Swamp Thing: Green Hell #3 – Jeff Lemire, Writer; Doug Mahnke/Shawn Moll, Artists; David Baron, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This series has had an odd rollout, to put it lightly. It released one issue over a year ago, took a year off, and then released two issues in back-to-back months. I’m not sure on what end the trouble was—Mahnke isn’t usually this slow a writer, and Lemire has since fully dedicated himself to creator-owned work. But what this means is that this book is best seen as a roughly 150-page graphic novel and read in one go—and on that note, it’s fantastic. A post-apocalyptic thriller that pits a few surviving Vertigo heroes against the Parliaments of the Green, Red, and Rot, it takes us into the humanity of characters like Swamp Thing and John Constantine like few do. As Alec Holland battles against a dying body and Constantine and Deadman discuss a desperate last move, a new hero enters the fray—Maxine Baker, aka Animal Woman, who took over for her late father but has found herself increasingly embittered by humanity.
The biggest draw in this series is the fantastic fight scenes by Doug Mahnke, capturing some of the most brutal moments in the series and showing us just how grotesque it is when the Green and Red unite. But in all that, there are some really powerful and emotional moments. The human characters, who could have been little more than plot devices, get the chance to shine in the final battle. Maxine’s entry in the fight leads to some fantastic scenes, including a groundhog getting to play a surprisingly heroic role. Of all the characters, it’s John Constantine who really steals the show—pulling off one fantastic final gambit with his soul in the balance, and Deadman as his only companion as it all goes down. There’s a dark sense of humor and fatalism to much of the issue, but it all comes together into a surprisingly powerful emotional catharsis. There’s a reason Lemire is considered one of the all-time greats, and I’m a little sad this might be his DC swan song.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
