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The more I've sat with Future State Swamp Thing the more I am impressed with how it builds upon some of the best Swamp Thing stories of the past while in just one issue taking the character in a concept I don't remember it ever going before.
We meet Swamp Thing in a post apocalyptic world seemingly devoid of humans and accompanied by other plant people. In interludes, we learn that Swamp Thing experimented and built these plantfolk, and read of his emotion at hearing another voice for the first time.
Swamp Thing dealing with loneliness by growing company for himself really called to mind "My Blue Heaven", a story from the end of Alan Moore's run on Saga of the Swamp Thing.
In that story, Swamp Thing is stranded on a blue, alien planet. He grows first a copy of himself, then of Abby and then a whole town, puppeteering them all and roleplaying a fantasy life. It gruesomely crashes down as it is all just self delusion made tuberous flesh.
Future State Swamp Thing grows bodies similarly but goes further in creating not just puppets but creatures with minds and life of their own. (although maybe still rooted in his?)
These connections and contrasts are invoked directly by Indigo, whose look calls back to puppet facsimile Swamp Thing but in this story is his own being, with separate attitudes and even some antagonism with the other plant people
I am really looking forward to the 2nd Future State issue but even more so to the upcoming Swamp Thing series from this same team. Ram V has shown he's going to take full advantage of the malleability and endless opportunities that the Swamp Thing concept allows for.
As an aside, knowing that the upcoming series follows a new character taking up the Swamp Thing mantle, it occurs to me that we don't actually have an indication of which Swamp Thing is featured in this glimpse of the future.
"My Blue Heaven" is issue #56 of Saga of the Swamp Thing w. by Alan Moore, art from Rick Veitch and Alfred Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters John Costanza. Future State Swamp Thing #1 is written by Ram V with art by Mike Perkins, colors June Chung, letters Aditya Bidikar
