By Steve Baxi — The last two years have raised severe doubts in humanity’s collective ability to choose hope over darkness, kindness over violence, and freedom over oppression. At every stage, the answer to what makes us human is met with countless examples of the horrors we are capable of and the propagation of our worst ideas. The Swamp Thing - a relaunched series by Ram V, Mike Perkins, Mike Spicer, June Chung, and Aditya Bidikar - introduces a new avatar of the green who wrestles with these very questions: what makes him human? What good is humanity? What are our ideas guiding us toward: transcendence or destruction?

In these six issues, The Swamp Thing proves to be the best superhero title at any major publisher. Levi Kamei provides a unique perspective that resonantes not only as an Indian American myself but as a way to discuss Eastern concepts and mythology in the wider context of the DC universe. Mike Perkins turns in career high art and the joint color duties of Spicer in the main series and Chung on the Future State issues creates an atmosphere unlike anything else being published by DC right now. Bidikar previously worked with Ram V on These Savage Shores and I think demonstrates a fantastic case study of when a writer and a letterer understand each other’s rhythm. The power, pace and punctuated moments of this series is a testament to how in sync this team is.

Immediately this series landed for me because it feels like the right incarnation of Swamp Thing for our current world. In the opening arcs, we learn some of the circumstances around Levi Kamei becoming the new Swamp Thing, as well as touching on his relationship to his family in India, his work in the states and his friends who help him process his transformations. These last couple years as we’ve isolated ourselves from loved ones and the world at large, I’ve felt a growing curiosity towards my own indian identity. I started to cook Indian food, read more about Indian history, and re-familiarized myself with the myths I was raised on. Levi feels like a near perfect stand in for that experience. His relationship to his father, his design, and how Indian experience is positioned throughout these pages is not only natural but deeply personal to me. Levi may have hit me in the right place at the right time but I think saying that undersells how well Ram V is able to make this character come alive immediately.

While the series feels authentic to Indian identity, it ultimately asks much larger questions about humanity itself. In the opening Future State issue, the thesis of this run seems to be what is humanity’s capacity for violence and what does it mean to be human in light of our inclination towards destruction? Swamp Thing as a character embodies both the human realm of profound self-awareness, and catastrophic self-destruction. He is both the universal, transcendental aspirations of our world and everything that binds us in the dirt, keeping us from reaching those grander designs.

The horror of Levi’s transformations paint a grim picture of how painful, how inhuman it can feel to shed our sense of self in order to become something more, something beyond our limits. And even when we arrive there, when we reach the realm of ideas and platonic forms, how do we survive? What makes any concept more worthy, more persistent than any other? Swamp Thing is a force of nature, but here Ram V asks what is our nature and how much work are we allowing “force” to do in that equation?

The difficulty with characters like Swamp Thing is that these questions are abstract, and over the years there’s a tendency to want concrete answers. The metaphysics are forced to become plain old physics, and the existential becomes the biological. Rather than lean into the essential nature of the green, this series pushes back against solid ideas on a solid foundation. The language and actions of Swamp Thing are confused, almost innocent, while the green is vast, dreamlike and ambiguous. The green becomes whatever it needs to be to help Levi understand his own purpose, and by extension places a great deal of burden on the reader to uncover their own ideas of humanity as expressed through Levi.

As we explore the world of the green, and adjust to the various pains of Levi’s transformation, Mike Perkins takes us on a Cronenberg-esque journey through biology and ecology, carefully detailing each muscle, each cellar pathway, and each lush environment. Once again, this is a book that demonstrates superb partnership. Ram V’s background as a chemical engineer allows him to describe and educate us on the finer details of what we’re seeing, but it also gives Mike Perkins a completely new library of material to draw and explore. His characters have never looked as human as they do here, but they have also never been described in such acute biological detail before either.

June Chung colors the introductory Future State issues while the main series is done by Mike Spicer. Chung’s style is more understated, focusing on shadows, while Spicer allows for more contrast. Both however capture the darker atmosphere of the story in general, and it is without a doubt the coloring and artwork that give this series the feel of a classic Vertigo title. The tone conveyed by this art team sets the expectations of the story, this is not an adventure book per se, its a personal journey and that is clear from page one.

I want to briefly touch on the elephant in the room: anytime Swamp Thing is relaunched, the comparisons to Alan Moore start flooding in. The strange history of comics allowed for several strong creatives to take on Swamp Thing, making the title a unique showcase of talent over the years. However, Moore’s influence is always looming, sometimes unfairly, to whoever happens to be in the hot seat. This series has drawn comparisons to Moore’s work, but I don’t believe that’s been necessary, nor does it adequately prepare someone to read this take. This is unquestionably the work, structure and voice of a team that has found its own style, as well as developed unique partnerships with each other. This reads as a companion to Ram V’s and Aditya Bidikar’s These Savage Shores, more than it does any previous Swamp Thing. Similarly, my biggest take away from Perkins’ art was how much it evolved from his days on Brubaker’s Captain America. This is not Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing, nor is it attempting to be a successor to Moore’s run. This is without a doubt Ram V, Mike Perkins, Mike Spider, June Chung and Aditya Bidikar, all of their collective goals, interests and growth, by way of Swamp Thing.

The collection itself is my only real complaint. As a 10 issue series to cover Season 1, and a couple Future State tie-ins, it seems odd that there wasn’t just a release of the complete 12 issues like so many other maxis. Breaking the trade up at issue #4, and then leaving #5-10 for the next volume creates an awkward pause in the narrative. I would have preferred a complete release of the series over this unnatural cut-in-half treatment. This doesn’t impact the quality of the story being told, it simply speaks to the history of odd decisions when collecting comics in trade.

Overall, I can say without a doubt that The Swamp Thing is my favorite superhero title right now. This is a book that fires on all cylinders, with each artist honing their craft in unique ways to best compliment their collaborators. Their efforts combine to tell a story that hits at the very fundamental questions of what it means to be human, and what our aspirations cost us. Not only do we have an incredible evergreen title but also a unique voice in Levi, allowing a largely western audience to see the richness of myth and familial relationships from the perspective of an Indian character. The Swamp Thing is a must buy, especially if you aren’t familiar with the character already. This was an opportunity to do something new, exciting and unique that exceeded all expectations.

Trade Collection Review: The Swamp Thing Vol 1: Becoming

The Swamp Thing Vol 1: Becoming
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Mike Perkins
Colorist: Mike Spicer, June Chung
Letter: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $16.99
Swamp Thing returns in a new series that stars Levi Kamei as the next Guardian of the Green!
Unable to control his transformation into the monstrous Swamp Thing, Levi is thrust into the harsh, unforgiving mystery of grisly murders committed by a supernatural desert legend. Levi must revisit past events in his homeland of India and face the deadly reality of a ravenous new villain in order to comprehend what he is truly, and horrifyingly, becoming. A new era of global action and horror blossoms here, and Swamp Thing will be at the root of it!
Collects Future State: Swamp Thing #1-2 and Swamp Thing #1-4
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
More Info: The Swamp Thing Vol. 1 - Becoming

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Steve Baxi has a Masters in Ethics and Applied Philosophy, with focuses in 20th Century Aesthetics and Politics. Steve creates video essays and operates a subscription based blog where he writes on pop culture through a philosophy lens. He tweets through @SteveSBaxi.