Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Javier Pina
Publisher: DC
Released: 2nd July 2014
It’s time for me to drop this book. I’ve been hanging on for a bit too long, as I tend to do, but after reading the latest unremarkable issue of Swamp Thing I have to stop wasting my time and money on it. There are far more productive things for me to do with my reading time, and I hate to waste money on something that offers so little to me now.
Swamp Thing #33, by Charles Soule, has unimpressive artwork by Javier Pina, and dull colouring from Matthew Wilson. The art is competent, but there is a lack of atmosphere and detail in it. Have you ever watched a football match where the commentators describe an unimpressive performance by a player as ‘workman-like?’ That’s what you have here. It’s competent, but I want more than that. I want art that is alive, creative and impressive. The artwork in this book lacks all of those qualities. It would be fine if the story was doing something special, but it really isn’t.
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The one constant has been two incompetent villains, hanging around in the background and threatening to bring some life into proceedings. So far they have failed, and in this issue one of those villains fails again. Next month the other villain will get a go, where she will undoubtedly fail. Why would I want to hang around to witness that? I don’t.
The Swamp Thing title has potential, especially in 2014 where we have an urgent debate going on about genetically modified foods, and how it could be contributing towards the massive increase in cancer rates and every other kind of life threatening illness and disease in the western world. I thought this was where the book was going when the ‘Seeder’ character was introduced, but that is over now, and so many avenues and possibilities that could have been explored ended up leading to nowhere.
Swamp Thing is supposed to be the avatar of all plant-life on this planet. You’d think he’d have something to say about large corporations genetically altering all of that plant life wouldn’t you? Imagine the fascinating, cutting-edge, controversial stories that a good writer could tell with the Swamp Thing character going up against the Monsanto Corporation and their army of lobbyists in the US congress? Don’t you think that would be great? Hell, you could even talk about global warming. Take a side, any side. Are the plants being affected, or is man made climate change just a political con? Or, you could ignore all of these fascinating contemporary concerns and define ‘pollution’ as a bloke pouring a barrel of chemicals into a lake.
DC and Marvel are the corporate status quo, and their job is to support it, not question it. It’s understandable. After all, why would they want to question the structure of something that they are very much a part of? It’s sad, but here’s a truth. No questioning of powerful corporations/banking institutions is allowable in contemporary comics.
Marvel and DC are very much a part of the corporate control system, so anything you read in these books will always support the elite’s version of reality and the status quo they want to protect. Swamp Thing is an avatar of plant life who cannot discuss contemporary issues involving plant life. It’s also not particular well drawn, or entertaining.
Rating: 3/10
Again, I agree.
ReplyDeleteI was so excited when DC launched a new Swamp Thing book with the New52 three years ago. But it has steadily went downhill ever since the first arc.
This book could potentially address the very real and very serious threats posed by genetic engineering, GMO foods, Monsanto, etc. But instead it just limps along every month and I unfortunately continue reading it, erroneously thinking it will eventually improve.
It never does.
Even if Soule and DC don't have the inclination to address real environmental issues (not the made-up politically correct bullshit environmental issues) -- they could at least make this a good horror book if nothing else.
Admittedly, Alan Moore came at some of these issues from a left perspective when he was writing the book, but at least it felt somewhat relevant. And Moore injected the requisite amount of horror elements and sexual undertones, making it exciting.
As it is however, this book just limps along every month, disengaging, irrelevant, stale, and useless.
That said, I do like Pina's art. I find it crisp, clean, and pleasing -- sort of in the vein of Kevin Maguire. But you're right Mark, I think his style would definitely be more suitable on one of the more mainstream superhero books. It doesn't exude the ambience or atmosphere necessary for a good Swamp Thing comic. But then again, neither does Soule's writing...
Limping along is the perfect way to describe this book. I kept hoping for some exploration of issues involving GMO'e etc, but it never came. Charles Soule is just a safe pair of hands really isn't he? he pumps out the stories on time and they're guaranteed to be uncontroversial, and I guess that's all DC wants out of it's writers today.
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