Series: Swamp Thing
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Jesus Saiz
Colorists: Matt Hollingsworth
Summary from Comixology: “The Machine Kingdom is not happy with Swamp Thing, and the lines of battle are drawn! But Alec Holland has a humanity the Machine Kingdom lacks, and that gives him an edge.”
Overview –
After every issue of Swamp Thing (and Red Lanterns) that I read, I become a bit more sad. Because I know these epic runs are slowly coming to an end with writer Charles Soule signing an exclusive deal with Marvel Comics. Soule’s run on Swamp Thing is one of the best I have read in a long time, and I would damn near say it will soon be added with the classics like the Alan Moor and Brian K Vaughan runs on the character. Soule know how to write a great version of the character that is a monster but yet still has so much of his humanity left.
Highs –
It’s really interesting seeing what Charles Soule is writing between the plant kingdom and the machine kingdom. It’ll really be interesting seeing how this story arc will play out. I also want to mentioned how cool it was to see the machines evolve in a single issue from being against having an avatar represent them, to cycling though the DC Universe searching for the perfect cyborg to be their representative. It seems to be a really solid sci-fi story that is being built in the world of Swamp Thing. The Abby and Alec scene in the stronghold of the rot was a very emotional scene. We can really see how much Abby and Alec love each other, but can not be with one another. This being because one represents life (Alec) while the other is death (Abby).
Lows –
I really can’t think of any lows for this issue, besides the fact it’s coming to an end. Swamp Thing was a violent at times, but at other moments still showed his humanity which I really enjoy to see. Besides the fact that Soule is soon leaving the book, there really wasn’t a low point in this months issue.
The Final Say –
This is one of my favorite DC books, and I really don’t think it gets the attention it needs. This book really has everything someone could be looking for. We have a strong romance present (Alec + Abby), a new enemy is forming (The Machine Kingdom) and there is always enough action to hold you over. And Jesus Saiz art was phenomenal in this issue. It was clean but yet intimidating at times when it needs to shows the power of Swamp Thing. Over all this issue was a sold 4 out of 5. If you are looking for a new series to read, pick up issues 35 and 36 and let us know what you think in the comments below!