It’s an all-action issue, minus the epilogue, with Swamp Thing and his ragtag army of plant people and humans fighting against the evil humans and their ringleader. The ringleader’s who I thought it’d be. Ram V knows his Swamp Thing, knows the appropriate, historical supporting cast member to bring in to guest star for effect.
No, not Arcane.
There’s more good art from Mike Perkins, though after a while—fairly early on—it’s unclear why V needed the plant people other than to give the previous issue a supporting cast. They’re pointless this issue, both dramatically and in the action. In fact, they distract from Swamp Thing action.
Even with the comics canon-heavy reveals for the finish, it’s a mostly accessible Swamp Thing: The End, a nice homage to the character from before—I’m very murky on Swampy continuity these days and V makes sure you can read it after an extended break. There are some unanswered questions, but they don’t matter to much. There’s solid character drama from V in the scenes, it just never amounts to anything.
The issue’s also missing a final splash image to establish some things, which is a bummer, because there’s not just a missing dramatic beat but also some potential for an awesome Perkins page.
It’s too long for two issues, but also too short. V needed another one to get the pacing right, or he needed a single double-size or size-and-a-half to finish it up in one. The story’s rushing through its plot—especially with the big opening reveals—only Perkins draws it calm, not anxious. Similarly, even when V’s doing a big dramatic scene, the writing’s pretty chill.
But small complaints about a decent Swamp Thing comic in 2021.
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