Swamp Thing 2 (series 6)

Swamp Thing 2 (2016)
A Walk Among the Tombstones

Note: to avoid character reveals and minor plot points, you may want to read this issue before proceeding.

Swamp Thing #2 hit the shelves today and I was extremely excited to see where Jones and Wein continue to take us. The book does not disappoint. The artwork is fantastic. I’ve provided a detail shot of the cover, below. Jones’ depiction of Swamp Thing’s transformation is an awesome, horrific mix of organs and roots.

In progress, inked cover

Issue one ended with Swamp Thing hot on the trail of Lazlo Wormwood. Wormwood tore Swampy to shreds which is where the book continues.

With Swamp Thing torn in two, he mentions that his focus is divided. This leads me to wonder how his body/consciousness works in this new series. In past Swampy stories, when he’s broken into pieces, he maintains his unified mind. Although, I can’t readily recall an issue where he’s split, perfectly in half. This addresses a pretty cool scenario.

Sherrif Darcy Fox works down in bayou country. This was a fun introduction and will hopefully open the door for more interesting cameos. Lucius should retire down around the Crowley area.

Another fun cameo introduces Shade, the immortal wielder of shadows. Swamp Thing visits Shade in New Orleans for some sage mysticism regarding Lazlo Wormwood.

I love how Jones and Wein portray Swamp Thing’s abilities to travel, transform and regenerate. They waste no time in utilizing Swamp Thing’s potential. Where some stories focus on drawn-out origins and developing character abilities, Jones and Wein dive right into how fun and cool Swamp Thing can be.

The book delves deeper into the occult and dark arts, a nice continuation from issue one. The book sure does flow. Similar to what I previously mentioned, the story doesn’t get hung up on over explanation. Swampy doesn’t ask, why look into the fire? He just does it and the story continues on. It’s fun, mystical and intriguing. As I mentioned in my recap of issue #1, it’s clear that this isn’t Swampy’s first rodeo. He is aware of the world in which he lives in; the kind of cruel, dark world that would destroy his life, murder his true love and transform Alec Holland into a shambling muck-encrusted monster.

I love how Swampy shakes a stern fist to emphasize his disdain of being used.

The dialogue throughout the book is fun. There are a number of instances where Swamp Thing exercises his dry sense of humor and candor.

The comedic timing is quite enjoyable as well. Jones does a really great job of depicting this fun moment of clumsiness.

Lazlo Wormwood looks AWESOME!

Another amazing splash page by Kelley Jones. His attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. I can easily imagine what Swamp Thing sounds like while regenerating.

In progress inked splash page

The fun and magic that this team is putting into the mini-series has me very excited for the rest of the books. The return to the horror genre seems to create much more intrigue than that of the previous, superhero based new 52. While reading the new 52 series, I always felt that whatever predicament Swamp Thing found himself in was a bit predictable, redundant and almost routine. Maybe it’s too early in the mini-series to make this assessment but it seems that the setup that Wein and Jones are creating allows for a great deal of room for the character and creative team to explore.