Swamp Thing #5 and Animal Man #5

Swamp Thing and Animal Man make up a portion of the darker side of the new DCU. Their mythos have been retold to make them a part of something greater than just being a couple of "odd" heroes. Swamp Thing is now defined as an avatar of the Green; a name for the web of life that connects all plants across the planet. Animal Man is defined as having a connection to the Red; a name for the web of life that connects all animals across the planet. Together they are headed into the battle to save the world against the other side of animal and plant life, a force known as the Rot representing the forces of disease and destruction, possibly even death.

Swamp Thing or Alec Holland, since currently Alec is not the Swamp Thing, has been moving towards a confrontation with the latest avatar of the Rot. The problem is that Alec remembers having been the Swamp Thing once before, but in truth it was just his formerly dead body being animated by the Green. In that previous incarnation, Alec had a relationship with a young lady named Abby; she was his true love. That wouldn't be so bad except Abby's family is the bloodline for the Rot's avatars and her brother has embraced his role as the latest avatar. Worse is that the Rot is still calling out for Abby. As this issue moves to its finish, it seems that Alec and Abby are going to win out against her brother William as Alec calls upon the Green to hold William fast in a tree. He and Abby then share a kiss as their relationship begins to bloom new with the now living Alec which leads to the conclusion where the Rot gains a foothold to corrupt the Green through the kiss.

Scott Snyder (writer) is truly weaving an awesome story in Swamp Thing, reminiscent of the old days of Swamp Thing within the Vertigo line of titles. While the series is not quite as adult oriented as much of the Vertigo line is today, it is definitely a dark read for more mature readers who aren't prone to the nightmares that could come from a slaughterhouse of dead animals being animated by the Rot. Yanick Paquette's artwork in Swamp Thing fits the title well. The darker imagery is perfect for the darker edge of this title. I had originally not intended to read the Swamp Thing at all, but Snyder and Paquette have trapped me with their impeccable combination of art and words as they weave what I think will be a classic Swamp Thing tale in the future.

Animal Man is fighting the Rot from the animal side while Swamp Thing is fighting it from the plant side. Buddy Baker (Animal Man) is being redefined with this relaunch much like Swamp Thing and is a darker title than I ever imagined for this character. Like Alec, Buddy's fight is made more problematic by a girl, in this case his daughter, Maxine, who is even more powerful in control of the Red than her father. While Buddy is connected to the Red and can borrow the abilities of animals, his daughter is destined to be the avatar of the Red. This makes her a valuable target for the Rot, who wants to corrupt Maxine and through her corrupt the Red.

The Rot has sent three hunters to face off against Buddy and his daughter, and they have been slowly losing ground to Animal Man and Maxine. Animal Man faces off against the last of the hunters in this issue while Maxine remains safely behind with her mother and a guardian from the Red. Animal Man is all but defeated when his daughter demonstrates her control over the Red to send several animals to rescue her dad. The rescue turns ugly though and gives the Rot a victory that leaves the guardian (in the form of a talking cat named Socks) stating that only the Swamp Thing can save them now. Too bad we already saw what's happening in that title this month too.

Jeff Lemire writes Animal Man and the story is well written given that it is re-defining Animal Man in a genre where he hasn't been before. Previously Animal Man was a B-list hero at best who often served as a fill-in for the Justice League. Now, he's firmly entrenched in the darker corners of the DCnU fighting against a power that can truly destroy the entire world. This is something we were more used to seeing with Vixen than Animal Man, but it's a pleasant and surprising believable turn for Animal Man with the writing of Lemire. Travel Foreman's artwork (with a little help from Steve Pugh this issue) creates some amazingly dark imagery in this book much like Paquette's in Swamp Thing. While I don't like the art style on the normal humans of the DCnU in the book, it is still well drawn for the imagery I believe the writer and the artists want to invoke. Again, I wouldn't let young ones prone to nightmares read this comic, but I do recommend it for those mature enough to recognize the imagery for the fiction it is.

Together these two series are rapidly heading for the new 52's second crossover (maybe first depending on if Teen Titans and Superboy get to their crossover first or not) and the obvious next step of the rebuilding of the DCU as the DCnU as characters outside the Justice League books start to meet and interact with each other to face threats together.

I am really enjoying these two series and recommend them to anyone who is a fan of comics with a darker edge or of Animal Man or Swamp Thing. So far, they are great reads and the story has been building well. Definitely two of the surprise hits of the DCnU.

Thanks for reading!