Swamp Thing (USA) di Scott Snyder

[Azrael]

SWAMP THING #13
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
On sale OCTOBER 3 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
• "ROTWORLD: THE GREEN KINGDOM" begins!
• Swamp Thing learns the truth of how the Earth fell to the Rot as seen in this month's issues of ANIMAL MAN and FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.
• Guest-starring Poison Ivy, Deadman and The Parliament of Trees!

[emmeemmeesse]

Non vedo l'ora d'iniziare la serie col primo tp! *_*

[Azrael]

Even with the Bat looming large this week, Scott Snyder's other book is not to be missed, although compared to previous issues of Swamp Thing, this one seems a little short on plot. Where last issue had the reader hungry more of the Anton Arcane vs. Swamp Thing showdown, this issue sees the rivals tussle too briefly before Anton just leaves. Swamp Thing is cutting off his arms but it's a shotgun blast that makes him retreat? That's all fine and well until Animal Man shows up and takes the narrative in a different direction. These two elements would have been great separately, but don't feel like they get their due in one issue. However, Marco Rudy's artwork is a great reason to give this a read!

7 su 10

Da Newsarama

[Azrael]

Preview: SWAMP THING #12

[Elvink]

Letto il 12

Spiacente, ma non sei autorizzato a visualizzare il contenuto degli spoiler.

[Azrael]

It's part two of the prologue to ROTWORLD. Swamp Thing and Animal Man
Make sure you read ANIMAL MAN #12 first for part one

The Good
This is the moment we've been waiting for. It's been a year and we're finally seeing the culmination of Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire's set up. While I'm not normally a fan of crossovers that force you to read another series first, this is the exception. These two books have been hinting and teasing about this crossover for quite some time. It would be a shame to read one without following the events of the other. This story has been building and we're finally getting to see the characters cut loose.

As great as both series have been, now we get to see what they've been guided towards. This appears to be an epic battle in the making. Now that the green and the red have joined forces, we're seeing here that it still might not be enough. There's been the question of how and why Anton Arcane was able to come back from the dead. Now we're getting some answers.

There's something about seeing the characters interact with each other this way. For so long, both titles have been tucked away in their little corners of the New 52 Universe. Seeing Abby talk to Ellen and Maxine. What's even better is seeing the fight on two fronts. There's plenty of action here and if this is an indication of what we can expect in the ROTWORLD story, we're all in for a treat.

The Bad
At first, I was a little unsure of Marco Rudy's art. There were some inconsistencies with it. It almost felt as if we had different artists on this issue. It turns out there is three different inkers. Rudy actually inks himself on the first ten pages. Those ended up being the pages with the more crisper art. It's always a pet peeve when whatever circumstances calls for this to happen.

The backgrounds when Alec and Buddy entered the rot left a little to be desired.

The Verdict
The crossover we've been waiting for the past year is finally here. I'm not normally a fan of these sort of crossovers but the worlds that Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire have created have been screaming for this to happen. The core of the crossover will take place in each character's own book but you'll want to follow the adventures of both Swamp Thing and Animal Man. This issue is definitely a game changer. There is quite a cliffhanger at the end that you won't want to believe but we'll have to wait to find out after next month's zero issue.

Check out Inferiorego's ANIMAL MAN review for part 1.

4/5

CVine

[Azrael]

SWAMP THING #14
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
On sale NOVEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
"We Can Be Heroes" Blank variant cover available
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Order Form for details.
• "ROTWORLD: THE GREEN KINGDOM" continues!
• Swamp Thing must travel the rivers of Rotworld on his way to Gotham City!
• True terror awaits our hero on the undead waters!

[Azrael]

[Elfen89]

Abby non è più la donzella della run di Moore. Qui sembra più cazzuta.

[Azrael]

PREVIEW: SWAMP THING #0

Spiacente, ma non sei autorizzato a visualizzare il contenuto degli spoiler.

Spiacente, ma non sei autorizzato a visualizzare il contenuto degli spoiler.

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Spiacente, ma non sei autorizzato a visualizzare il contenuto degli spoiler.

[Green Hankey]

Altro numero splendido in una gestione fin qui sontuosa.

In questo numero 0, il vero protagonista è

Spiacente, ma non sei autorizzato a visualizzare il contenuto degli spoiler.

Interessante anche la parte finale, con nuovi dettagli su come si è arrivati

Spiacente, ma non sei autorizzato a visualizzare il contenuto degli spoiler.

Kano qui bravissimo e ispirato come Paquette e Rudy sulla serie regolare, con uno stile ricercato e pulito.

[Azrael]

This issue doesn't just go back to the time before the New 52 'started' five years ago, Snyder takes us back over one hundred years to reveal more about Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane.
The Good
There is more to Anton Arcane that many may have realized. Seeing how far back he goes is almost staggering. When the story shifts to 'six years ago,' seeing Alec Holland before the events that lead to him becoming Swamp Thing is almost eerie. There's also the continue ties to ANIMAL MAN and the Red as Anton narrates about past avatars for both the Red and the Green he's killed.

That's another part that makes this issue stand out, it's Anton that does the narrating. We see things from his perspective. It's his hatred for the Green that led him to discover that Alec Holland was destined to be an avatar. Seeing the events leading up to the moment of the accident that killed Alec is pretty creepy in a different sort of way. What Anton does and almost does should send shivers down your spine.

Kano does a good job with the art. It is a little strange seeing a modern take on Holland's accident. Last year I re-read several of the early Swamp Thing stories, including the first appearance, and seeing it here is like listening to a good cover song. Of course the little revelations is quite the doosey.

The Bad
Maybe it was because you could feel the momentum of the story building up but when we got to the end, it felt like the issue was short. We did have the normal amount of pages and maybe it's just that I wanted more.

Seeing Anton in his true form as well as agents of the Rot never feel creepy enough to me. There's something about the way they're colored and gives a bit of a cartoony look. In his true form, he should be scary as hell. Perhaps some darker colors and more shadows would add a different effect to his appearance.

The Verdict
Why is Anton Arcane a threat to Swamp Thing? This is the issue to illustrate who and what he is. We get to see what he's done in the past as well as the events leading up to the death of Alec Holland. We know he was destined to be the Parliament of Trees greatest avatar but there's been a tiny bit of confusion about the Swamp Thing we had before his return (in the pages of BRIGHTEST DAY). There are answers here that explain the difference in power and meaning of the two Swamp Things. Unfortunately you get pulled into the story and find yourself on the edge of your seat, even if you know where the story is going and then it's over. It could just be that I can't get enough of Scott Snyder's SWAMP THING. The big question is whether or not Alec will learn what happened before his accident and how it will affect the future story lines. As a zero issue, this one hits all the marks. We get to see what happened before issue #1 and what we learn will definitely matter to the series. I'm even more excited for year two of the New 52 now.

4/5

CVine

[Azrael]

In the true spirit of a zero issue, Scott Snyder and Kano's "Swamp Thing" #0 is accessible for new readers, serving as an origin story for Alec Holland but starring his arch nemesis in the New 52 -- Arcane of the Rot.

Arcane is a disgusting, savage being with further evidence of his prowess over the avatars of both the Red (Animal Man) and Green (Swamp Thing) provided early on in this issue. Throughout his existence Arcane has consistently weakened the Red and Green in preparation for the Rot's rise currently going down in both this series and Jeff Lemire's "Animal Man."

Snyder keeps the cause of Holland's transformation into Swamp Thing true to the 1970s origins but alters some details. An explosion is responsible for his death but the instigator is different here as Arcane wants Holland dead for the good of the Rot. In 1971's "House of Secrets" #92, Holland met his demise due to a co-worker's petty jealousy and lust for his wife. In Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson's "Swamp Thing" #1 from 1972, it's also a co-worker who murders Holland but this time it's envy which drives the violent action as he's after Holland's formula to convert deserts into lush forests.

A nod is given to this classic plot point as Arcane infiltrates Holland's lab, posing as one of his lab workers who helped create the same formula. Snyder successfully spins his own riff on Swamp Thing's origin, keeping some key elements from the originals but making it unique to the New 52.

The true success of this issue is through the art. Kano uses elements of storytelling infused in this title since issue #1, like plant cells and branches bordering panels. It adds personality to the book and a feeling of detachment from the rest of the DC Universe, further sucking the reader in to this dark world. Kano's layouts aren't as dynamic as Yanick Paquette's, but his final few pages are the best stuff in the issue -- his detail and textures give the eye plenty to dissect and a panel showing the Green wiring into Holland's brain stands out in my mind.

Kano captures the horror of Arcane early on in a scene where the villain sheds his human skin with bulging eyes leaking blood. Another shot of Arcane dragging the mutilated corpses of two older Animal Man and Swamp Thing avatars held my attention for awhile, as the narration gets into the gory details of what happens to the victims of Arcane in the moments before their death. The millipede crawling out of the panel borders, which were stitches in Arcane's back, made me squirm.

The most unnerving moment was when Arcane infiltrates a hospital nursery with a creepy headcrab-esque thing made up of a brain/face fused to a hand which it uses to be mobile. Get a visual of that in your mind. I won't tell you what this strange creature does, but the last time my stomach turned in a similar fashion was when I accidentally flipped to a scene in "Crossed" where a pregnant girl cut out her fetus and ate it. This isn't quite as graphic, but it's close.

Matthew Wilson's color palette is nicely utilized -- it's a darker, leafy green serving as the proverbial cherry on top to Kano's work.

This issue was more about Arcane, the main antagonist in both "Swamp Thing" and "Animal Man," as opposed to Alec Holland and it's truly horrific. While the argument could be made by regular "Swamp Thing" readers not much is revealed here we didn't already know, it accomplishes what's expected out of a #0. I'd argue the New 52 "Swamp Thing" should have started with this issue a year ago as it lays out who the major two players are and reasons for their actions -- I was moderately in the dark when this series began. Having this issue kick it all off could have alleviated some of that confusion.

4/5

CBR

[Bruce Wayne]

SWAMP THING #15
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art by MARCO RUDY
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+.
• "ROTWORLD: THE GREEN KINGDOM" part three!
• Batman's fate in the Rotworld is revealed!
• Guest-starring the inmates of Arkham Asylum who have been dramatically affected by battling the Green, the Red and the Rot!

[Azrael]

Bellissima