Written by Brian Azzarello
Illustrated by Greg Capullo
Published by DC Comics
Let’s just get this right out of the way; Greg Capullo was born to draw Swamp Thing.
His artwork on this issue was the primary reason I picked this up. I wasn’t disappointed one bit. Capullo and his drawings here may be the best iteration of Swamp Thing that we have seen in quite some time! I just wish he had a meatier script to go alongside of it.
That’s not to say that the script by Azzarello is particularly bad. It’s not. It just is very, very lean. He usually writes that way anyway. You also have to remember that his writing style here only had twelve pages to work with. Even with that said, the script also moves a little too quick.
The first two pages of the book have these demons dressed up like kids on Halloween.
These demons have kidnapped some human kids and tied them all up.
Then, a mysterious girl appears. She tells these demons a story about a creature enacting justice and creating balance. That creature is Swamp Thing, of course.
The first images of Capullo’s Swamp Thing are fantastic. I haven’t loved it this much since the Bissette/Totleben years and that’s saying something. His artwork always has a certain manic joy to it and this is no different. It’s pretty great.
So then, Swamp Thing saves the kids and runs the demons off. And that is pretty much it. There’s no build nor any suspense. The story beats are pretty much all by book.
There’s a little mention of something called the “Barren” headed to this dimension. Maybe that’s a clue for a future storyline? Hopefully.
I do hope there is more to come. I love Swamp Thing and it’s nice to see him. However, it feels like this might lead to something bigger. Maybe it will. And if they are smart, they will make Capullo the artist for the book.
RATING: B+
