Scan barcode
A review by beaconatnight
Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
5.0
Swamp Thing is possibly my favorite comic. Not necessarily this first volume, but the series as a whole (or Alan Moore's run on it). At times it's terrifying, then again it's heartwarming. It's melancholic and sad, then it has your blood pumping. That the stories are able to convey the emotions so impactfully is in no small part due to the incredible art of John Totleben and Steve Bissette. It looks awesome throughout, but then again there are these special pages - breathtaking!
Swamp Thing was originally created by Len Wein with artwork by Bernie Wrightson. Wrightson left after ten issues and soon thereafter, Wein dropped out, too. After a couple of other guys took over, the first volume eventually came to an end. With the release of Wes Craven's movie adaptation, DC (of course) decided to resurrect the character. The first 19 issues of volume 2 were written by Martin Pasko (who ten years later became one of the head writers for Batman: The Animated Series).
To be honest, I really don't know anything about them. As the title says, when Alan Moore took over for issue 20, he had to tie up some lose ends before getting his own story lines underway. His stories revolve around themes of identity, belonging, harmony of flora and fauna, trauma, and fear. They are true horror tales that are able to move you on other levels, too. As often with short stories, I felt like going through the stories one by one.
Chapter One: Loose Ends (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, January 1984)
Presumably, the big baddie of the earlier issues had been a guy called Arcane. In the beginning of # 20, his air ship in the mountains and the Swamp Thing goes there to look for him. As he was correctly assuming, his nemesis is dead.
I loved the monologue on these early pages. The Swamp Thing acknowledges the importance of Arcane to his own life (how they defined each other). "You were my opposite. I had my humanity... taken away from me. I've been trying to claw it back. You started out human... and threw it all away. You did it deliberately." He also talks about how they are "things of the shadow" and how the world used to be full of shadows (and monsters). Now, there doesn't really seem to be space left for him in the world.
We are also (re-)introduced to a woman called Abby (Abigail Cable, formerly Arcane, the niece of the late foe) and her husband, Matt Cable. Matt has a drinking problem and he seems to have powers to conjure up monsters (powers that he doesn't have under control).
The mysterious General Sutherland (who unlike Arcane doesn't go back to the very beginning of the series, but only first appeared in Vol. 2) is after them. Eventually, his soldiers attack. I loved the pictorial language here, with the Swamp Thing trapped in the woods, around him the "belt of blind whiteness" and the unreachable shadows behind. Showing him being the target of the sniper-scope was delightfully 80s. Great artwork how the straight lines are piercing him and how he then goes down.
Chapter Two: The Anatomy Lesson (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #21, February 1984)
Issue 21 gives a very interesting spin on the Swamp Thing's origin story. For that alone, this is already an awesome issue.
As he had planned, General Sunderland is now in possession of the monster's body. His aim is to reverse engineer Holland's so-called bio-restorative formula (that would allow plants to grow faster and in inhospitable areas). For that purpose, he effects the release of Doctor Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man (a minor DC vilain who first appeared in the 1960s). The design of him, with the yellow body and the leaves as head and pubic hair, looks quite sick.
So far, it was very natural to assume that Alec Holland mutated into a plant when an explosion threw him into water ridden with his formula. Woodrue discovers that it's actually the other way around. The plants modified by the formula devoured Holland's dead body and in this way absorbed his knowledge and memories (Woodrue explains this by analogy with planarian worms, is this for real?). So, it's just a plant that thinks that it is Holland.
When he learns about his true origin, the frantic Swamp Thing now loses his humanity for real and turns into a true monster out for the General's blood. "He'll be pounding, and... and will there be blood?"
Chapter Three: Swamped (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #22, March 1984)
In this issue, the Swamp Thing fully turned into a real plant, at least outwardly. Consciously, he wanders through dreamscapes in search for an understanding of his being. Naturally, it gets quite trippy at times. It's not too out there (I think I would have liked the monsters and surroundings to be a bit more detailed), but I very much liked the stark contrast of orange and purple colors.
Abby (Abigail) and Matt Cable came to the swamps to look for the Swamp Thing. It's been a couple of months since Sunderland's troops blew up their home. The picture when they find him half lying in the water looks awesome (I also liked Abby's Red Riding Hood look). Woodrue sneaks up on them, and as he explains: "He's withdrawn. He's a vegetable." I very much liked the idea of severe psychological trauma from finding out about the real essence of his existence.
But the Swamp Thing is not the only character that is psychologically interesting in this issue. Woodrue too is struggling to come to terms with his own identity. He is able to communicate with plants, to control plants - but he cannot be a plant. He literally eats parts of the Swamp Thing, and in this way he is able to touch the Green (as I understand it, something like the unification of all plant life on Earth). The trip his consciousness then takes is probably the highlight of the issue. This is when he turns into the villain of the next couple of issues.
Chapter Four: Another Green World (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #23, April 1984)
The Swamp Thing is happy about his existence in the Green (as opposed to "the red world"). However, as he realizes, "There is another mind in the green."
Looks awesome how he tuns up in the car
Woodrue turns out to be a real villain when he kills a bunch of kids (it looks pretty cool how he turns up in their car) and eventually attacks a village. The way he terrorizes the people gave me the chills. The Swamp Thing vaguely remembers Abby (and her white hair). Realization of Abby being in danger permeates into his blissful state of plant life harmony. "They wouldn't let me be human... And I became... a monster.
...But they wouldn't let me be a monster... So I became a plant.
And now... You won't let me... be a plant." He awakes just in time (after she had been screaming for him for a while), and this one page panel - damn, this is just glorious!
This leads to the first confrontation of the Swamp Thing and the Floronic Man. After the calming blue backgrounds of his reunion with Abby, things now turn brutally red. The villain's design here is awesome. Like the nightmarish version of Peter Pan illustrations. A girl from the village tells him "no more!". He may not take this seriously, but that awesome panel when the Swamp Thing tells him the same thing, that was so fucking badass.
Chapter Five: Roots (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #24, May 1984)
This issue ups the ante. Wood-Rue is making an announcement via television. In order to save the planet, humankind must die. For that purpose, he made the plants to increase the oxygen production.
The Justice League is called to stand up against him. They fought him before, and as is pointed out, he always lost. However, it's different his time. Because of the change in atmosphere, they fear to attack him directly. I loved how the issue breaks with expectations.
We are left were we left off, Swamp Thing and Woodrue face each other in front of the blood red background. Woodrue considers him a traitor to his cause. Because of an attack from behind, the Swamp Thing goes down (would be neat if there was a team of superheroes around, right?). However, the fight is not quite over, yet.
"Why do you keep coming back? Why do you keep coming back and hurting me?" The Swamp Thing proves his humanity by defeating him with reason: "Because...you...are hurting...the Green." He doesn't realize that the implementation of his plan would strike back at him. Sure, if the plants release the oxygen all humans and animals would die. Now the question is, "What will change the oxygen... back into... the gasses that... we... need... to survive... when the men... and the animals... are dead?" He has to acknowledge that he was acting like a man rather than a plant.
After the anger is gone, and his mind is no longer flowing through the Green, the color pattern change again ( to cyan). It's hilarious how he eventually runs away. "He realized that the plants couldn't survive without man...and so the plants backed down." - "Yes. I wonder...will your people...do as much?"
Green Lantern and Superman arrive to pick up Woodrue. It's unnerving how crazy he got from losing his place in the world. So they decide to bring him to Arkham. The Justice League wasn't needed. The Swamp Thing proved himself to be a protector of humanity. The scenes where he happily returns to the swamps are so gorgeous. That very last page, Jesus Christ pose in front of the rising sun - glorious!
Chapter Six: The Sleep of Reason... (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #25, June 1984)
Named after a painting by Francisco de Goya, this is the first issue in a three-part series. The story revolves around the deep-rooted fears of disturbed children at a psychological institution.
Abby and Swamp Thing hang out at the swamps. She doesn't see Matt much anymore and now has a new job at the facility for autistic children. There is another creep around, this time a red-headed and red-eyed guy who tells people their tragic future and who exposes their dark past.
Matt is not in a good place and reproach her. He got a bit pudgy and doesn't do much other than drinking and lying in his bed. He doesn't like the idea of Abby starting to work, and certainly not at a mental institution. Although his concerns may be grounded in male chauvinism, the Swamp Thing is worried, too. He feels that something is not right, that something evil is coming with the autumn.
The scenes at the institution made me very uncomfortable. There is this red-headed kid, Paul, who talks of himself in third person and who is obsessed with spelling. He has this very mean look on his face, which gave me the creeps. We see a couple doing a seance when some sort of crazy looking white monkey shows up and kills them. As we learn, the Monkey King (as he is called) is somehow connected to Paul. One night, it comes for the children. It's hungry, but what will it do to them?
Chapter Seven: ... A Time of Running ... (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #26, July 1984)
In the previous issue, Abby witnessed an accident in which a man was spiked by a swordfish his wife made him purchase at an auction. Afterwards, she is having tea with the red-haired man, Jason Blood (who was also present when the accident happened). He says that the children are in danger and that she is to save as many of them as she can.
This explains the opening moments of the issue, where you see her and the Swamp Thing running through the woods. These panels look awesome (the water splashing at their feet). As is now clear, they are trying to get to the Elysium facility as fast as possible. Interspersed are flashbacks from her day at work earlier. These scenes again make you feel uncomfortable. Not only because all the craziness that is going on. Now, all the children are drawing Monkeys, not just Paul anymore. When she meets with him, "You know you'll die pretty soon." When they finally arrive, there is a great opening to the final act: Great opening for the final act, when the completely exhausted Abby (her throat visibly burning) acknowledges. "We ran all that way...and it's already in there."
As is explained now, in the final act of the previous issue, the Monkey King was eating the fear of the children, and that's why they all know him now. The monster feeds on fear and then uses it as a weapon (for instance, Paul's mother was killed because she bit through her own tongue). I thought this one child's fear, the fear of cancer without having explained to him what it actually is, was seriously terrifying. The poor boy just started to be haunted by what he imagined it to be. It's explained that the Monkey King came into our world, because Paul's parents didn't take ouija seriously and carelessly misspelled something. Yeah, they really got what they deserved.
Blood shows up in his real form (or evil persona), Etrigan The Demon, a DC character that goes back to the early 1970s (you may have seen him in Neil Gaiman's Sandman). To be honest, at that point I got a bit confused about what is really going on. The atmosphere was great, though: "It began with death. It began with Blood... I guess it'll probably end the same way."
Before she went to the Swamp Thing, Abby had a fight with Matt. It got pretty nasty. At the end, however, Matt decides that Abby needed him and he goes into his car and rushes towards the Elysium Institute. Unfortunately, he's too drunk to drive and crushes into a tree. This is where the chapter ends for now.
Chapter Eight: ... By Demons Driven! (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #27, August 1984)
This is a direct continuation of the previous story. The best part of this issue is clearly Etrigan's poetic commentary that permeates the whole issue. It's so perfectly written and makes him come as a truly disturbed madman. He is confronted by the Swamp Thing. Their fight is short, but brutal (like tearing off the Swamp Thing's arm). When he furiously strikes, the monster looks like a mangy dog. They again make use of the deep red backgrounds which perfectly contrast to the monster's yellow.
Meanwhile, Abby and Paul are running from the Monkey King. He constantly shifts his shape to turn into what they truly fear. These creatures sure look terrifying. There is something like a riddle for Abby, which I think will play a role in upcoming issues. Eventually, Paul is able to overcome the monster by overcoming his fear of him. This seems to have cured him from what had plagued him before. In the aftermath, he is a much more gentle boy. The moments of the Swamp Thing and the boy together are heartwarming.
Finally, this issues sets up what is to come. The severely injured Matt strikes a deal whose consequences are not yet known. Presumably, it's similar in nature to the bond between Blood and Etrigan. At least he seems fine by the end of the story. Actually, better and more healthy than before.
Rating: 5/5
Swamp Thing was originally created by Len Wein with artwork by Bernie Wrightson. Wrightson left after ten issues and soon thereafter, Wein dropped out, too. After a couple of other guys took over, the first volume eventually came to an end. With the release of Wes Craven's movie adaptation, DC (of course) decided to resurrect the character. The first 19 issues of volume 2 were written by Martin Pasko (who ten years later became one of the head writers for Batman: The Animated Series).
To be honest, I really don't know anything about them. As the title says, when Alan Moore took over for issue 20, he had to tie up some lose ends before getting his own story lines underway. His stories revolve around themes of identity, belonging, harmony of flora and fauna, trauma, and fear. They are true horror tales that are able to move you on other levels, too. As often with short stories, I felt like going through the stories one by one.
Chapter One: Loose Ends (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, January 1984)
Presumably, the big baddie of the earlier issues had been a guy called Arcane. In the beginning of # 20, his air ship in the mountains and the Swamp Thing goes there to look for him. As he was correctly assuming, his nemesis is dead.
I loved the monologue on these early pages. The Swamp Thing acknowledges the importance of Arcane to his own life (how they defined each other). "You were my opposite. I had my humanity... taken away from me. I've been trying to claw it back. You started out human... and threw it all away. You did it deliberately." He also talks about how they are "things of the shadow" and how the world used to be full of shadows (and monsters). Now, there doesn't really seem to be space left for him in the world.
We are also (re-)introduced to a woman called Abby (Abigail Cable, formerly Arcane, the niece of the late foe) and her husband, Matt Cable. Matt has a drinking problem and he seems to have powers to conjure up monsters (powers that he doesn't have under control).
The mysterious General Sutherland (who unlike Arcane doesn't go back to the very beginning of the series, but only first appeared in Vol. 2) is after them. Eventually, his soldiers attack. I loved the pictorial language here, with the Swamp Thing trapped in the woods, around him the "belt of blind whiteness" and the unreachable shadows behind. Showing him being the target of the sniper-scope was delightfully 80s. Great artwork how the straight lines are piercing him and how he then goes down.
Chapter Two: The Anatomy Lesson (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #21, February 1984)
Issue 21 gives a very interesting spin on the Swamp Thing's origin story. For that alone, this is already an awesome issue.
As he had planned, General Sunderland is now in possession of the monster's body. His aim is to reverse engineer Holland's so-called bio-restorative formula (that would allow plants to grow faster and in inhospitable areas). For that purpose, he effects the release of Doctor Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man (a minor DC vilain who first appeared in the 1960s). The design of him, with the yellow body and the leaves as head and pubic hair, looks quite sick.
So far, it was very natural to assume that Alec Holland mutated into a plant when an explosion threw him into water ridden with his formula. Woodrue discovers that it's actually the other way around. The plants modified by the formula devoured Holland's dead body and in this way absorbed his knowledge and memories (Woodrue explains this by analogy with planarian worms, is this for real?). So, it's just a plant that thinks that it is Holland.
When he learns about his true origin, the frantic Swamp Thing now loses his humanity for real and turns into a true monster out for the General's blood. "He'll be pounding, and... and will there be blood?"
Chapter Three: Swamped (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #22, March 1984)
In this issue, the Swamp Thing fully turned into a real plant, at least outwardly. Consciously, he wanders through dreamscapes in search for an understanding of his being. Naturally, it gets quite trippy at times. It's not too out there (I think I would have liked the monsters and surroundings to be a bit more detailed), but I very much liked the stark contrast of orange and purple colors.
Abby (Abigail) and Matt Cable came to the swamps to look for the Swamp Thing. It's been a couple of months since Sunderland's troops blew up their home. The picture when they find him half lying in the water looks awesome (I also liked Abby's Red Riding Hood look). Woodrue sneaks up on them, and as he explains: "He's withdrawn. He's a vegetable." I very much liked the idea of severe psychological trauma from finding out about the real essence of his existence.
But the Swamp Thing is not the only character that is psychologically interesting in this issue. Woodrue too is struggling to come to terms with his own identity. He is able to communicate with plants, to control plants - but he cannot be a plant. He literally eats parts of the Swamp Thing, and in this way he is able to touch the Green (as I understand it, something like the unification of all plant life on Earth). The trip his consciousness then takes is probably the highlight of the issue. This is when he turns into the villain of the next couple of issues.
Chapter Four: Another Green World (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #23, April 1984)
The Swamp Thing is happy about his existence in the Green (as opposed to "the red world"). However, as he realizes, "There is another mind in the green."
Looks awesome how he tuns up in the car
Woodrue turns out to be a real villain when he kills a bunch of kids (it looks pretty cool how he turns up in their car) and eventually attacks a village. The way he terrorizes the people gave me the chills. The Swamp Thing vaguely remembers Abby (and her white hair). Realization of Abby being in danger permeates into his blissful state of plant life harmony. "They wouldn't let me be human... And I became... a monster.
...But they wouldn't let me be a monster... So I became a plant.
And now... You won't let me... be a plant." He awakes just in time (after she had been screaming for him for a while), and this one page panel - damn, this is just glorious!
This leads to the first confrontation of the Swamp Thing and the Floronic Man. After the calming blue backgrounds of his reunion with Abby, things now turn brutally red. The villain's design here is awesome. Like the nightmarish version of Peter Pan illustrations. A girl from the village tells him "no more!". He may not take this seriously, but that awesome panel when the Swamp Thing tells him the same thing, that was so fucking badass.
Chapter Five: Roots (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #24, May 1984)
This issue ups the ante. Wood-Rue is making an announcement via television. In order to save the planet, humankind must die. For that purpose, he made the plants to increase the oxygen production.
The Justice League is called to stand up against him. They fought him before, and as is pointed out, he always lost. However, it's different his time. Because of the change in atmosphere, they fear to attack him directly. I loved how the issue breaks with expectations.
We are left were we left off, Swamp Thing and Woodrue face each other in front of the blood red background. Woodrue considers him a traitor to his cause. Because of an attack from behind, the Swamp Thing goes down (would be neat if there was a team of superheroes around, right?). However, the fight is not quite over, yet.
"Why do you keep coming back? Why do you keep coming back and hurting me?" The Swamp Thing proves his humanity by defeating him with reason: "Because...you...are hurting...the Green." He doesn't realize that the implementation of his plan would strike back at him. Sure, if the plants release the oxygen all humans and animals would die. Now the question is, "What will change the oxygen... back into... the gasses that... we... need... to survive... when the men... and the animals... are dead?" He has to acknowledge that he was acting like a man rather than a plant.
After the anger is gone, and his mind is no longer flowing through the Green, the color pattern change again ( to cyan). It's hilarious how he eventually runs away. "He realized that the plants couldn't survive without man...and so the plants backed down." - "Yes. I wonder...will your people...do as much?"
Green Lantern and Superman arrive to pick up Woodrue. It's unnerving how crazy he got from losing his place in the world. So they decide to bring him to Arkham. The Justice League wasn't needed. The Swamp Thing proved himself to be a protector of humanity. The scenes where he happily returns to the swamps are so gorgeous. That very last page, Jesus Christ pose in front of the rising sun - glorious!
Chapter Six: The Sleep of Reason... (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #25, June 1984)
Named after a painting by Francisco de Goya, this is the first issue in a three-part series. The story revolves around the deep-rooted fears of disturbed children at a psychological institution.
Abby and Swamp Thing hang out at the swamps. She doesn't see Matt much anymore and now has a new job at the facility for autistic children. There is another creep around, this time a red-headed and red-eyed guy who tells people their tragic future and who exposes their dark past.
Matt is not in a good place and reproach her. He got a bit pudgy and doesn't do much other than drinking and lying in his bed. He doesn't like the idea of Abby starting to work, and certainly not at a mental institution. Although his concerns may be grounded in male chauvinism, the Swamp Thing is worried, too. He feels that something is not right, that something evil is coming with the autumn.
The scenes at the institution made me very uncomfortable. There is this red-headed kid, Paul, who talks of himself in third person and who is obsessed with spelling. He has this very mean look on his face, which gave me the creeps. We see a couple doing a seance when some sort of crazy looking white monkey shows up and kills them. As we learn, the Monkey King (as he is called) is somehow connected to Paul. One night, it comes for the children. It's hungry, but what will it do to them?
Chapter Seven: ... A Time of Running ... (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #26, July 1984)
In the previous issue, Abby witnessed an accident in which a man was spiked by a swordfish his wife made him purchase at an auction. Afterwards, she is having tea with the red-haired man, Jason Blood (who was also present when the accident happened). He says that the children are in danger and that she is to save as many of them as she can.
This explains the opening moments of the issue, where you see her and the Swamp Thing running through the woods. These panels look awesome (the water splashing at their feet). As is now clear, they are trying to get to the Elysium facility as fast as possible. Interspersed are flashbacks from her day at work earlier. These scenes again make you feel uncomfortable. Not only because all the craziness that is going on. Now, all the children are drawing Monkeys, not just Paul anymore. When she meets with him, "You know you'll die pretty soon." When they finally arrive, there is a great opening to the final act: Great opening for the final act, when the completely exhausted Abby (her throat visibly burning) acknowledges. "We ran all that way...and it's already in there."
As is explained now, in the final act of the previous issue, the Monkey King was eating the fear of the children, and that's why they all know him now. The monster feeds on fear and then uses it as a weapon (for instance, Paul's mother was killed because she bit through her own tongue). I thought this one child's fear, the fear of cancer without having explained to him what it actually is, was seriously terrifying. The poor boy just started to be haunted by what he imagined it to be. It's explained that the Monkey King came into our world, because Paul's parents didn't take ouija seriously and carelessly misspelled something. Yeah, they really got what they deserved.
Blood shows up in his real form (or evil persona), Etrigan The Demon, a DC character that goes back to the early 1970s (you may have seen him in Neil Gaiman's Sandman). To be honest, at that point I got a bit confused about what is really going on. The atmosphere was great, though: "It began with death. It began with Blood... I guess it'll probably end the same way."
Before she went to the Swamp Thing, Abby had a fight with Matt. It got pretty nasty. At the end, however, Matt decides that Abby needed him and he goes into his car and rushes towards the Elysium Institute. Unfortunately, he's too drunk to drive and crushes into a tree. This is where the chapter ends for now.
Chapter Eight: ... By Demons Driven! (The Saga of the Swamp Thing #27, August 1984)
This is a direct continuation of the previous story. The best part of this issue is clearly Etrigan's poetic commentary that permeates the whole issue. It's so perfectly written and makes him come as a truly disturbed madman. He is confronted by the Swamp Thing. Their fight is short, but brutal (like tearing off the Swamp Thing's arm). When he furiously strikes, the monster looks like a mangy dog. They again make use of the deep red backgrounds which perfectly contrast to the monster's yellow.
Meanwhile, Abby and Paul are running from the Monkey King. He constantly shifts his shape to turn into what they truly fear. These creatures sure look terrifying. There is something like a riddle for Abby, which I think will play a role in upcoming issues. Eventually, Paul is able to overcome the monster by overcoming his fear of him. This seems to have cured him from what had plagued him before. In the aftermath, he is a much more gentle boy. The moments of the Swamp Thing and the boy together are heartwarming.
Finally, this issues sets up what is to come. The severely injured Matt strikes a deal whose consequences are not yet known. Presumably, it's similar in nature to the bond between Blood and Etrigan. At least he seems fine by the end of the story. Actually, better and more healthy than before.
Rating: 5/5