Saga of Swamp Thing book 1

Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One by Alan Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alec Holland's life was changed forever when he died and was reborn as Swamp Thing. Or was he?

My first exposure to Swamp Thing was in an issue of Captain Atom I had as a kid. At some point in the dim past, I read the first two Alan Moore trades but through the magic of getting older and drinking a small lake of beer, I've forgotten most of them. My wife nabbed me the first volume for my birthday so here we are.

The first issue of the trade ties up all the loose ends from Martin Pasko's run. From there, Alan Moore begins redefining the character and making Swamp Thing his own. By changing Swamp Thing from a man who became a plant to a plant who dreamed he was a man, he opens up a lot of new avenues for new stories and breaths new life into Old Swampy.

The Len Wein/Berni Wrightson Swamp Thing run felt like a throwback to EC Comics of the '50s. This feels more sophisticated and complex, focusing on psychological horror rather than the grotesque. The series later had the Sophisticated Suspense label slapped on it and it's a fitting one.

Alan Moore was the master of comics when we wasn't too busy bitching about them and this book is a big example why. It's not overwritten as some of his later stuff was but the man has a way with words. Once Swamp Thing stops trying to be Alec Holland, the roadblocks are removed and Moore starts taking Swamp Thing in new and interesting directions. Tom Yeates was good but the art really goes up a notch when Stephen Bissette and John Tottleben take over. Bissette's swamp animals in particular interest me since he later did the dinosaur book Tyrant.

Alan Moore's redefinition of Swamp Thing began something that eventually redefined comics. I need the other five volumes. Five out of five stars.

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