Favourite Stories Featuring..... Swamp Thing!

[rouge2]

Continuing with a series of threads on some of your favourite Clix characters and the best comics they’ve appeared in.

Please feel free to post your favourite storyline, issue or one-shot about the featured character. Give a description too, if you’re up to it. Who knows, maybe someone who hadn’t given this character a chance might change their mind and check out your recommendation.


Up next:

Swamp Thing

My favourite story:

American Gothic

From Swamp Thing (v.2) #37-50
(Reprinted in "The Curse" and "Murder of Crows" Trade Paperbacks)
Writer: Alan Moore
Artists: John Totleben, Steve Bissette

The centre piece of Moore's brillant run on Swamp Thing was the "American Gothic" storyline. A pure horror Tour de Force, Gothic was truly mindboggling in scope as it juxtaposed different American horror archetypes with American Social Issues (like the famous "Curse" issue, brilliantly melding Werewolf mythology with Women's alienation).

The story has Swamp Thing, still learning about his true nature and the scope of his "power", being led around the U.S. by the enigmatic John Constantine (his first appearance), in an attempt to stop America's collective consciousness from awakening the original "Darkness". The reader is led along with Swamp Thing from town to town, witnessing Horror after Horror as the flood gates of American fear are ripped open.

It all builds up to the blowout issue #50 which involves the majority of DCs Mytical cast (from the Spectre to Deadman to the Demons Three) engaged in all-out warfare at the Gates of Hell itself, in a battle for all of creation (a battle not without it's share of casualties).

Moore's story works on so many levels, that there's something for everybody: Strong social commentary, some of the best horror scenarios seen in comicdom, the ongoing mystery of Constantine's motive, a huge "Super-hero" battle at the end (that doesn't end how you'd think!)

If ever there were essential DCU reading for those interested in the company's magic and horror characters, this is it.

[Rokk_Krinn]

Great timing on this thread Rouge2 as I was seriously debating posting a question along similar lines. Mine was going to be for far more selfish reasons, however. :) I had never delved into more than the occasional issue of the Vertigo-runs of "Swamp Thing" and was wondering if people could recommend any of the Vertigo issues or if the issues are just too overly-elemental (mega-powerful) preachy and less, well, horrour (the original attraction of the Swamp Thing titles, to me).

Not surprisingly, I rank "American Gothic" as one of the great comic story arcs of all time, so I would have to put it up there in the top "Swamp Thing" stories too. :) However, some of the issues leading up to it such as the "Nukeface Papers" (which I believe is printed in the TPB prior to the one you suggested) are also fantastic. "The Nukeface Papers" was especially saddening to me - not because of the inherent message, but because of the unknown and tragic fate of one of the main characters of the story (and just to warn folks: Swamp Thing is not really more than just a peripheral character in the story). Frankly, pretty much most of the Alan Moore run is outstanding - whether it be his version of the Winchester House and its' ghosts or Swamp Thing's heartbreaking meeting with Walt Kelley's Pogo characters (kinda'), it's great stuff.

Like I noted, above, however, I really prefer the more "horrour-driven" stories of Swamp Thing (which means I tend more towards the earlier run of Moore's stories). That also means I rather like some of the early non-Moore stories as well. Suggestions include "A Lonely Place of Dying" (just weird and creepy at the time I read it) or some of the early Len Wein run (which I believe were reprinted in the "Dark Genesis" TPB). Been so long since I read many of them that I'm afraid I don't have any issue #'s handy. Sorry. :(

[rouge2]

Originally posted by Rokk_Krinn
"The Nukeface Papers" was especially saddening to me - not because of the inherent message, but because of the unknown and tragic fate of one of the main characters of the story (and just to warn folks: Swamp Thing is not really more than just a peripheral character in the story).

Hmm, Are you talking about Nukeface, or Treasure & Wallace? The former never did appear again, but Treasure & Wallace's subplot played out (eventually).


As to the Post-Moore ST - It's very much a mixed bag. Despite high praise, Veitch just never did it for me (Christ Controversy or not). I found the "Lost in Time" storyline way too derivative of the "Lost in Space" arc. It went from bad to worse with Wheeler. What a load of garbage that guy dumped on the series (actually made me stop collecting). Collins after him was just OK. She had one or two really brilliant and horror-filled issues (particularly the Annual with "Les Perdu" - #6 I think). But the rest of her run was Elemental Soap Opera and really took away from the characters at the end.
Now Millar's (& Morrison for a few issues) run to finish the series was great. It's a mix of Horror and the Elemental stuff, but the Horror issues were right on. I highly enjoyed it as the Swan Song to a great character.

Of course, with the new series it appears that the fitting ending of the Millar stories is going to be undone. I'm glad to get new Swampy stories, but I'm just hoping the stories are up to par. After the first issue, the jury's still out for me.

[Ignatz_Mouse]

The Matt Cable/Arcane arc, ending in Hell, is still my favorite. I like the whole Alan Moore run, too.

[SeeD Commander]

Hellblazer - Fear and Loathing

It's John Constintine's 40th birthday and some of his friends throw him a surprise party. Swamp Thing is among the guests. One of them brings with them a small Mary Jane plant. As Swamp Thing leaves, Constantine turns to him and says, "Take it away, maestro.". With a wave of his hand, Swamp Thing makes the plant grow to a rediculously large size.

Ok, so it didn't exactly "feature" Swamp Thing. But it was a mighty nice gesture.

[Briel]

The first thirteen issue storyline in Saga of The Swamp Thing by Martin Pasko, and Tom Yeats. Alec spends a great deal of time saving a little girl from all these guys out to kill her. Then it turns out she "is" the spawn of evil they said she was, and Holland has to put things right. It was a great play on judging by appearances.

Scariest moment was in #29. It wasn't even on panel. Moore just describes Abbey trying to get bugs off of her with a wire brush. I'm still cringing after all these years.

I quit after #50. The power level went to far to maitain the gothic horror of the title. It lost what the series was supposed to be about (which was so epitomized by the first run and first thirtee isues). How an assumed monster by appearance is witness to what real monstrosity is in the heart. That Alec Holland's arrival on the scene would be a catalyst for change.

Once it got all godlike, it lost touch with people and emotion. By #50 all the important things to be said were overcome by the magic and sorcery aspects. I think even Moore realised this after a while before moving on.

[Hatut Zeraze]

In addition to the ones mentioned above, I'm very fond of:

1. Anton Arcane's second appearance in the original run, in which Swamp Thing and his nemesis are also confronted by the ghosts of plantation slaves.

2. The Moore storyline which guest-starred The Demon. I was blown away by the way in which Alec knew something terrible was wrong at the children's home, even though Abby couldn't put anything rational into words. Some instinct or faith told him that an unusual danger brewed even though rational thought would have suggested otherwise.

3. Swamp Thing vs Superman. I'm always a sucker for team-ups, even though Swampy is supposed to have been (and still is) beyond that silly super-hero stuff. Veitch's ending suggested a paradigm in which the vastly divergent worldviews of Superman and Swamp Thing could co-exist, while at the same time offering a unique take on the character of Superman.