The road through The Rot has been a long one. For eighteen issues, writer Scott Snyder has led through the battle of The Rot, The Red and The Green. Out of balance and subjected to the undead tyranny of Anton Arcane, The Green and The Red looked as though they would fall victim to The Rot. Cue Swamp Thing, avatar of The Green and a creature who would help fight for a world fallen under the evil of The Rot. Swamp Thing #18 not only brings a close to this adventure, it brings and end to Scott Snyder’s tenure as writer.
At the end of Swamp Thing #17, it was revealed that The Rot is actually not an evil element, but rather one tricked into making the evil Anton Arcane its avatar. Looking to set the fallen world right again, The Rot sent both Swamp Thing and Animal Man back to specific points when the tide turned against the world. For Swamp Thing, the moment is the death of Abby Arcane, the niece of Anton and the rightful avatar for The Rot. Her denial of her destiny allowed Anton to claim the throne and helped the downfall of mankind. Now, Swamp Thing is here to stop Abby from dying and allow her to right these wrongs.
Snyder handles his final issue with a certain grace. This isn’t an action story; this is about the hard choices we must make and embracing our own destiny. Swamp Thing battles through all that he has, and then, just as he saves Abby and stands ready to love her, it’s revealed that the only way to truly stop Anton is for Abby to accept her place as the avatar to The Rot. Snyder pens this scene in such a way that you feel the pain between the two lovers. As avatars, they will know great power, but also great loneliness. It’s also very cool to see Abby as the avatar rip Anton apart.
Outside of the general excellence of the issue, it was nice to see Snyder end his run by setting things up for the next writer. In a final gift to Swamp Thing, The Green allows avatar Abby to visit him for the last time. During their final embrace, they allow their human bodies to be wrapped up and consumed by the green. It’s the final resting place of Alec Holland and it sums up all that Snyder has done to bring Swamp Thing into the present. There’s also a nod to who might one day inherit the Swamp Thing role. With issue 18, Snyder solidifies his place next to Bernie Wrightson, Len Wein and Alan Moore as those who helped to elevate Swamp Thing to new heights.
Yanick Paquette. If Snyder has to jump ship I really, really hope Yanick Paquette sticks around as artist for Swamp Thing. I don’t know how many more lines I can write singing the praises of Paquette’s art. Every time this guy lifts a pencil, brilliance happens. His ability to bring gorgeous work to even the most innocuous panel proves that Paquette is unable to do shoddy work. Just stare at the scenes happening between worlds and you’ll begin to understand how Yanick Paquette thinks in layers; he pencils things to give as much depth as possible. I can randomly open to any page and the artwork is so good I get angry.
With all the greatness of Paquette, a nod must be given to colorist Nathan Fairbairn. Approaching colors for the style of art Paquette does isn’t easy. Too much, and the pencils become blurred and muted. Too little, and what the scenes have in detail and ability they may lack in vibrancy. Fairbairn walks that line perfectly, giving The Green a soft and natural glow, while The Rot is held in shadow and harsh red tones. The combination of Paquette’s pencils and Fairbairn’s art is unstoppable.
Swamp Thing #18 is a perfect end to a historic run from Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette.
(4.5 Art, 4.5 Story)
