I'm pleased with it, and trust me - no one loves Swampy like I do.
It isn't perfect - what is, but the first accomplishment of this series was a very important one; get Swamp Thing back in mainstream DC continuity. Mission Accomplished, and well done gotta say.
The next big element was the resurrection of Alec Holland, creating the lynchpin of the series storytelling. This was something I didn't see coming, and like JJ Abrams Star Trek, it did something I didn't believe could be done - make Swamp Thing "fresh" again. To put the duo Alan Moore split apart together again was ballsy and clever - I liked it, and it had me clambering for the next issue.
The third accomplishment of the new series seems to be new limitations for our hero...
I like that maybe best of all.
Alan Moores Swampy had become the Superman of monsters - invincible, married, and galactically boring. Not anymore.
This issue brings Abby and Alec back to the house from Alan Moore's run - a nice touch for sure, but the excitement for me was the return of Anton Arcane. It's not a perfect "return" and one has to ignore the fact that The Rot was never mentioned before, despite it's super-connected history with ol Uncle Anton, but hey - that's comics. It doesn't seem to be revisionist though - perhaps a tidying of old threads, all of which featured an evil/darkness ...I guess now it's called The Rot.
Anyway, #10 starts with Arcane and ends with Arcane - he's a fantastic nemesis, and I adore his stories, but I do hope Snyder gets his head around him a little better - he's not quite the Wein/Moore Arcane, but issue #11 may just get him right.
He looks scary and I do love his Anti-Swamp Thing face, but I find myself missing the insectoid versions of both he and his Un-Men - ahh well, maybe that look ran it's course.
The issue itself suffers from the one thing the whole series has suffered from - it's a little thin.
I miss the days of a very dense story, with matching artwork - the irony of it is that it reads more like a "superhero comic" than it has since the early '80s, logical with his return to that universe of course, but in this case that's not always a plus. Mood takes the right balance of suspense and setting - but it's getting more engaging as a book for sure.
Overall, issue #10(with its homage cover tackled below) is one of the best in this new run, but like the new Batman movies(as awesome as they are) I am curious to see what a new writing/art team will do with Swampy ...we'll see.
Very interesting single issue.
A.
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