The trials of Levi Kamei, the new avatar of the Green, grow darker as the Pale Wanderer’s bloody spree leaves a trail of death across the Sonoran Desert. While his “lessons” begin to show Levi the true nature of what he is becoming, it is Jennifer Reece who’ll show Levi that he must contend with his past and his trauma in order to stop the murderous wraith. Will Levi Kamei grasp his newfound place in this world as the Swamp Thing? Or will his fears consume him before the new avatar can even take root? Find out as this eternal conflict of life and death comes to a head!
Ram V (Ramnarayan Venkatesan) is an author and comic book writer from Mumbai, India. His comics career began in 2012 with the award-nominated Indian comic series, Aghori. A graduate of the City University of London’s Creative Writing MA, he has since created the critically acclaimed Black Mumba and the fantasy adventure series, Brigands.
I've never read the original Swamp Thing as done by Alan Moore so I don't really have much to compare this to. I also didn't read Swamp Thing Future State so I went into this with new eyes to a classic DC character. I like what Ram V is going for with this first issue. There seems like there is going to be some discussion of morality with this series as well as discussions surrounding immigration. This definitely has potential to be classified as a confusing first issue, but I think it's one that will all come together over time. I really enjoyed the artwork. It had a gritty feel to it and I love the use of warm colors to balance out the panels. Overall, this was a good read and I'm looking forward to seeing what is going to come in future issues.
I’m loving the idea of Swamp Thing’s new run being about a new host! A fresh perspective, and really looking forward to Swamp Thing as an eldritch lens for immigration and transnational identities.
Pretty solid opener. Kinda confused at how he seemingly teleports all the time but I'm sure we will figure that out in the upcoming issues. I think this Pale Wanderer character may turn out to be an amazing mentor while simultaneously being the bad guy.
Swamp Thing okumaktan keyif aldığım bir karakter ancak bu hikâyeyi pek keyif alarak okumadım. Yeni bir "konak" ve yeni bir Swamp Thing ama bilmiyorum. Çizimlerini ve hikâyenin başının biraz farklı yerlerde oyalanmasını, bu oyalanmanın en sonda ana akışa bağlanmasını vs. bir tık sıkıcı buldum. Bir iki sayı daha okuduktan sonra devam edip etmemeye karar vereceğim. Şimdilik fikirlerim böyle.
There's something so cool and gruesome about Swamp Thing and this new rendition is no different. It's not clear how Levi picked up the mantle just yet, but writer Ram V. takes us on a frightening journey, as this poor man can't trust his own mind or body.
You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
I’m not saying I was sick of Alec Holland being the avatar of the Green but seeing a new character’s perspective as Swamp Thing seems like it’s going to be interesting.
Especially since this time it seems like more of a metamorphosis (at least for now).