Review- SWAMP THING VOL. 7: SEASON'S END

SWAMP THING VOL. 7: SEASON'S END (DC, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Collects Swamp Thing #35-40, Swamp Thing Annual #3, and Swamp Thing: Futures End #1 (cover dates November, 2014- May, 2015)

Writer: Charles Soule

Artists: Jesus Saiz, Javier Pina, Ryan Browne, David Bullock, Carmen Carnero, and Yanick Pacquette

Colorists: Matt Hollingsworth, June Chung, Nathan Fairbarn, Jose Villarrubia, and Matthew Wilson

This is the end of the road for The New 52 incarnation of the Swamp Thing. While bits and pieces of this run have flown in the face of the continuity established before, this is by and large faithful to the original Len Wein run filtered through Alan Moore's run.

Alan Moore introduced the concept of the Swamp Thing as part the avatar of The Green. Over the course of this series we have been introduced to The Red (the animal kingdom), The Rot (decay), and The Grey (mushrooms and fungi). Now we meet the kingdom of The Machine, initially comprised of A Calculus, B Calculus, C Calculus, and their apparent leader among supposed equals, Omega Calculus.

SPOILERS from here on out. You have been warned!

The Machine decide that they should acquire an avatar after being soundly defeated by the Swamp Thing. The Machine are constantly learning and evolving, so they choose Lady Weeds to become their avatar. The Machine renames her the even more ridiculously named Machine Queen, and The Calculus becomes the Rithm. The Rithm seeks to manage all life on Earth in order to make it run more efficiently. So all of the various kingdoms form alliances and wage war against one another. I won't go into the outcome, as even spoiler tags won't make me ruin the whole thing for you.

This has been an enjoyable series but I am not picking up the Rebirth Swamp Thing series. I love Len Wein's writing and would like to see what he has cooked up all of these years later but I just can't get into Kelley Jones' artwork. I am content to walk away from the character for now. The ending of this series could be read as an end of the character...just like Alan Moore's run.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick laminated cardstock.