weeds goes along with Wolf for as long as she does.

Swamp Thing #30 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Jesus Saiz (art), Javier Pina (finishes), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Time is running out for Alec, which means it’s the perfect time for a date.

The Review: For a long time, Alec was really the solo driver of this book, his isolation broken only by a troubled romance with Abigail Arcane and a brief partnership with Buddy Baker. But ever since Soule took over the series, he’s slowly added more permanent fixtures in the characters of Capucine, Lady Weeds, the Wolf, and Brother Jonah, all fully realized with motivations entirely separate from Alec. This isn’t just Alec’s show anymore; what we have here is an ensemble.

It’s pretty easy to tell whether a group of characters is a true ensemble or whether they’re just filler orbiting the star. Just remove the biggest name from the picture and see how the rest get on. True, Alec is only incapacitated for a few pages, but that’s enough for you to see how functional and entertaining his supporting players are without him.

Swamp Thing #29 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Jesus Saiz (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Alec loses his mind, then loses his body.

The Review: Much as I’ve enjoyed Soule’s work on his ever-increasing swathe of titles—five others,* at the last count—I’d argue Swamp Thing enjoys the peak of his imaginative abilities.  While every Soule title is essentially well-crafted and generally contain good ideas, or at least a good premise, you have to notice that Swamp Thing delivers a brand new concept nearly every month.  This issue fleshes out a whopping three.

Technically, the Sureen were introduced last month, but we only get a real sense of who they are and what they do here.  Basically, they’re a cult of assistants to the Green’s avatar, devoted to a somewhat creepy level.  The big difference between them and Waylon Smithers is instead of love, they desire in return the “Spring Sacrament,” sort of a Green-high for humans, in which they hallucinate themselves sprouting tree limbs from their arms. (“Quelle decadence,” Capucine remarks at their sprawled forms.)

Swamp Thing #24 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Andrei Bressan (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: It only takes a single seed to grow a forest—and piss off a plant god.

The Review: Creating new villains is a tricky business.  Even though the point is to give the hero someone to fight, a villain can’t exist solely for that purpose—or they can, but you wouldn’t be able to use them for more than one issue.  And when you do add some extra motivation, you have to be careful about making them too cliché or simplistic.  Criminals who are greedy, power-hungry, or just plain crazy don’t provide a lot of analytical meat to chew on.

Having seen Soule delve into the hearts, minds, and lives of three completely different villains last month, each from a different sphere of influence (the supernatural, the cosmic, and the urban professional), it’s safe to say that he has a knack for finding the thing that makes an antagonist worth your attention.  It’s not enough to make a villain evil; that just makes them predictable.  Soule knows that it’s each villain’s specific set of values that drives them to make different choices in different circumstances, and that in turn is what makes them compelling.