Swamp Thing #2

I was hesitant about the first issue of Swamp Thing, but I gave it a shot because, well, Scott Snyder is a total boss. His debut issue of Batman last month was the best the "New 52" had to offer, and many highly praised his Swamp Thing issue as well. I gave it some praise, but ultimately settled that it wasn't my cup of tea.

I'm pulling a 180-degree turn on that last part. Not because this isn't my cup of tea, because it inst, now my attitude is that I don't care if this is my cup of tea or someone else's, because this issue was really good tea! (Promise that's the last of the tea metaphor). This issue started a little slow, but the second half was one one hell of a show. The conversation between Alec Holland and Swamp Thing is very genuine, and extremely informative for those of us not in the know about who/what Swamp Thing is and how Alec Holland became involved with him.

Snyder is great at spoon-feeding the reader information on the character without coddling them as if they were 4th graders. This is key; to get new readers hooked onto a book like Swamp Thing that normally wouldn't read it (say, me!) he has to break things down intelligently so I don't give up because it's too confusing, but give it enough action so they don't get bored from having an entire issue of exposition.

My new nightmare.

 

A pattern in the "New 52" has been cliffhangers, and while some have been great, others have been cheesy and melodramatic (see Detective Comics #2 for the latter). This issue, thankfully, is the former, as we're introduced to a completely badass character who wields a shotgun as good as anybody, and also rides a mean bike.

Plant Zombies, motorcycle riding/shotgun wielding warriors, and a great deal of learning about the Swamp Thing leads to a fantastic comic. Geoff Johns, this is how you pull readers into a character they otherwise don't want to read. You make explaining the backstory part of the story, instead of making a plot concoction as part of an excuse to do so.

What I enjoyed: How unpredictable this comic is. From first to last page, I could never guess what exactly was coming next, and that makes for an exciting comic, despite the low levels of action it contained. Also, this is some of Yanick Paquette's best artwork.

What I didn't: Just saying, if I'm Alec Holland, I don't want to go back to being the Swamp Thing, but that appears to be his destiny. Sucks for that guy.

Conclusion: I'm now on board with this series. I'm not sure if I'll be adding it to my "pull list" but I'll definitely consider it when I have more money. 9.1/10 (A-).