Swamp Thing Appreciation thread

**Mr. Holmes** · 07-13-2012, 07:52 AM

I was going to get Snyder's run in trade and jump on for the Animal Man/Frankie crossover, but I've been badly soured by Snyder's writing on Batman. Any opinions here?

**Hierocles** · 07-13-2012, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. Holmes

I was going to get Snyder's run in trade and jump on for the Animal Man/Frankie crossover, but I've been badly soured by Snyder's writing on Batman. Any opinions here?

I have a few problems with Snyder's writing on both titles, but as a whole I prefer his Swamp Thing work. You'll find very extended narration/exposition in his ST run as well, but mostly in the first few issues; I know you don't have much love for his metaphors... well, there are quite a few in ST as well. Personally, I love ST's world (and its connections with Animal Man), the Green/Red/Rot, and I'm very interested in the upcoming crossover. I felt ST (and AM, to a lesser degree) slowed down too much in the issues preceeding the crossover (mostly around #9-10), but they found back their form just in time.

The art has been far less "consistent" than Batman's (not necessarily in quality -- I loved all the fill-in work in ST -- but in style), but a bit more interesting, to me. Paquette rocked in his issues, but Francavilla and Rudy both did/do great fill-in work on it. (#11, by Rudy, was a new high for me.)

**thewarning** · 07-13-2012, 08:12 AM

Yeah the fill-ins have all been very good, and there's only been one case of a split issue, but its irksome that there's those inconsistencies month-to-month. Holmes, I wonder what your reaction would be the finale of the first arc given your feelings about NotO - I wouldn't equate the two too closely, but I thought there was a similar "cop out," or at the very least a dropping of the ball, at the end of the ST arc. And these past Arcane issues have just felt like padding before Rotworld...

**Brave Sir Robbin** · 07-13-2012, 08:17 AM

I have been really enjoying the Swamp Thing run lately. It took a little bit of time to build up speed but looking back, it seems necessary to get the story set. Swamp Thing is the kind of comic that has more of an epic feel. Since Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is one of my favorites ever, probably only beaten by Sand Man and The Goon, I wanted the comic to have that same dream like, mystical bent that the original felt like to me. I also think the are is outstanding and captures the feel of the book perfectly.

**The Beast Of Yucca Flats** · 07-13-2012, 11:22 AM

The first comic I'd read starring Swamp Thing was Batman #522, part 2 of a tale from the Doug Moench/Kelley Jones years pairing him with Killer Croc (incidentally, my favorite story of that run); before then, I mostly knew him from the old USA TV series or somesuch. And I first read Moore's run a decade or so ago, after getting the Millennium Edition of "The Anatomy Lesson" on a whim and reading the trades (up to that point) in the local library. While looking back I do feel that he clearly went on to better things in the likes of From Hell or Top 10, when that run was on, it was mother^%&ing ON. I still can't think of any SW comics I've glanced at after that impressed me nearly as much, be they before or after Moore (I have the same problem with Garth Ennis & Frank Castle, but that's by the by) My personal favorite of it is the still chilling & gutting in equal measure "My Blue Heaven."

**Mr. Holmes** · 07-13-2012, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Hierocles

I have a few problems with Snyder's writing on both titles, but as a whole I prefer his Swamp Thing work. You'll find very extended narration/exposition in his ST run as well, but mostly in the first few issues; I know you don't have much love for his metaphors... well, there are quite a few in ST as well. Personally, I love ST's world (and its connections with Animal Man), the Green/Red/Rot, and I'm very interested in the upcoming crossover. I felt ST (and AM, to a lesser degree) slowed down too much in the issues preceeding the crossover (mostly around #9-10), but they found back their form just in time.

Metaphors are fine, I just think Snyder's Batman beats you over the head with it. Really, as long as this book isn't trying too hard to be some grand epic, I think I will be fine. But I'll start with the 0 issue.

**Hierocles** · 07-13-2012, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by The Beast Of Yucca Flats

The first comic I'd read starring Swamp Thing was Batman #522, part 2 of a tale from the Doug Moench/Kelley Jones years pairing him with Killer Croc (incidentally, my favorite story of that run)

Hehe, it was my intro to Swamp Thing as well. Incidentally, I loved the Moench/Jones Batman run (my avatar is a KJ drawing). My intro to American comics was Batman #519.

**Batman and Charles** · 07-13-2012, 01:09 PM

When I was a kid my neighbor (also a kid) was obsessed with the Swamp Thing cartoon, which at the time had the greatest theme song EVER! I remember my neighbor and I rocking out to that song. I had no idea it was actually based on a popular rock single!

Later I became a fan of Alan Moore, and that eventually led to my borrowing the Saga of the Swamp Thing trades at the library and reading it all in a couple of weeks. That stuff was completely epic.

**Batman and Charles** · 07-15-2012, 12:19 PM

You guys what are your thoughts on Nancy Collins' ST run? What about Millar's? I haven't read them, and have been thinking about checking them out.

I tend to really really dislike Millar's stuff, but I've sometimes heard people say his run was pretty good, and I'm assuming he has a good writer in him when he isn't completely unleashed like he is now.

**FanboyStranger** · 07-15-2012, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Batman and Charles

You guys what are your thoughts on Nancy Collins' ST run? What about Millar's? I haven't read them, and have been thinking about checking them out.

I tend to really really dislike Millar's stuff, but I've sometimes heard people say his run was pretty good, and I'm assuming he has a good writer in him when he isn't completely unleashed like he is now.

Nancy's run is okay, but kinda blah. Lots of buildup that doesn't really go anywhere. She does write the most convincing Cajun dialogue in the business, though.

Millar's run is actually quite good. It's nothing like the Millar work of the past decade-- he was actually a somewhat thoughtful writer who could write with some depth back then, something that basically disappeared after Tangent: Superman. The initial arc co-written by Grant Morrison is actually the weakest part of the run, but after that, he finds his stride fairly quickly and tells an epic that constantly ups the stakes with every arc and one-shots that actually sublime. Definitely go for it.

**Batman and Charles** · 07-15-2012, 01:10 PM

It's really weird that they haven't collected his runs in trades considering he's one of the biggest names in comics right now. Guess I'll have to find the individual issues.

**Hammer!** · 07-15-2012, 01:40 PM

Ok I'm five issues into Swamp Thing now and loving it but I have a few questions:

Is this one of those series with retconned continuity from before Flashpoint? Just a little confused since Supes knew about Holland and the Swamp Thing and because there were quite a few years mentioned in between Holland's death and revival. And was the Swamp Thing that approached him at the end of issue 1 and beginning of 2 the ST his memories of Abby and being the creature based on?

**FanboyStranger** · 07-15-2012, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Batman and Charles

It's really weird that they haven't collected his runs in trades considering he's one of the biggest names in comics right now. Guess I'll have to find the individual issues.

They've been all over the place reprinting ST, and Millar hasn't been particularly well-liked by DC after his comments about Paul Levitz. Still, DC finally got off its ass and reprinted Ed Brubaker's Deadenders, so you never know.