Anton Arcane is back and is out to help The Rot take over the world! At the finale to ‘Swamp Thing’ #10, Abby Arcane had placed the Swamp Thing back in the swamp so that he could recover. As Swampy was recovering, Anton and his mutated un-men got the drop on Abby!

Abby fights bravely against her father and his minions but, in the end, she is outnumbered and overpowered. Meanwhile, back at the swamp, Alec’s body might be lying in the waters and recovering but his spirit is definitely a lot more active. Inside The Green, Alec talks to the Parliament of Trees who tell him that he has to stop Arcane before the monster kills all life on Earth.

Then it’s back into the action as Swamp Thing teams up with Abby to battle Arcane once more. As the issue closes, Arcane shows off some new abilities and escapes through a portal into a world where it seems as if The Rot has already won the coming war. When Swamp Thing tells Abby not to follow her father…

SPOILERS!

…Buddy Baker (Animal Man) and his family arrive and tell Swampy that the pair must follow Arcane into The Rot to put a stop to this once and for all.

Yes! Yes! Yes! It’s finally happened! Ever since their New 52 relaunch, the stories in ‘Swamp Thing’ and ‘Animal Man’ have been strongly hinting at a coming crossover. That crossover was confirmed a while back by the books’ creators. And now, it’s finally here! Next month, we’ll be treated to the prologue to ‘Rotworld’ story arc in both ‘Animal Man’ and ‘Swamp Thing’. Of course, that means that you’ll have to read both series to get the full story but I’d ask… why aren’t you reading both of thee books already? They’re great!

As for this issue, I liked the buildup to the final reveal and Marco Rudy is back on art so the action does indeed look good but, after Francesco Francavilla’s beautifully dark and shadowy art last month, I realize that Arcane is much more frightening when he stays in the dark. That said, this guy would still be pretty darn creepy under a sun lamp and a disco ball. He’s just a horrible frightful beast of a man.

Verdict: Buy

SWAMP THING #11
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Marco Rudy
Cover by Yanick Paquette