May/AAPI Month Book Club: Future State Swamp Thing! May 23 - June 3

@DCBookClub - The struggle of war is widespread, while humanity hides in the shadow of a Green God. Will Swamp Thing meet his end in this battle against the human race? Only one way to find out…

Join us for this month’s Official DC Book Club! In celebration of AAPI month, we’ll be reading Ram V.'s Future State Swamp Thing #1 and #2! From today until June 3rd, read through the first two issues of an epic Swamp Thing story that brings us through a growing clash between humanity and a Green God that rules the planet. **Future State Swamp Thing #1 and #2 are free to read for all registered DCUI users, so dive into these first two issues and come back to this thread for weekly discussion questions!

Here are some discussion questions to kick things off:

Future State Swamp Thing #1 Discussion Questions
  1. In the opening pages of the first issue, “Green Father” describes a past world where humans have a preoccupation with violence. Do you agree with this view? Are we as humans prone to change through violence?

  2. Why do you think the “Green Father” spared the life of a helpless human?

  3. Who do you think is the “villain” in this story so far? Is there an established “good guy” and “bad guy” in this first issue?

  4. Do you believe that one of the greatest threats to humans is themselves?

  5. What do you think are the themes and values of this story so far? After reading the first issue, what is your main takeaway?

Future State Swamp Thing #2 Discussion Questions
  1. On page 4 of this issue, the concept of hope is discussed. What role do you think hope plays in this story?

  2. Woodrue speaks of the detriment of knowing “too much”. Can you think of any real examples of how knowing too much might be a detriment to our society?

  3. When confronted by Green Father’s, Drue asks if he is worthy of Green Father’s love. Do you think this is Drue’s motivation? To be loved? If not, what do you think is his real motivation?

  4. Green Father considers having a soul to be capable of becoming more than what one is. Do you agree with this assessment?

  5. At the conclusion of this issue, a comparison between eternal hope and plant life is made. Do you think this comparison is accurate?


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Yeeees!!! I’m super excited for this :heart_eyes:

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Awesome™:+1: coincidently was about to read this for my Future state read through. Perfect timing :sweat_smile:

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I am very excited about this! I read the first issue when it came out and really liked it, but I still haven’t finished the series. Now I have the perfect opportunity. :slight_smile:

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Swamp Thing, you say? :eyes:

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Cool! Read this before, but looking forward to going through it again. :smiley:

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I do say! :00_swamp_thing:

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Heck yeah, same!

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I finished reading the first issue of Future State: Swamp Thing and I’m really digging the storytelling from Ram V!

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Looking forward to reading this later today.:smiley: :st_swamp_thing:

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Hello @Jitsu & @Alec.Holland,
I’ve just finish reading the first issue of Future State Swamp Thing, this was my first time reading this story. Here’s the answer to your questions…

  1. Yes, sadly violence stuff has been around since the Bible time when Cain killed his brother Abel. Even in today’s world there’s always going to be violence. I think if we taught our kids what’s right or wrong, there’s a chance for less violence.

  2. Probably from his own experience, he knows what it’s like to be hunted down, and didn’t want the guy go through the experience he went through.

  3. I would say Indiego, the poor guy seem like Mr. Negative, so I’m thinking he’s a villain for this issue.

  4. In a way yes. We’re all sinners and are bound to make a mistake no matter how bad it is.

  5. I will say I think this story was about even through violence that was done in the past, we can make a better future through showing kindness to others.

Looking forward to reading issue 2, till next time, have a great day. :smiley:

:00_swamp_thing: :st_swamp_thing:

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  1. In the opening pages of the first issue, “Green Father” describes a past world where humans have a preoccupation with violence. Do you agree with this view? Are we as humans prone to change through violence?

I mean, it’s an understandable position, considering, you know…everything in the world right now. However, I don’t know if that’s the complete truth. Violence is definitely the easiest way to create change, but also writhe with unforeseen consequences and distorts what it’s being done for. Change can be done through less violent means, it’s just…way harder to pull off.

  1. Why do you think the “Green Father” spared the life of a helpless human?

Because Swamp T–I mean, Green Father remembers his time as a human. There’s still a part of him, even after all this time after humanity is effectively wiped out, that misses that human side of him, which is probably part of why he’s created facsimiles of humans in plant form.

  1. Who do you think is the “villain” in this story so far? Is there an established “good guy” and “bad guy” in this first issue?

I imagine we’ll have antagonists in the form of the people in the military base using Obsidian as some sort of doomsday weapon. Other than that, I get the feeling that it’s going to be one of those morally grey stories where everyone is flawed or wrong or messes up in some tragic way.

  1. Do you believe that one of the greatest threats to humans is themselves?

I think it tracks to an extent. I think it might be more correct in this instance that the threat that came in this story – ecological disaster – was human made, but said disaster is what caused humanity to wane.

  1. What do you think are the themes and values of this story so far? After reading the first issue, what is your main takeaway?

I don’t know if “theme” is the right word, but I think a big part of this issue is loneliness and being deceitful to yourself and the consequences it can hold. While I have no doubt that Green Father cares for his creations, but the one darker plant guy is probably not entirely wrong when he says that they’re a replacement for humanity.

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General question for the group:

I was a member of the original DC Community book club (The one that stopped updating last June). I haven’t received any emails or notifications from DC Community since the pride reading collection and didn’t know that the book club has been running all year. I’m very happy to learn that the club didn’t end.
How do I make sure I never miss any club-related updates? I’m not very savvy with forum-based social media. I’m only 23, but feel free to explain everything to me like I’m your grandfather :slight_smile:

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This was actually partly an error on our part! The club’s grown so large that we couldn’t notify all of the members with a tag due to settings on the forums. I’ve fixed that setting and we’ll be using the tag for future instalments of the book club so you shouldn’t miss any of the future months!

Thanks for asking, getting this fixed is super helpful for almost 1,000 people! :slight_smile:

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  1. Compared to every other living creature we know of in the real world, I would say that Humans are uniquely non-violent. We are able to use our ability to reflect to see the pointlessness of violence in most situations and our incredible capacity for communication to find non-violent solutions. We obviously have achieved the greatest violence of any animal, but that’s because we surpass every other species in most respects.
  2. Compassion, understanding, empathy. One of these near-synonymous concepts. He considered the other person’s perception of the situation and understood why he reacted the way he did. He then made an effort to find a common understanding to avoid further violence. It’s something we, as uniquely non-violent humans, are able to do, but often forget to do.
  3. I thought the person in the last panel looked like the villain. Should I know who they are? I’m not a Swamp Thing expert and I haven’t been following Dark Knights Metal or Future State .
  4. Oh yes. 100%. No question. What else would it be? Bears?
  5. Maybe questions 1 and 2 guided me to this conclusions, but I think that this issue (and presumably its followup) are trying to say something about violence and non-violence. I think describing the human race as “preoccupied with violence” and the scenario described in Q2 are meant to make us reflect on our more violent instincts.
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I’d been looking forward to reading this series, and it didn’t disappoint. Here are my answers:

Issue #1:

  1. This is an interesting perspective, but I’m not really sure how valid I view it, coming from Swamp Thing. All of nature can be violent, even plants. Plants compete for space, nutrients, and light, and the weaker ones don’t survive. Humans at least have the potential to move away from violence, unlike every other species.
  2. I think he did this because he’d been looking for humans, and because this one particular human clearly wasn’t a threat.
  3. Up until the last page, I don’t think there was a clear “bad guy” (even though I get supervillain vibes from Swamp Things in this issue), but the last page definitely seems to present a traditional villain.
  4. I do think there’s a lot of truth to this statement, unfortunately. But humans are also capable of helping each other and doing great things.
  5. The main theme seems to be that life (and even civilization, apparently) will survive, even if humans don’t. I would like getting a slightly different perspective on the past events in this storyline, since Swamp Thing isn’t always the most unbiased or sympathetic when it comes to humanity.

Issue #2:

  1. I think hope is a major part of this story, since that’s why Swamp Thing has been looking for humans. He believes that they’re capable of changing and evolving, which gives him hope for the future.
  2. On a macro level, there are definitely scientific advancements, such as weapons research, that can be very dangerous to human wellbeing. And on a more micro/personal level, I think social media and constant access to news can lead to “knowing too much” in terms of people losing their privacy and being bombarded with false (or even just depressing/overwhelming) information.
  3. I think this is probably a little bit of his motivation. On a certain level his actions do seem to be similar to a “spurned lover”, in that he just wants to hurt the Green for rejecting him. But he’s so messed up, both physically and mentally, it’s hard to tell how much he really means what he says.
  4. I would say so, yes, especially in the context of this story. If all we are is chemical programming, we’re only going to act the way we’re coded to. Having a soul allows us to be more than our genes or biology.
  5. I think it’s a good comparison. Massive plants can grow from tiny seeds, and a lot of good can spring from just a little bit of hope, if you hang on to it.
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  1. I think that the concepts of hope is wholly foundational to this story. The story, I believe, seeks to reassure people living through trying times that there is no point at which things get so bad that we can’t repair what has been done.
  2. I think @Green.Lantern makes the points I would have made much more succinctly than I would have:

Blockquote

  1. I doubt that the Floronic Man (I knew it was him last issue, but didn’t want to be wrong!) really wants to be loved by Swamp Thing or The Green. I think that’s why he specifically asks whether he’s worthy of love. He doesn’t want to actually, actively be loved; he wants to be found worthy, to be chosen above others.
  2. Do I believe in the soul? Probably not. I’ve grown into every bit the joyless skeptic I used to role my eyes at in movies. I do, however, believe quite firmly that human beings are vastly more than the some of our parts. I believe that our potential, both individually and collectively, far exceeds what we have even begun to suspect.
  3. Hope isn’t the knowledge that things will get better, but rather the belief that they can. Much like plant life, it is very difficult to completely destroy the possibility of a better tomorrow.
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All around solid points! Thanks for sharin’ your perspective on the discussion questions!

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Love this take! I agree.

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Really interesting view. Do you think our capacity to avoid violence surpasses our urge to survive? I’ve always felt that humans tend to impulsively choose violence when they (or their possessions) are threatened. Thoughts?

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