Review: Swamp Thing Vol. 7- Season’s End

Quick Summary

Pros: The storyline is fantastic and has plenty of action and excitement. The characters are all compelling and well written. Numerous story arcs and characters return to make the finale even more impressive and meaningful. The world of Swamp Thing is expanded upon. The entire book looks beautiful.

Cons: Nothing significant.

Overall: This is a wonderfully told story that gives a worthy conclusion to a series that has been consistently terrific. In it, readers see Swamp Thing fight numerous battles against enemies that are as creatively designed as they are intimidating. In addition, concepts from previous volumes are reintroduced in a way that allows them to contribute to the significance of the finale. All of this makes for an incredibly exciting story, one that will not disappoint anyone who has been keeping up with the series so far.

Story

With the final volume of his run on the character, it seems as if Swamp Thing writer, Charles Soule, saved the best for last, as Swamp Thing Vol. 7: Season’s End is easily the most interesting and exciting story told in this series thus far. It pits our hero against a variety of threatening and dynamic enemies, whose actions generate tons of excitement. It also brings in numerous elements from the past six volumes, completing subplots and resolving stories that all contribute to a more grand and epic conclusion. At the same time, new elements are being added to the Swamp Thing mythos, enriching the story and leaving the character in a better position than ever before. Overall, this is a fantastic comic that delivers on everything one could possibly ask for.

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Right off the bat, Charles Soule’s writing ensures that this final volume is going to be every bit as exciting and thrilling as fans are expecting. The rise of an entire new kingdom is a serious threat and the return of several key villains amplifies this threat even further. Swamp Thing tumbles through action sequences in a way that guarantees constant excitement and flirts with death in a way that guarantees constant suspense. This combination of excitement and thrills makes Season’s End a hard book to put down and an easy book to get completely absorbed with.

Along with a captivating story, Charles Soule’s writing also makes for characters that are just as compelling. Every character in this volume, from the most major to the most minor, is written in a way that feels unique. This ranges from Calculus’ usage of internet slang when speaking to the Lady of Weeds’ unwavering insanity. Their unique personalities, when paired with the story, make it easy to connect and understand their motivations, which makes it easier to become even further involved in the story being told here.

In addition, like previous volumes, one of the best aspects of Season’s End is how it builds upon the Swamp Thing mythos and makes it even more interesting than ever before. Within this one volume, Charles Soule shows how a new kingdom can be created, details how the new kingdom can interact with and choose its Avatar, and creates kingdoms for machines and bacteria. These are awesome concepts that leave the world of Swamp Thing feeling richer than ever before. They also significantly contribute to the overall appeal and interest in the story.

However, the key component that makes this book so much better than anything prior is the way in which pieces from previous volumes are incorporated into this one. Within a few pages, readers get to see the end of Capucine’s story, the rise and fall of the Lady of Weeds, the death of the Seeder and the Grey’s Avatar, and even the return of the entire Parliament of Trees. Each one of these story elements constitutes a tale that readers have been waiting to see completed and each one is handled with utmost respect. Together, all of this makes for a volume that feels like a conclusion should and may be a contender for one of the best series conclusions in this era of comics.

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Art

Alongside the impressive storytelling, readers will find plenty of impressive artwork, throughout Season’s End. When the book describes the formation of new kingdoms, journeys between worlds, and epic battles between monstrous creatures, their artwork delivers a product fitting the description. Jesús Saíz and Javier Piña’s work here plays a significant role in making sure this volume of Swamp Thing looks as good as it reads. In addition, colors from Matt Hollingsworth and June Chung bolster the already good looking artwork. Overall, the creativity and attention to detail here are great and make an already impressive book even more so.

Continuity

Swamp Thing Vol. 7: Season’s End continues the story from Swamp Thing Vol. 6: The Sureen (Review).

This Swamp Thing series ends with this comic. However, Swamp Thing’s adventures continue in Swamp Thing: The Dead Don’t Sleep.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The vegetation that the previous Swamp Thing uses to construct his himself is the same as the vegetation in Swamp Thing #56, which is collected in Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 5.
• The previous incarnation of Swamp Thing wielded a White Lantern Ring back in Brightest Day.