Separation
Reading Swamp Thing provides a deliciously creepy experience. The comic continues to thrill as the action picks up. Things were bubbling in the story up until this point, but the final splash page amps the intensity to a whole new level.
Scott Snyder continues to be brilliant in the writing by not being too flashy in the dialogue, but huge in the ideas. He has a grandiose plan to the story and it’s fascinating seeing him place the pieces together and move them forward. The antagonist William Arcane, the master of the Rot, is a chilling compliment to Alec’s insecurity at joining the Green and embodying Swamp Thing. Alec does accept some of his fate and power which combines in a stunning chain of events.
Yanick Paquette comes back on as the full-time artist on this issue. I didn’t mind the fill-in work before because I thought it matched Paquette’s style, but it’s nice to see him on every page. Paquette is a genius at framing and general creepiness. The beast William rides in on is something out of the sickest (best) imagination by being revolting and jarring. The extra component to Paquette’s greatly detailed art is the attention he adds to merely separating the frames. As the Rot and Green face off, the silhouette of a twig or the burns of the rot separate all of the frames. These blend between panels in creative combinations that adds to the overall sense of the art as a whole making this extra detail mean so much more. Paquette really puts his all into the art and its great seeing his heavy lines and solid cross hatchings come alive on the page.
I’ve never read a single Swamp Thing comic before, but I am eager for when the next issue comes out for this one. With almost no knowledge of the characters or the story beforehand, Snyder and Paquette have informed me enough to compel my interests and capture my imagination. If you haven’t been reading this comic, you are missing out on a great, visceral, horror experience.
