Then I fell in love with Scott Snyder and his work on Batman. I was talking about this to my local comic shop guy when he told me Snyder was also writing Swamp Thing, a book I hadn’t read since the underappreciated Mark Millar/Phil Hester run. So of course I pick up a second print of issue one and boom, I fell in love all over again.
With issue #5, Snyder continues The Rot storyline as Alec Holland and Abigail Arcane face off against her brother and his undead killing machines. It also marks the return of Yanick Paquette to the art duties after a one issue break.
While Batman has been my favorite New 52 title since issue #1, Swamp Thing has been more of a slow burn. Hell, we haven’t actually seen the actual Swamp Thing since issue #1. Snyder has let the story slowly build and build, ratcheting up the tension as we go. Seeing Alec use the power of the Green to save Abby is a great moment and gives the reader the payoff they deserve. And the funny part is that this really does feel like a Vertigo comic. With fellow Vertigo alumni Animal Man, the two titles have cornered the market on creepy and scary in the New 52.
Paquette’s art is a perfect fit for a comic like Swamp Thing. He gives the visuals the weight they need while using some unconventional panel layouts to keep things interesting. Not all artists can do horror, but Paquette is proving he is more than capable. Plus his covers are just gorgeous. I really hope DC includes them in any future collected edition.
Swamp Thing should be on everybody’s pull list, no question. It’s a smart, scary read that any Vertigo fan will fall in love with.
