The Swamp Thing and the world: A discussion with Ram V

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us in our Discord soon!NEWSImage Comics workers form a union, Comic Book Workers United - Image won’t voluntarily recognize unionJeff Lemire announces ‘The Bone Orchard’ for 2022 (more details here)Marvel releases future ‘Devil’s Reign’ February 2022 detailsMarvel Comics releases all ‘Timeless’ teasers – see the future here!Valiant’s ‘Eternal Warrior: Scorched Earth’ OGN fully fundedTaika Waititi moving on from ‘Thor’ to direct ‘The Incal’ movie‘Fox and Hare’ shifts release date due to COVID-related delaysSwamp Thing season 2 officially on!Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - The Me You Love in the Dark #4 (Skottie Young, Jorge Corona)Dave - Batman/Superman Authority Special #1 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Trevor Hairsine, Ben Templesmith)Our Top Books of the WeekDave:Silver Coin #6 (Josh Williamson, Michael Walsh)Dark Knights Of Steel #1 (Tom Taylor, Yasmine Putri)Nathan:The Human Target #1 (Tom King, Greg Smallwood)The Swamp Thing #9 (Ram V, Mike Perkins)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK Dave: Venom #1 (Ewing, Ram V, Bryan Hitch)Nathan: Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #1 (Christopher Cantwell, Luca Casalanguida)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: Alien #8 (Silva Cover)Nathan: Harley Quinn: The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour #3 (Hetrick cover)Segment: Interview with Ram V!First of all, congrats: The Swamp Thing is officially getting a second season! (Pause) Now, this was initially announced as a 10-issue series. Did you always have more stories in the tank if it were to get renewed, or did you expand your original plans when you got confirmation of more issues?You recently mentioned on Twitter that you're drawn to writing characters who give us "a unique window unto humanity, people — why we are the way that we are." What is it about the Swamp Thing - and Levi Kamei, in particular - that lends itself to telling those kinds of stories?Themes of familial duty and colonialism have been an especially strong component of the last few issues. Was that part of your original conception of the series, or is that something that has evolved as the book has continued?Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer have been creating some really incredible imagery, particularly when it comes to the delineation of the flashbacks in recent issues. Meanwhile, Aditya Bidikar has made Swampy's voice feel like it's rumbling right off the page. What has that collaboration process been like with all three?Levi’s brother Jacob has been teased from the start and makes an appearance in the latest issue, what makes their brotherhood so important to the narrative itself?While it was unclear what generated this plant-fueled apocalypse in Future State, Levi's reunion with Jacob suggests that Hedera's corrosive influence on the Green may be leading to this potential outcome. Is this an off base theory?!We’re obviously thrilled to hear that this story will be continuing. Anything you want to tease/any foreboding words of warning for the reader about what’s ahead?  (Maybe: Might we see a return to the world of Future State: Swamp Thing?)