Monday, February 13, 2023

Swamp Thing: Green Hell #2 Review


  

Written by: Jeff Lemire
Art by: Doug Mahnke
Colors by: David Baron
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by: Doug Mahnke
Cover price: $6.99
Release date: February 14, 2023

Swamp Thing: Green Hell #2 finds Constantine drafting Swamp Thing and assorted mystical characters worldwide to stop the Parliament's plan to wipe out humanity and save the world.
Is It Good? 

Yeah, that's the stuff right there. Jeff Lemire's take on Big Green is a pure treat, and although the gap between issues #1 and #2 spans over a year, the results are phenomenal.

When we last left Earth (issue #1 came out in December 2021), the environment was depleted, and the last vestiges of humanity struggled to hold on in decaying conditions. Suddenly, a monster with Swamp Thing-like characteristics emerged to kill humans, but the creature's path of destruction was slowed down by an older John Constantine.

Now, Constantine rips the original Swamp Thing (Alec Holland) away from retirement with the souls of his wife and daughter to help stop the monsters sent by the Parliament of the Green to save the environment by purging humanity.

It's incredible how well Jeff Lemire can inject layers and nuance into a plot to make a simple premise rich with complexity. The complexity doesn't mean it's complicated to read. It means that the story has layers of emotion and dramatic consequences you rarely see in a comic from DC or Marvel.

Swamp Thing's return to the Earthly plane instantly puts him at odds with Constantine and the Green for different reasons. His morals are challenged by an impossible choice, and your heart breaks for what he must do and what he will sacrifice. This is a mature story in every sense of the word.

Before the issue ends on an inevitable cliffhanger, the enemy becomes infinitely stronger, the hero becomes immeasurably weaker, and it's anyone's guess what will happen next.

Doug Mahnke's art is next-level. The figure work, the use of shadows, the panel compositions, and the facial acting is captivating. Combined with Baron's impressively detailed coloring and Wand's excellent lettering, this is the best Swamp Thing series in years.


About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Swamp Thing: Green Hell #2 returns to the mini-series after a year-long break to offer a chapter rich with dramatic layers, nuanced emotions, complex conflicts, and phenomenal art.

9.5/10

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