Sunday, May 11, 2008

Swamp Thing: Saga of the Swamp Thing TP (w/ Alan Moore)


Alan Moore took over Swamp Thing with issue #21 (of Volume 2) in 1984 (due to low sales), 2 years before the first issue of Watchmen was released. Moore has a knack for reviving obscure (read "shitty") DC comics characters and making them less shitty. I can't imagine Jason "Floronic Man" Woodrue ever actually being scary, but he comes pretty close in this book. Even Etrigan (who also pops up in the Sandman series) is an interesting character!

Moore reinvents the origin of Swamp Thing, although the story remains roughly the same, in theory, with a few major differences (including the appearance of Jason Woodrue). Environmentalism is a heavy theme in this series, as Floronic Man discovers the secret of Swamp Thing's power, "The Green" ("Gaia", the earth as an ecosystem of interconnected plant organisms). Woodrue's symbiotic relationship with "The Green" allows him to see (and feel) the horrors of humanity's abuse of our planet. Woodrue goes on a killing spree, fueled by The Green, and Swamp Thing attempts to save The Green, the world, and the woman he loves, from Woodrue's (naive) vendetta.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing is more important than ever, with the reality of global climate change knocking on our door. 24 years later, we need Swamp Thing more than ever.

I give Saga of the Swamp Thing 4 (out of 5) drowning polar bears,
-sandy

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