Swamp Thing #16 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Yanick Paquette

I have loved what I've read of this series so far, and Scott Snyder has done an excellent job, and made me love Swamp Thing as a character, something I found it hard to do prior to this. Although the Rotworld storyline hasn't been as brilliant as the first storyline, it has still been fantastic, and I will be sad when Snyder leaves the series.

Plot

This issue sees Barbara Gordon take Swamp Thing to Arkham Asylum, where all the survivors of Gotham City are. She shows him something that Batman was working on, based on Alec's work. The fate of Abby Arcane is also revealed, and The Green finally fights back.

Review

This was a brilliant issue, and my favourite of the storyline so far. Although the story's been good so far, I did think it was going a bit slow, and the last issue was a big disappointment. This issue however makes up for that, as it shows the final build up before the big finally, and Snyder couldn't have done it any better. What I've also liked about Snyder's writing throughout this storyline is that he's not left Abby out of the picture, and also shows that Alec is still thinking about her. I've also liked how we get to see Arkham Asylum in this issue, as my main complain for the last issue wasn't seeing Gotham City affected by The Rot. I hope that Snyder can conclude this brilliantly in the two part finally alongside Animal Man #16, and that he concludes his run even better, and hopefully in a similar manner as he started it.

The art on this issue was terrific, and Yanick Paquette did a fantastic job. Although Marco Rudy did a brilliant job, in my opinion there isn't anyone that can draw Swamp Thing better than Paquette (he was one of the main reasons I tried this series). The detail in Paquette's art is phenomenal, and it shows the gore, and decay brilliantly. I also loved how Paquette drew all the supporting characters in this issue, as you can easily tell who the character is, even if they've been infected by the Rot. Rotworld itself continues to look amazing, as it kind of looks like the desert leading up to the Dark Tower in Stephen King's Dark Tower novels, but looks more gory. The cover was also brilliant, and I loved how it was laid out, with Barbara as Man-Bat behind Swamp Thing, and the giant penny showing that they're in the Batcave.

The issue stars just before Swamp Things final battle with the Rot, and quickly goes back to the end of the previous issue. During the first part it shows Superman affected by the Rot. This is the only thing I found questionable about this issue, as I find it hard to believe that Superman could be affected by the Rot unless Kryptonite was involved. I may have missed something in a previous issue, or it might be as simple as Kryptonite was involved, but it did make me question it. Besides that this is a big blow as although it was stated that all the major superhero's had been turned into Rot monsters, the stipulations that causes isn't totally apparent until you see it. I would have however liked to have seen a bit more of Superman as he didn't do anything besides make an appearance, but I hope that he will next issues.

It was also revealed by Barbara that some of Gotham's villains that wither had a connection to one of the elements (Green or Red), and the ones who had a resistance to death (i.e. Mr. Freeze) were recruited to help the citizens of Gotham, with a bogus threat that they had an explosive that would go off if the population dropped bellow a certain number. Although they haven't done anything yet this is still an interesting addition, as I'd never have thought that the villains would help Batman's cause, although given the situations it makes total sense, even if they didn't think they had explosives in them.

Villains Recruited to the Green

As I said earlier in my review I've enjoyed that Abby has continued to play a vital supporting role in this story, and have loved her interactions with Anton Arcane. Her appearance in this issue was also probably the best, and most shocking yet, as Abby decides to take action. Due to Abby's good nature it's easy to forget that like Anton, and William Arcane, she's got a connection to the Rot, and that she was initially meant to be they're equivalent to Swamp Thing. There was also a shocking end to this part of the story, and although I won't spoil it, it added ton's of suspense, and is making me look forward to the next issue even more than I already was.

Abby's Fate

Final Verdict

A tremendously good issue, and the best in the Green Kingdom part of Rotworld so far. I would highly recommend it, as it is full of suspense, and drama, and I am really looking forward to the two part conclusion next month.

Rating: 5/5