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SWAMP THING #17

• The epic finale of “ROTWORLD” continues from this month’s ANIMAL MAN #17!

• What will it cost our heroes to stop this apocalypse from happening? The answer will blow your mind.

Story by Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire
Art by Andrew Belanger
Colors by Tony Avina
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover by Yanick Paquette, Steve Pugh, & Nathan Fairbairn

Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 0.0%

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Comments

  1. kcekada says:
    February 5, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Belanger? Who he?

  2. Avatar photo kingjoeg says:
    February 5, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    Really enjoyed some of the issue’s especially ST 7 and the francavilla issue, but i’m glad to be dropping it next issue when Snyder leaves because it hasn’t been that good in a long while.

  3. Avatar photo zlbenson says:
    February 5, 2013 at 7:14 pm

    I dropped this last issue, and Animal Man two issues ago so maybe there is an in-story reason for the art change – but what a BIZARRE art choice for so close to the finale of this storyline. I’m not saying the art is bad – but I would be so freakin irritated that after this long story line that they chose this way to go.

    • Avatar photo TurdSandwich says:
      February 5, 2013 at 10:45 pm

      Yeah I agree, I saw some previews and was surprised by the stark contrast in art style. I hope there is a reason other than Paquette or Rudy couldn’t get it done.

    • Avatar photo microwave25 says:
      February 6, 2013 at 7:15 am

      Wow I only saw that now. Mind boggling. That really is a strange choice and just solidifies the idea that not only have the fans grown tired of the event but it seems the creators have aswell.

  4. Avatar photo tittom says:
    February 5, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    I love Snyder’s writing and liked his run for the most part, but I am VERY happy this he’s wrapping things up with #18. Rotworld was far from his best stuff (except the Annual, which I thought was quite excellent) and I need a reason to drop this book, ha ha 🙂

  5. Avatar photo microwave25 says:
    February 6, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    I felt like a fool after reading this and the Animal Man issues. A fool that paid for 34 issues of Animal Man and Swamp Thing combined for one of the most mediocre and ill planned ending I have ever read. After all those issues of building this HUGE crossover that has been stirring since issue 1, they NOW choose, at the FINAL ISSUE to bring on a new artist with a completely different style and tone of everything done previously…….

    The writing was awful. There was needless appearances from strange characters and needless sequences of events all tied together with dreadful dialogue. Everything just felt like it was thrown together.

    I know I come across very harsh but the time and money I put into this whole voyage has felt like a complete waste after such excellent storytelling at the beginning. I stayed on because I really thought it would improve and now I feel like an idiot for holding such faith.

  6. Avatar photo Tigercubdoc says:
    February 6, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    What a terrible end to a great run. Art is very lacking, especially compared to Pacquette. The writing is by far the worst from either writer (and Snyder is one of my favorite writers currently working). A HUGE disappointment.

    • Avatar photo BradLWoods3 says:
      February 7, 2013 at 2:02 am

      I was really hoping the series would redeem itself with this issue and the Rotworld conclusion could be my pick of the week. That idea makes me chuckle a bit now.

  7. AquamanFan says:
    February 6, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    Yeah, I just kept saying to myself as I read, okay it is going to end soon, be over soon…and then finally it was. I am looking forward to another voice coming onto the book.

    • Juhl75 says:
      February 7, 2013 at 2:19 am

      me too… I keep reading about all these people dropping Swamp Thing and that makes me sad. Especially since the next coming on to the book has such a passion and love for the character. I also think Kano has done good work with Swamp Thing when brought in before. I love hearing about people that are going to stick with the title. I hope it doesn’t sink after Snyder leaves the book, that would be upsetting.

  8. Avatar photo kingjoeg says:
    February 6, 2013 at 5:07 pm

    This and Animal man have gone from being the best books to the worst books. Only one more issue coz it’s stupid to jump off now, glad I won’t have to pay for this crap anymore.

  9. Avatar photo TurdSandwich says:
    February 6, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    Wow DC must have started the WTF initiative early, because that is what I was thinking the whole time reading this issue. I think that Belanger is a good artist and I like his style, but it was just a terrible disservice to him–and the story–to have him start at the end of this “Epic” event. I felt like I was watching the Swamp Thing Saturday morning cartoon, and I was pretty disappointed with the storyline in general, no matter how the art looked.

    It made me wonder how happy Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire are with how this whole crossover went. When it was announced it seemed like they were both excited, but now that it’s over the story seemed like a far cry from either of their previous work. I kind of think that editorial saw dollar signs when both of the books started off with such great sales, and forced the crossover.

    • Avatar photo JokersNuts says:
      February 7, 2013 at 12:18 pm

      Since the crossover has obviously been brewing since the first issues of both series, I find it extremely hard to believe anything was “forced”.

  10. natureboy1 says:
    February 6, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    I agree with everyone else on the board about this book. The art is absolutely wretched! Some panels looks cartoony rather than eerie or surreal. As for the writing…..I’m so disappointed. I had never been a fan of Swamp Thing before but I decided to give it a try when the New 51 brought Alec Holland back. I was sold for the first few issues. However, I’ve been increasingly dissatisfied with the whole Rotworld arc. I just couldn’t see how it would have a satisfying conclusion. This issue my greatest fears came true: It was totally predictable and cliche. I have no interest in seeing what happens next and will be dropping this series immediately. To be honest, I couldn’t believe this was written by the same person who has become one of the most respected writers in the industry.

  11. Avatar photo BradLWoods3 says:
    February 6, 2013 at 10:14 pm

    Wow this was disappointing. Here we are finally wrapping up this overlong mess of a story arc and I assumed it would at least be Paquette doing the honors. Finish what you started, right? But no we had some guy named Belanger come out of nowhere with an inappropriately cartoony style that just ruined whatever good there was left in this book. I mean this was worse than Cloonan! God I can’t wait for the next creative team to take over. This blew.

  12. Avatar photo Jediaxle says:
    February 6, 2013 at 10:47 pm

    After really enjoying Animalman this week, I was looking forward to this and boy did it disappoint. Reaffirmed my decision to drop both books after 18.

  13. Avatar photo rogerwhitson says:
    February 6, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    sigh.

  14. Elementaljj says:
    February 6, 2013 at 11:50 pm

    Worst ending to a run ever. Whoever this artist was he needs to go back to a place where I don’t know his work.

  15. Avatar photo mikeandzod21 says:
    February 7, 2013 at 12:00 am

    Oh man, I know it’s been said a lot already here but the art in this was awful. It was so bad it distracted me from the story, which was also sadly lack luster. I kind of feel like Snyder kind of wasted his time on this book once the first arc finished. I’m sad that he’s going to be leaving because I like his voice, but as this series as gone on it’s lost a lot of the momentum it had at the start. I also think Snyder’s handle on Swamp Thing has been slipping a lot, but all of that never hit a point where it was bad. The art in this issue however made this a flat out bad issue. Did this guy win a contest or something? It looked like it came from one of the comic-strips adds, and definitely did not fit the tone or the pre-established style for this book.

  16. Avatar photo BradLWoods3 says:
    February 7, 2013 at 1:57 am

    Judging by all the comments this has to be considered one of the most epic failures in the history of comics. You know how Snyder pops in on Batman reviews and gives feedback? I would love to see that here.

    • Avatar photo JokersNuts says:
      February 7, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      epic failures in the history of comics? that’s not fair at all. Yes, this storyline and crossover went on for far too long and this final issue was a huge disapointment, but there where some great moments in this series, particularly at the start. it is definitely NOT one the “most epic failures in the history of comics”, I’d lump “Countdown to FC” in that category though.
      As for Snyder, he’s a really nice guy and its very cool to see a beloved writer engaging with the iFanbase on a regular basis, so don’t stir the pot and make him think twice about it.

    • Avatar photo BradLWoods3 says:
      February 7, 2013 at 7:54 pm

      There have been issues of Snyder’s Swamp Thing run that I’ve given five star ratings to and written glowing reviews of. But when he only pops in on Batman reviews it makes me question just how much he cares about Swamp Thing. If I “stir the pot and make him think twice about it” it’s not like he’ll stop interacting when it comes to Swamp Thing because he’s never interacted with us on it in the first place.

  17. Juhl75 says:
    February 7, 2013 at 2:25 am

    Although I have enjoyed Rotworld for the most part, I can somewhat understand people talking shit about it going on too long and the mediocre ending. It seems DC and the creators dropped the ball on this one and sucks for me that they did it to two of my favorite characters. Animal Man should still survive because of Lemire but it is too bad people are dropping this title after Snyder/Rotworld closes. Soule has a real love for ST and I think the book is going to benefit from this change. I like Snyder, but this Rotworld idea really seems to have let a lot of people down and may end up leading to one of my favorite titles being cancelled. I hope people give Soule and Kano a shot.

  18. WookieLoveMachine says:
    February 7, 2013 at 10:07 am

    a great build up for 17+ issues only to really drop the ball on the grand finale. Nothing against Lancaster’s art but talk about being put into a tough spot. His art did not come close to matching the tone Paquette, Rudy, and Francivilla had laid out for 16+ issues. DC you should have delayed this to get it right. Left a pretty bad taste. Another DC New 52 off the pull list.

    I would love to see Lancaster on something a little more light hearted. DC really screwed the pooch on his selction for this .

  19. Avatar photo manwithoutbeer says:
    February 7, 2013 at 11:30 am

    I’m glad I dropped this at issue 10. I was scared I was missing out on something legendary this whole time.

  20. Avatar photo manwithoutbeer says:
    February 7, 2013 at 11:35 am

    And Andrew Belanger is actually pretty good if you look up his stuff….I think he was just rushed on this.

  21. Avatar photo JokersNuts says:
    February 7, 2013 at 12:04 pm

    wait… this was the final issue?! I didn’t even realize that until now. oh man. yeah it was really bad. I actually thought the set up this week in Animal Man was really good, but oh well. I’m not dropping the book or anything yet, but… yeah…

  22. Avatar photo YoImLegend says:
    February 7, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    The art doesn’t fit the story at all. I’m not sure which editor ok’d Belanger to be a fill in for this, but they made a massive mistake. It did a disservice to everyone involved, including him. It’s really too bad. The talents for both Animal Man and Swamp Thing are being wasted on bad decisions.

  23. Avatar photo maxpower00044 says:
    February 7, 2013 at 5:40 pm

    I’m going to echo the sentiments around here. The art completely took me out of the story, and the finale suffered as a whole because of it.

  24. Avatar photo FirstMan says:
    February 7, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    I feel like this was two great writers with to many good ideas, and tried to cram it all into this epic before realizing it was just to much. I hope the idea of the rot sticks around for a while because it would be a good villain for some different books. The biggest complain I have though is the short time we got in finally seeing the parliament of the rot, also I did not like the ghost concept.

    • Avatar photo YoImLegend says:
      February 7, 2013 at 6:14 pm

      Pacing issues. Never really thought about it, but they were pretty apparent. Does anyone with any insight into the way things work know if pacing issues like this come down to the writer or the editor?

  25. Avatar photo ed209AF says:
    February 7, 2013 at 8:27 pm

    How was this a finale? it ended with a “check out next month for the exciting conclusion”!

    Art was just not right for this book, some of the panel to panel transitions were just wonky.

    When Anton started destroying the green machine, as I am calling it, they literally just had someone yell out “he’s destroying it” and THEN showed him perched on it’s head pulling out random wires.

    Sorry Snyder, but this was a dud. I hope his final issue will cap this off better, either way I’m done with Swampy when he leaves.
    Art 2
    Story 3
    2.5 stars

  26. Avatar photo MegaPhilip says:
    February 9, 2013 at 7:17 am

    So Snyder is human! This issue made me think of the week before I graduated college and still had 3 assignments left to do and had to choose which ones I did well and which one I simply completed.

    As has been noted, the art was really inappropriate for the book. I enjoyed issues #16 of both books (AM and ST) as well as Animal Man’s Part One to the finale. Then I opened this…poor choice. It was disappointing but the world isn’t over. There were still some great issues and Snyder and Lemire will still get my dollars in their future endeavors. Just a bad (second to) last issue :/

  27. Avatar photo theWAC1 says:
    February 9, 2013 at 9:12 am

    I dropped this book at Prelude to the Rot. The writing was on the wall! Thank you everyone for your comments. I feel so relieved. I was afraid I would miss something. Now I don’t even need to buy the trade. Perfect! Thinking I might check out the new team (although the scarecrow as a villain for Swampy seems strange). I echo the sentiments here, this title started out bad ass and then went down the toilet with the rot. I wish someone would come out and say what actually happened to this and Animal Man because both writers are definitely capable of better work.

  28. Avatar photo JaqueNargg says:
    February 9, 2013 at 10:08 am

    This is the first time I’ve rated a book 1 star. Animal Man was slightly better just because the art was more consistent, and I like that the fill in artist on some of those pages actually resembled the look of AM so far. I wish I’d have dropped both titles after those awful prelude issues and given that money to a different title.

  29. Avatar photo ArsNotoria">ArsNotoria says:
    February 10, 2013 at 8:52 am

    Couldn’t be more disappointed with this issue. I’ve been on with Swamp Thing since issue #1 and, as others have already pointed out, the art style chosen for this issue couldn’t be more in contrast with the overall tone of this book. Also, why call issue #17 the “finale” if there wasn’t any sort of conclusion to the arc? I mean, I can take an informed guess as to what happens in the next issue but this was just so bad that I want to drop both AM and Swampy right now. However, in order to not be entirely negative, a new creative team could be the spark that this title needs to get past the debacle that was the Rotworld Saga.

  30. Avatar photo DavidClark says:
    February 13, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    I feel really disrespected. I mean, come on Scott, you were okay with the quality of this product? I don’t believe you seriously thought that this would was even remotely okay to publish. Cliche, cliche.

    The art was probably the worst choice for a book I’ve ever seen (including Liefeld). I’m not trying to be harsh but the art was atrocious, a 1.

    This whole issue just doesn’t scan for me. WTF happened to Swamp Thing?

  31. Avatar photo stasisbal says:
    February 18, 2013 at 11:51 pm

    Still reading a friend’s copies of Animal Man and Swamp Thing. I dropped them a couple issues ago but was at least interested enough to read the conclusion.

    The ending was, for the most part, exactly what I was expecting. Rotworld was a flawed setup from the beginning. The build up was too long and the heroes then stumbled into the plot like a couple of morons. It was obvious the story would need to be reversed at the end because it takes place in the DCU. If the ride was more interesting it might have been OK but it was largely forgettable. Plus Blackest Night was relatively recent and the zombified heroes felt played out.

    And the art in Swamp Thing #17… If this is the price of shipping books on time I say no thank you. I can’t imagine anyone involved is happy with the final product. I’ve never head of Andrew Belanger before and he seems like a decent artist. He is just completely out of place here and looks rushed. Unfortunate.

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