Written by: Charles Soule
Drawn by: Javier Pina
Published by: DC
Swamp Thing is in an interesting place right now. It’s arguably been following the same story arc arguably since the first couple of Seeder issues, meaning that this story has lasted about a year at this point. And a lot has happened, from Alec dissolving the Parliament of Trees, to discovering the Sureen, to last month’s awesome ending, and new turn for Lady Weeds. A lot has happened, and last month, they teased even more coming over the course of the next year or so. Swamp Thing in space, robot Swamp Thing, and, of course, the return of the Arcanes. Charles Soule and the rotating team of artists are definitely keeping themselves busy with this book. Unfortunately, that means that this issue brought this arc to a close kind of abruptly.
To be fair to this issue, my expectations for it may have been a little high. I was hoping for way more Lady Weeds than we got, and, fortunately, she makes it out. I love that character so much, and I was really excited to see her really come into play as the main villain after the way issue #33 ended. And yes, she kind of does. However, it seems like we’ll be taking a hiatus from her character for a while, based on the way this issue ends. At the end of the day, she’s just felt underused, and just as she was gaining more prominence, this arc abruptly ended. Does it sound like I’m trashing this issue? I don’t really want to sound like that, because this was actually a great issue. This creative team seems incapable of putting out an issue that’s anything less than great.
Since that’s the case, let’s get into some of the positives. First: Lady Weeds is awesome in this issue. Underused, maybe, but her unique brand of deception and subterfuge is great to see unfold. She always seems to be way ahead of Swampy and friends, which is why I’d love her to take center stage. Because of all of her deception, the one thing this issue doesn’t lack is suspense. This issue read like a great novel, in that I was so excited to find out what happened next that I couldn’t put it down. I mean, I don’t usually put single issues down, but I do sometimes become distracted during the issue. This wasn’t one of those (I don’t Swamp Thing ever has been one of those books), and I raced through it. Then I read it again, and again, and each time, it was just as good as the last.
For one thing, there’s the mystery of what happens to Jonah. This isn’t a mystery by the end of the issue, but reading it the first time, a lot of the suspense comes from not knowing if this character will survive. I mean, The Wolf did do a number on him at the end of the previous issue. The way that this is resolved is great, and the moments he shares with Capucine are quite touching. To have just started rebuilding their relationship, only for it to be wrenched away from them, is a tragedy for both of them. This also leads to us getting to see what a badass Capucine is, as she goes in search of revenge.
Essentially, this allows us to get two great action sequences in this issue. One is simply a page, showing Capucince completely beating down Lady Weeds, which is awesome. The other is an extended battle between Swamp Thing and The Wolf, who is now some sort of flesh monster, going at each other in a burning hospital. This is, again, a great action sequence. In fact, one of these may have been my favorite of the week, if it weren’t for the impressive Richard Dragon versus Green Arrow and Diggle in Green Arrow #34. We almost get a third action sequence, but this is where my complaint about the abrupt ending comes into play. The Wolf and Lady Weeds have come close to reaching a checkmate, and it’s a suspenseful couple of pages, at least until one of the characters does something that makes no sense.
It’s a fairly major spoiler, so I won’t say who or what happens, however, it’s kind of an odd moment. The ensuing dialogue is interesting enough, seeing Swamp Thing reflect on how the conflict and violence never ends. As great as this is, it feels unearned as a conclusion to this story. Fortunately, the next page is the Capucine vs Lady Weeds fight, which redeems the ending, at least somewhat. Anyways, there is way more good than bad in this issue. Really, there’s way too much to love about Swamp Thing #34 to let the abrupt ending completely ruin the issue. And with the ending, I’m quite pumped for the next issue to come out, though we’ll have to wait two months for the continuation of present Swamp Thing’s story.
