SWAMP THING #1 REVIEW

[Ryan Day]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0304/SwampThingCVR1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0304/SwampThingCVR1t.jpg" align=left alt="Swamp Thing #1"></a>Reviewer: Ryan Day Dreamhunter00@hotmail.com
Quick rating: Great
Story Title: Bad Seed

Suggested for Mature Readers

The monster returns, along with John Constantine and a walking corpse

Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Enrique Breccia
Colorist: Martin Breccia
Letterer: Nick Napolitano
Assistant Editor: Casey Seijas
Editor: Will Dennis


Swamp Thing is a book with a lot of history.

Not just the usual continuity history, though there’s certainly no shortage of that. We’re talking real, genuine, industry-changing history. It’s where Alan Moore began to turn himself into an industry superstar. It featured early work by Neil Gaiman, and the introduction of soon-to-be movie star John Constantine. And most importantly, it was the first book from a major publisher to go without the approval of the Comics Code on a regular basis, paving the way for DC’s Vertigo imprint.

But as with most history, it’s all in the past. Since the glory days, the series was cancelled, re-started, then quickly cancelled again. The main character has changed many times, going from a scientist turned into a monster to a plant that thought it was a scientist to a monster that had nothing to do with being a scientist. First he was a plant elemental, then a being that embodied all the elements. The creature has a wife, Abby, and a daughter, Tefé, and a bunch of stories that few people read and fewer cared about.

And so it falls to writer Andy Diggle (The Losers) to resuscitate the character again. This puts him in fairly good company, as Alan Moore was only given the book (which was, in fact, Swamp Thing’s second series) because it was on the verge of cancellation. Mind you, it also puts him in company with Brian K. Vaughan, whose 2000 re-launch lasted only 20 issues and received mixed reviews, though he's certainly moved on to bigger and better things.

Diggle’s mandate is, in part, to trim the weeds surrounding the character, and he’s got to do so in a way that leaves the issue accessible to new readers who don’t know a thing about the character. How he fares on the former will be determined over the next few issues, but he’s off to a decent start on the latter. Much of the character’s history is explained by the guest narrator, John Constantine, and the identities of key characters Abby and Tefe are established either explicitly or implicitly. My own familiarity of the character is mostly second-hand -- I've read more about Moore's run on the book than I've actually read of it -- and I didn't have problems following what was going on. The reader is left with general grasp of what’s going on, if not a lot of in-depth knowledge.

All the recapping leaves relatively little room for story development. John Constantine has travelled to the Louisiana Bayou in search of a corpse. The Swamp Thing has been separated from his human side (“It was a whole world saving thing.”), which could pose a few problems. Constantine’s solution is to call back the soul of Alec Holland, the former human half of the monster, with hopes of merging the two again. Meanwhile, Abby has gone away on a mountain climbing expedition, while Tefe has returned to the swamp only to hear a surprising warning.

None of it’s mind-blowing, but neither is it filler. Diggle has done as well as one can do when trying to recap years of bizarre and muddled history, and as readers of The Losers should know, one of his strengths lies in the style and pizzazz he brings to a script. He writes a great Constantine, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him on Hellblazer when Mike Carey’s run ends. He’s introduced some ideas that have interesting potential, as well as establishing a dark, creepy mood for the book. He hasn’t made the story completely inaccessible for those new to Swamp Thing, but neither is the continuity impenetrable.

If the story is unspectacular, the artwork more than makes up for it. Enrique Breccia’s work is simply dazzling at times, creating a lush, detailed and occasionally horrific environment. The walking remains of Alec Holland are a sight to behold and will stay in your mind long after you’ve put the book down; it’s ghastly, but at the same time very human and pitiable. Breccia’s visuals help this book earn its credentials as a true horror comic book, and it was an excellent decision for DC to provide the book with higher quality paper (and at no extra cost). He tells the story with stylish, cinematic flair; the development in Abby’s expedition is breathtaking, and wouldn’t be out of place in a Steven Spielberg movie. If there’s a weakness to the art, it’s in the human characters: Constantine’s forehead seems to expand occasionally, while Tefe’s appearance is inconsistent.

DC has spent more than 15 years trying to recapture the glory of Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing, with varying levels of success. Andy Diggle’s not Alan Moore, but being Andy Diggle’s not so bad, either. And with Enrique Breccia around, it’s a sure thing that whatever Diggle writes will end up looking pretty darned good. It’s a good start to a new book, laying the groundwork for a bigger story. With the creative talent on display here, the book earns the benefit of the doubt. It's not going to revolutionize the industry, but it really doesn't have to; all it needs to do is make you want to buy the next issue, and it succeeds at that.

ART:
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STORY:
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OVERALL:
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Buy this issue online now from X-World and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1135&cat=SWAMP+THING)

[Dan Porter]

I read the Wizard preview online, and I have to agree: while the art was nothing short of spectacular, the story left quite a bit to be desired. Swamp Thing definitely doesn't rank up there with Losers.

I'm still debating picking up this ish, if only for the art. We'll see, maybe next week.

[DeadmanWade]

Not to nit pick by Gaiman never wrote Swampy. He was going to but then the infamous Jesus Issue incident happened and Gaiman quit the book before even starting.

Now to get back on topic I recently read Alan moore's swamp thing and loved it. I am pretty interested in checking out this book

[LordofDreams]

I really want to get this, it depends on the money left in my wallet.

[Riliss]

It's worth it. This was a very grabbing book, and looks to be a new Vertigo hit.

[Drax]

Originally posted by DeadmanWade
Not to nit pick by Gaiman never wrote Swampy. He was going to but then the infamous Jesus Issue incident happened and Gaiman quit the book before even starting.


But he did write a Jack In The Green story, so he has written a Swamp Thing, if not the Swamp Thing.

I haven't read this yet, but I am looking forward to it. I know and have read a majority of Swamp Thing issues, so I get the back story. For all that didn't particularly like this issue, Swamp Thing has mostly always been a slow developing(but usually great) book. Give it an arc.

[Ryan Day]

Originally posted by Dan Porter
I read the Wizard preview online, and I have to agree: while the art was nothing short of spectacular, the story left quite a bit to be desired. Swamp Thing definitely doesn't rank up there with Losers.

I'm still debating picking up this ish, if only for the art. We'll see, maybe next week.

The preview, iirc, only contained the Constantine bits, which is most of the exposition of the book. The Abby and Tefe elements are where the story begins, and there's some interesting stuff there.

Like I said, it's not gangbusters, but there's enough interesting stuff going on to make it worthwhile. I didn't get the sense of "That's it?" when I finished reading it; and I'm willing to give Diggle the benefit of the doubt for an issue or two.

Originally posted by DeadmanWade
Not to nit pick by Gaiman never wrote Swampy. He was going to but then the infamous Jesus Issue incident happened and Gaiman quit the book before even starting.

Swamp Thing Annual #5 contains Gaiman's work on the character. Limited, but it's a bit. (I did my research!)

[Paul Shinn]

Why did i think Swamp Thing was a Marvel property?? :?

[Ryan Day]

Originally posted by Paul
Why did i think Swamp Thing was a Marvel property?? :?

You might be thinking of Man-Thing. Similar idea: Scientist, secret formula, swamp, transformation... If I recall, both characters debuted at just about the same time, so it's not an obvious case of one ripping the other off.

I'd actually like to see another Man-Thing series. With the right writer, there's a lot of potential.

[Paul Shinn]

Ah yeah, you're right Ryan. I was thinking of Man-Thing! My bad.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

this issue was pretty awesome. I've only read Moore's work on the title, so i was at a bit of a loss with Tefe since i've never read her character before but she gets pretty firmly established in this issue so i know at least where i stand with her.

plus, i read the last issue of Hellblazer, so i just had to jump over here to find out what happened next. :)

[Dan Porter]

actually, I believe there was a page or so of Abby and Tefe, but even if there was, I missed it 'cause my inet died when I was reading it :( But now it's back up... Cest la vie baby.

-DPorter

[DeadmanWade]

Oh yea forgot about the annual.....sorry

[Alex Groff]

I really enjoyed this. SWAMP THING was one of those series that I always intended to buy, but there's a long long list of books I intend to buy, and only so much money. (Donations are willingly accepted.) So, I know that Moore used to write it, but that's about it.

This issue, Diggle's work, it was quite good. The one thing people always seem to have a problem with is that stories start slow-- but with VERTIGO, it's never filler. SANDMAN started very slow and awkward, and its hard to knock Gaiman's work. Horror stories and fantasy stories are almost inherently slow beginners. I like the return to the horror roots-- and tell me I'm not the only one reminded of Sam Kieth's SANDMAN art or the original HOUSE OF SECRETS art. I want to see that relaunched-- not as Seagle's unique but flat book-- but as the old TALES FROM THE CRYPT style horror book. Anyway, I'm sticking with this miniseries.

[NMBradbury]

Just want to say, anyone interested in finding out why the Swamp Thing has been split from his human side would do well to check out the last arc of Hellblazer. I wanted to review Hellblazer, as it's awesome, but unfortunately my sample review was a bag of b*****ks.