Swamp Thing #31 – Review

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

The Story: Alec should know better than to get deep into ‘shrooms before a big event.

The Review: I’m not a diehard Alec-Abby shipper by any means—I sort of felt they got together by virtue of narrative inevitability than genuine chemistry—but I was still excited by the prospect that they might reunite, even temporarily, through the human hosts provided by the Sureen. Alas, it’s not Abby residing in Miki’s inviting body. The fungi growing out of Miki’s orifices signal a different force of nature altogether, “the Mycos. Some called it the Grey.”

It’s not as dramatic a revelation as the Rot was, and Soule doesn’t play it as such. Instead, he finds surprises and twists from other avenues, mainly in Miki’s defiant rejection of her* role as avatar. Interestingly enough, this rejection goes back even to the early days of the Grey, or at least, its intersection with humanity. Alec’s brief travel through the Grey is unmarked by any parliament, suggesting that Miki is not only its current avatar, but its first as well.