The Swamp Thing #14 – Ram V, Writer; Mike Perkins, Artist; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: We’re in the final act here, and Ram V’s reinvention of Swamp Thing only gets stranger and more fascinating. When we last left off, Levi’s brother had won the approval of the Green and stripped Levi of his powers, The Parliament of Gears was beginning its long march out from the desert, the mysterious Trinity had risen from the ruins of a nuclear explosion and spread her radioactive poison anywhere she passed—oh, and a mysterious group of alien lifeforms were slowly descending on Earth, potentially to bring an end to the age of man. It’s overwhelming just how many threats are facing this character—so it’s no surprise Levi brought in the heavy hitters. Mostly stripped of his abilities and with only a tentative connection to the Green remaining, he works with Hal Jordan to enter the Green one more time and try to create a connection with the new arrivals and see if he can talk them down from an attack—or even turn them into an ally.
What’s incredible about this book is how Ram V and Mike Perkins can create such tension and fear—even without the main character appearing on screen. A big part of this issue takes place once Levi has essentially given up his physical form, drifting aimlessly in an alien landscape as he forms a psychic connection with something alien. The dialogue back-and-forth is packed with as much intensity as many battle scenes. The main plot doesn’t advance too much this issue, as the various Earth-based threats continue their journeys—and potentially meet up—but it does an amazing job at raising the stakes. It feels like we’re headed for a truly apocalyptic confrontation in the last two issues, and the cliffhanger reveals that Levi has gotten a much-needed upgrade. This isn’t like any Swamp Thing run we’ve had before, but it builds on all the previous runs to create something incredible and new.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
