SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read SWAMP THING #24 yet and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoilers ahead!).

The Parliament of Trees has spoken: If you want to be the Avatar of the Green, you have to be the best.

Since series writer Charles Soule sowed the seeds for Swamp Thing’s archrival Seeder in issue #19, Swamp Thing has been a step or two behind the game. He seems to be always playing catch up and having to unravel the bad seeds left by the mysterious Seeder. Plus, Seeder is tapping into the Green like it’s his personal watering hole! Is Alec Holland – the current Avatar of the Green – ready to go head-to-head with this elusive villain?  

“For one thing, while has this power, he doesn't necessarily know how to use it perfectly -- think of him as someone just learning to play an instrument. He's naturally very gifted, but you don't become a virtuoso overnight,” Soule told COMIC BOOK RESOURCES recently.

The Parliament of the Trees has been grooming Holland, but what if he’s not ultimately up to the job? “Alec isn't just an average hero who gets to do whatever he wants. He has a job. His power is directly tied to his ability to keep the Green and the Parliament happy,” Soule continued.

Is there a new Avatar on the horizon? What does this mean for Alec, who has given up nearly everything connected to his human life to become Swamp Thing?

Written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Andrei Bressan, SWAMP THING #24 is available in stores now. And don’t miss the race for the title in SWAMP THING ANNUAL #2, hitting stores on October 30.