Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Swamp Thing

Like a lot of people, I am familiar with Moore's take on this character, adn a little bit here and there otherwise. But with Snyder writing this book, I knew I was going to cave and try it.

I am sooooo glad I did.

There is enough of a recap to understand the basics of what has happened, and enough left out to peak my interest. It is a little heavy on exposition, but I can totally forgive that by glancing at an Avengers comic by Bendis and telling myself that at least this is necessary at this point.

Snyder crafts a great tale here about Swam...oh wait, sorry, it's about Alec Holland. His alter ego (or whatever the situation ends up being) does not even appear until the last page...but his presence is felt on just about every page of the book. The wild plant life is really cool. The thought of violence in the plant world is great.

The art by Paquette is beautiful. The ink lines are thick and meaty...the total opposite of Animal Man, but the styles fit the tones of the books.

His Superman looks really good. Still not sure about the lines all over everyone's costumes...but ah well.

I have heard that these two books will intersect in some way down the line, and I for one am really glad to hear that.

Welcome back to the DCU Swampy, you're in good hands.

Oh...there's also a great dose of creepy goodness to be found here. I just knew horse flies were evil...

SWAMP THING # 1

I have read my very first Swamp Thing comic aside from a reprint of his first appearance, and... I think I am HOOKED.

The bits about the plant world being so deadly except that it usually happens so slowly... I was fascinated.

The bits with the birds dying... the cameos of Superman, Batman and Aquaman firmly establishing this in the DCU... and the HORROR elements... there was some SCARY STUFF going on.

And I think I just like Alec Holland.

I was really impressed.

This was my CBS' "PICK OF THE WEEK". I kinda inwardly rolled my eyes at that, assuming they were being Vertigo-loving snootybritches with their pick, but... this was really good. I was pretty captivated.

I'm onboard for # 2 and will stay with it if it remains so smartly written and drawn so realistically.

And nothing is surprising me more than having added # 2s for STATIC SHOCK and SWAMP THING...

JL # 1 aside, thus far I am pretty wowed by the DCnU...

Not surprising that Moore's run on Swamp Thing keeps getting a mention when this relaunch of the character is being reviewed. Somewhat more surprising to some of you may be that I've never read Moore's entire run. I missed it in its original go-round, and back issues were pretty expensive. The run kind of got passed over in the original advent of trades. So I really didn't get the opportunity to experience the run at all until DC tried an initiative to reprint Moore's Swamp Thing (as well as Gaiman's Sandman) in single issue to issue format in two series dubbed "Essential Vertigo". I snapped up the Swampy reprints on my monthly pull and discovered them for the first time, albeit in black & white (Bissette, Totelben & co. were gorgeous in B&W, by the way). Unfortunately, the EV: ST series was cancelled with issue 24, so I was cut off around halfway thru Moore's run.

Within the last decade, though, DC addressed their Swamp Thing trade deficiency by releasing first six softcover trades collecting the entire run, and recently rolling out hardcover versions. A couple of years ago, while stalking the first HC release on eBay, I found a great deal and won an auction to purchase the six softcovers all together for something like $40 including shipping. For whatever reason, these went on the backburner, as many of my trade purchases do, until the mood would hit me to dive into them.

Well, the time is now, my friends! Inspired by my decision to by the relaunched version sight unseen because I've become a Scott Snyder fan, I re-read the stories comprised in Saga of the Swamp Thing Volume 1 last week. I don't know where to begin for anyone who's never experienced these classic stories, except to say that the stories age extremely well and still feel like quality, cutting edge stuff that might still elbow out most of today's current standard bearers for industry awards if they were published today, instead of, what--25 years or so ago?

I feel the same about the art! The pencils and inks of Steve Bissette and John Totleben (with some originally uncredited occasional assists from Rick Veitch in this volume) are among the most gorgeous and detailed I've ever seen! (Where the Hell did these two ever disappeat to, anyway?!?) Even the colors of Tatjana Wood stand up well, even compared to the lush smorgasbord of technological advances in coloring that we've become spoiled by over the last decade. These three and letterer John Costanza really bring Moore's scripts to life in such a way as to make them as great as they could possibly be.

From Moore's reimagining of what really happened to Alec Holland to his brilliant use of the Floronic Man to an effective Jason Blood/Etrigan guest appearance to the creepiest monkey to haunt kids' dream this side of Chris Griffin, this is a thoroughly enjoyable volume of classic macabre stories!

I'm taking Volume 2: Love and Death with me as I go out of town for a couple of days. The goal is to finish all the volumes before reading the first issue of Snyder's relaunch.

You've got a lot to live up to, Scott!

Lardy,

John Totleben developed eye issues and is sadly, effectively retired.

I'm friends with Steve Bissette on Facebook and he's teaching and doing some of his own projects (mostly non-comics). I actually just hung up a piece I purchased from him: Steve's original inking over a copy of Jack Kirby Etrigan pencils. It's extremely cool.

Just to jump onboard with the the Moore love, that run still stands out to me as the pinnacle of DC's output, and possibly Moore's as well ( though "From Hell" is a pretty darn near perfect comic, albeit completely different).

As Lardy said, it ages so well (I read it all again for the umpteenth time last year), AND it accomplishes so much:

- You want Comics as literature? This is phenomenal writing, from the structure to the plot to the characters. Really meaty stuff.

- You want a pulpy horror mag? You got it here, despite all the different and mind-bending directions this story went, Morre still never abandoned the books horror roots and kept delivering chills right to the end.

- You want Shared Universe - Swamp Thing embraced the DCU and used it to it's fullest potential. So many cool and defining moments for so many characters (and usually in bit parts). The Justice League in the first arc, the Demon, the All Star supernatural casting in the Annual and the Anniversary (including the best Dr. Fate scene ever), Adam Strange, Gotham City, this run had it all and used it well. Heck, even when DC pushed a Crisis crossover issue on the story, Moore turned it into a thing of beauty and did it seamlessly with the main plot.

- You want beautiful art? You got it.

- You want romance? Check out the Rite of Spring. Abby is still one of my favourite characters in all of comics. i even named my daughter after her.

- You want tear-jerking drama - Read the Patchwork man issue and see if you have dry eyes.

I think whole books could be written about how well the whole thing works, and does it all without compromising any of its aspects. It's jsut so impressive. No wonder I hold other books to such high standards.

Swamp Thing #1 was my first time reading a Swamp Thing book ever. In fact, if it wasn't for the end of the Brightest Day mini-series which I admittedly skimmed over, it would have been my first comic with the character in it period.

I can happily say I enjoyed the issue and will be back for more. For an issue that didn't show Swamp Thing until the end, the character's name still belonged on the cover as its existence guided the story as Alec dealt with the ramifications of being reborn with the "monster's memories." As a new reader to Swamp Thing, I didn't feel lost at all. The creative team did a good job in giving some backstory while also advancing and nodding back to Brightest Day.

I loved all the quips about the different plant life and how they interact in the larger, violent culture of flora. It's weird of me perhaps, but I -like- learning about things I otherwise would know nothing about. I'd be hard pressed to buy a book choc full of plant information on a whim, but having it subtly fed to me provides some great trivia.

An enticing enough story and good introduction to Alec and even Swamp Thing to an extent. I'm curious to see where it all goes.

LOL... I didn't even realize Swampface doesn't appear until the last page 'til Future pointed it out... that takes DARN GOOD storytelling ability!

I finished Swamp Thing: Love and Death, Volume 2 of Alan Moore's legendary run over this past weekend. This collection reprints issues 28-34 and Annual #2.

Moore's run only gets better here as the book opens with "The Burial" in which Swampy literally puts Alec Holland to rest. It's a nice story that kind of serves as a thematic burial of the era that preceded Moore's. Love Shawn McManus's guest art here. I honestly wish McManus were on a monthly book as his style has really grown on me over the years since I first encountered him with J.M. DeMatteis on Dr, Fate.

The meat of the collection surrounds the return of Swamp Thing nemesis Anton Arcane that Moore had been subtly building toward in the previous volume. Arcane is one scary, evil sunnavabitch! It's a creepy, deep story.

If it suffers from anything, though, it suffers from having a resolution that seems quick and somewhat unearned after all the build-up, a similar feeling I had after the conclusions of the Floronic Man and Monkey King arcs. But maybe it's just me.

One thing that shocked me a little bit is that Abby is essentially raped in this story by her uncle inhabiting the body of her husband and posing as him. Alan unveils the horror of this in a very subtle way, never saying outright what has horrified Abby but giving you all the information you need to fill in the blanks. It is all very, very disturbing. I don't recall seeing this mentioned in "Women in Refrigerators"-type dialogues. Perhaps, this is because it is presented so effectively and, in my opinion, without any titillation.

The Arcane arc leaves a major loose end as the villain managed to send Abby's soul to hell before his defeat. Swampy uses his connection to the green in a unique way to search for her in the afterlife in "Down Amongst the Dead Men". I love how Moore uses Deadman, the Spectre, the Phantom Stranger and Etrigan as Swampy's guides here. Again, though, the goal seems to be achieved a little too easily. But it's a beautifully drawn tale with a heartfelt ending.

The volume ends with three satisfying done-in-ones.

"Pog" is a beautiful little tale of some cartoon-like animal aliens seeking a new home but learning that our Earth isn't what they are looking for. I must admit that the fate of the little alligator alien is absolutely heart-breaking! More terrific McManus art, here.

"Abandoned Houses" obviously would later inspire Neil Gaiman in how he used Cain and Abel in his Sandman series. Abby journeys into what Gaiman would later name The Dreaming and allows Abel to tell her a secret. Said secret is a reprint of the original Wein/Wrightson Swamp Thing story. Moore uses this to explain why this original story was not about Alec Holland. Honestly, I can see that Gaiman owes a LOT to Moore, here!

Finally, "Rite of Spring", where Abby and Swampy finally share their feelings for one another--and consummate! It's a psychedelic consummation, though...one where Abby gets to share Swampy's unique point of view by eating of his...fruit! I love it! It's the high point of the volume and an instant classic among instant classics. The art literally goes sideways! Everyone should read this story at some point!

"Love and Death" continues the great Alan Moore run and is anchored by more great Bissette/Totleben/Wood visuals with a healthy dose of Rick Veitch and Shawn McManus--and even some nice Ron Randall art in the framing sequences of "Abandoned Houses". Again, highly recommended!

I need to get these from the library again. The one thing I really remember about this run is how dense the stories are...there is so much to them.

I think that second volume captures what may be the very best Moore Swamp Thing stories, if one can quantify such a thing. They really are fantastic and were a total game-changer. If you read Neil's Sandman first and then Moore's SW, as I did many years ago, you can see how much Gaiman owes Moore, as you pointed out. Its not just a little; its a LOT. Even the idea of little done-in-one stories totally off the beaten path that barely feature the lead.

My Dad told me that when the Abby / SW 'consumating' issue came out, people went nuts! It was a huge thing that was very controversial then. My Dad read Comic Buyers Guide then which was probably the closest thing to a message board for professionals and fans alike. Dozens of letters per weekly issue were on this topic.

Moore features rape in almost every one of his stories. He never shies away from it and it's always awful and devastating. He and his fans / Moore scholars will point out that Moore purposely does not shy away from this topic; if murder is going to be so paramount in comics, it's companion ultimate crime must be too. It's a true reflection of reality. I personally do not like rape in superhero comics, but must admit Moore handles this topic better than any other writer.

I'd forgotten about the little alligator alien and that story. Fantastic, sad story.

Oh, and Moore wrote a fantastic Demon!

Swamp Thing #2

After the first issue, I was hoping that things would pick up. Things definitely picked up with second issue. The opening sequence was beautifully drawn. The creature's explanations and sacrifice were both foreboding and moving. The tell-tale buzzing of flies was even more foreboding for old time Swamp Thing fans. My heart was pounding through the action sequences toward the end of the book. The we get to final page... Hell, yes! Snyder knows what he's doing here.

I just caught up to Swamp Thing #1. Beautiful Yannick Paquette art and a promising start. I'd say his style is a worthy succesor to the likes of Bissette, Totleben, Veitch and Hester.

The (somewhat) negatives: Snyder really feels like he's trying to channel his inner Alan Moore here. Opening the book with portents of doom were things Moore did a lot. More disturbingly, the men with their necks turned around was just a little too close to a particular bit of horror Moore used in a few issues of one of his more sprawling storylines. Also, as we glimpse what appears to be the big threat, well, unless I miss my guess, it will turn out to be the most familiar Swamp Thing villain of all (assuming there are any others?). If so, Snyder borrows Moore's fly motif for that villain to herald him.

The positives:

Really, for the first time ever, we're presented with the opportunity to get to know Alec Holland as a man. Moore's run established that Swampy never truly was Holland, so that's a fact. I like the idea that perhaps Holland and Swampy will continue to be separate beings. I hope they don't merge or something because this would distinguish this run from all others.

I also like the idea of the plant world as being one just as violent, if not moreso, than the animal and human worlds. I like that Holland is fraked out by it so much that he's considering giving up his life's work. That's an idea that feels very fresh.

I know it's unfair to compare any run of Swamp Thing to Moore's, but it's simply unavoidable. He had so many good ideas that it's virtually impossible not to revisit some of them. That said, I'd say the portents with the dying animals weren't a direct swipe, but it's hard to ignore the twisted necks, even if those were different creatures.

But there was great character work here with Holland and some effective scenes, my favorite being the page of Holland waking up in his bedroom with unexpected company.

This was one of the books I put on mu pull sight unseen. For the most part I wasn't let down, but I hope Snyder blazes his own path without relying too heavily on Moore.

Swamp Thing #2 was really nicely done and builds off #1 in a good way. Snyder delves right into the Swamp Thing mythos while clearly establishing what makes this run different, and at the same time gives us some really cool history to the Parliament of Trees nemesis, as well as the prior Swamp Thing (whom longtime readers have met before).

Yannick Paquette is nothing short of amazing here as well. He provides such a layered, beautiful delivery for Snyder’s story. The two seem to go together extremely well.

^ What they said! I appreciated all the explanation. And I was glad to see an established link with Animal Man as Buddy delves into The Red and Alec Holland is drawn into The Green. Even in the first issue the two seemed to be running along the same theme. Now I wonder how much of this will spill into other books.

Swamp Thing #3 was good but not great. Abby's probably one of my favourite characters in all of comics and I'm ambivalent to Synder's handling of her here. It feels like the voice is off. I'd also like some Swamp Thing in my Swamp Thing comics eventually (even Holland doesn't do much other than react in this issue).

That said, William is suitably creepy, and his scenes were handled well. I just still expect more.

I'm all kinds of excited by the third issue. Yes, Abby has a different personality and attitude. She explains the changes to Alec in a way that makes sense for me. I can easily accept this as character growth. The introductions of the Rot and William build on the past while setting a new direction for the series. The Arcane evil is here and as grossly tangible as ever. It has a young and innocent new face. It's a solid formula with lots of potential for future stories.

Love this new version of Abby... didn't think I'd be enjoying this series as much as I am, but Scott Snyder is keeping things really fresh and compelling...

4 fins up!

Still enjoying reading about THE GREEN... I'm onboard for # 3!

Issue 2, like Animal Man, 2 rocked the HELL outta the place--better than issue one! I was surprised to see a prior Swamp Thing from, what, WWI? I assumed all along it was the Swampy we all knew from Alan Moore before and beyond. (What ever happened to him?!?! Maybe issue three explains with Abby in tow?) Anyhow, I like the explanation for why the Green is after Alec to take on the role and how the Swampy we all knew and loved was anomalous.

Most def a Lardy/DCnU Top Pick!

Sometime around '83 or so, I went with my family to a summer cabin in VT, around the same place that Bissette was living. We stayed for a couple of weeks in late summer.

I was/am a HUGE fan of that Swamp Thing run, to the point that I actually went so far as to look him up in the White Pages.

But was too chicken in the end to make the pilgrimage over and introduce myself.

Ah, Cleo, that reminds me of the time I saw Jim Starlin at a table on a convention floor and was too awestruck to even TALK to the man, never mind ask for a sketch!

Swamp Thing #4 I have a feeling I'd like this book more if Animal Man weren't covering a lot of the same ground, only better. Holland once again has an issue long discussion about his destiny, while the Rot's influence grows. I really hope there's a good twist to this and the Moore ST comes back or someone other than Holland gets the nod, because issue-upon-issue of build up isn't working for me.

What I did like was the inference by the Parliament that the Earth should be their's and if the Rot is defeated, the partnership with the Red is probably out. This sets up an interesting conflict down the road that intrigues me (and underscores how it was so easy to for Woodrue to turn the Green before).

I liked the panel of Abby and Alec waking up, and I like creepy little William, but I'm more than ready for Swamp Thing to return now please.

Creepy little William is indeed shaping up into great villain. I'm fine with the pacing and in no rush for Alec to transform. His struggles with his destiny, the Parliament, and Abby are well written and interesting. I would be disappointed to see somebody besides Alec take up the Swamp Thing mantle, and can't imagine that is the direction they are going. It looks like we're in store for some all out action next month.

Swamp Thing #6 finally picks up the pace a little bit and we get a clear sense of threat/horror as a lot begins to click. I'll be genuinely happy if this was all a swerve and Alec dies giving rise to the Moore Swamp Thing. Although I still state my opinion that 6 issues is far too long to go without bringing in the title character.

Swamp Thing #7 is getting near universal praise out there, and it's a decent book, I'm just not completely sold on it. The art is gorgeous but I don't know what it is about Snyder that doesn't click with me. I'm dropping Batman, and if I didn't love Swampy so much and was curious to see how this ties into Animal Man, I'd be on the fence about this as well. It's just been too long and convoluted to get to this point. Some of what he's done has been very good, but it just doesn't grab me like the best Swamp thing stuff has. I'm sure I've just set my expectations too high.