Today, Scott and Drew are discussing Swamp Thing 21, originally released June 5th, 2013.

Scott: Most Superheroes are afforded the luxury, and often the burden, of maintaining a semblance of normal human life — an alter ego. Swamp Thing is not. Alec Holland is Swamp Thing all the time — he doesn’t have a day job. In that sense, Swamp Thing isn’t about a man keeping his two identities distinct, but a man forced to allow his two identities to merge. Because of this, his character is constantly evolving, transitioning from something familiar to something unknown. He has spent his entire life as Alec Holland, but there’s an entire history of the Green that he knows very little about. In Swamp Thing 21, Charles Soule makes it clear that he is more interested in exploring the unknown.

Swamp Thing is back in the swamp, where he’s greeted by Capucine, a thousand-year-old woman who asks for his protection. Fearing she will soon die, Capucine invokes “Sanctuarium Folium Viride”, or “Sanctuary of the Green Leaf”, which was promised to her centuries ago. Alec doesn’t know what any of this means, so he asks the Parliament of Trees, who send him to the former avatar who created the sanctuary. The Avatar shows Alec how he once protected humans who were persecuted for worshipping nature. During their meeting, however, the Green is attacked by Seeder, apparently killing the former avatar and nearly Alec. Drawing strength from the sun, Alec makes it out of the Green in one piece, and he knows where to find Seeder.

I like the direction Soule has taken with Swamp Thing. This is a mythology-heavy issue, with a focus on how the history of the Green is affecting its present. I think it’s a good place for a new writer to start, especially if Soule plans to make his Swamp Thing run more about Swamp Thing than about Alec Holland. The former Avatar tells Alec that he must decide for himself how to best serve the Green, but understanding the actions of those who held his job before him will allow him to make the important decisions he is now being faced with.

Oh, and it will be pretty difficult for Alec to ignore the work of his predecessors if he’s expected to keep the promises they made to people hundreds of years before he was born. It’s a tough spot for Capucine: the Avatar who made her a promise no longer exists, and the new Avatar has no idea who she is and no obligation to uphold the promise. I’m fascinated by her character. Alec points out that he knows nothing about her, except her name and that she’s good at killing people- and she is. Very good.

I couldn’t pick a best part of that sequence, so I’ve included the entire thing. What a way to make an impression. Doesn’t do much to prove to Swamp Thing that she needs his protection. But that’s the interesting thing — she only wants his protection after she dies. She’s very capable of protecting herself from those who want to poach her longevity, as long as she’s alive, but that won’t be for long. What is killing her, and who will be coming for her body, is still unclear. These are things Alec will need to know before he promises to protect her, and she wants to tell him, but he’s humorously too preoccupied to ask her a single question.

The most impressive thing about Swamp Thing 21 is how Soule is able to explore the history of comic’s universe while still laying groundwork for the storylines that will drive the series forward. He establishes Seeder as the first major villain of his Swamp Thing run. If you thought we learned little about Capucine, well, Seeder is even more shrouded in mystery. All we know is that he apparently has access to Green powers, as well as the desire to cause great destruction to the Green. Alec spent most of this issue as an observer, active primarily in gathering information, but Seeder has gotten his attention — and his ire. I think we’ll see a much more aggressive Alec in Swamp Thing 22.

Like Alec, artist Jesus Saiz seems to feel at home in the swamp. His incorporation of plant life into nearly every frame sets the tone for the issue. Swamp Thing is spoiled with great artists, and Saiz fits right in. He captures the combination of beautiful and frightening that defines this title, while delivering awe-inspiring moments of Swampy’s powers on display.

So, Drew, are you digging Soule’s direction, or are you pining for Scott Snyder? And, with Alec occupied with Seeder, will he be able to help Capucine before it’s too latte? Coffee joke!

Drew: Well, Scott, if you can pardon the espresso-n, I think Soule has done a caf-fine job living up to Snyder’s legacy — something we can all agree was a tall order. Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system (and can file it away in my Gene Shalit joke-writing portfolio), I actually think Soule is doing a great job on this title. The whole “Swamp Things have a long history, but you can chose to ignore it all if you want to” lesson is a clever commentary on Soule’s own relationship to Snyder’s run and Swamp Thing‘s history in general, but is also a great attitude when taking over a series. He’s essentially admitting that, yeah, there’s a lot of history, and some of it is really cool, and while he might keep some of it, he’s going to do his own thing. As much as we may love any one writer’s interpretation, comic book heroes are much broader than a single interpretation, and I love that Soule isn’t feeling beholden to any of Snyder’s specifics.

It also helps that we have not one, but two mysterious figures in this issue — I’m always a sucker for mystery. Our knowledge of Seeder is so limited as to be a tease, but for all the details we get about Capucine, we can’t really say much more about her. Her preoccupation with posthumous protection is perplexing, but is precisely the pattern of puzzling points I prefer to ponder (file that one in my Stan Lee joke-writing portfolio). Soule has my attention, and I suspect he’ll reward that with some answers next month.

Saiz has been on my “artists to follow” list since his stellar work on Birds of Prey, and he does not disappoint here. I would  have lamented how few human faces there are in this issue, since his acting is always superb, but he actually does such a good job with Swamp Thing’s face that he gives it to the whole Parliament.

It’s kind of adorable. I know plenty of fictional trees have faces — from Tolkien’s Ents to those bitchy apple trees from the Wizard of Oz, but the fact that they’re pine trees reminds me specifically of my favorite Christmas joke (which, unfortunately, I can’t find online — briefly, an anthropomorphized tree is desperate to be chosen as someone’s Christmas tree, and just when it looks like it won’t [at midnight on Christmas eve], it’s purchased by a hobo for a nickel, and taken back to his beaming family, who promptly eat it).

Of course, Saiz’s greatest strength is his fluid sense of action, and that fight sequence Scott included is an absolute show-stopper — you can feel the motion through every gutter. Part of it is the sense of space created by tying the camera down — aside from that shot/reverse shot at the start of the sequence, the camera never moves more than a few degrees panel-to-panel — but each individual image has such a strong sense of motion that you almost don’t need that context.

This issue is without a doubt mostly set-up, but everything set up here — from Alec’s relationship to Swamp Thing history to Capucine’s story — has my interest piqued. I’m a little disappointed to see Saiz leave after just one issue — not that I’ve found Kano’s work lacking, it was just nice to find Saiz working on a title I already liked — but I’m looking forward to next month, which promises at least a few answers. It should be mocha-do about something. (Did I mention that Gene Shalit has terrible jokes?)

For a complete list of what we’re reading, head on over to our Pull List page.  Whenever possible, buy your comics from your local mom and pop comic bookstore.  If you want to rock digital copies, head on over to DC’s website and download issues there.  There’s no need to pirate, right?