Swamp Thing: Where Do I Start?

Although he bears one of the most unlikely superhero names in comics, Swamp Thing has become a unique facet to the comics world and a much-needed different kind of hero in a world cohabitated by the likes of Superman and Batman. But the swamp is a hard place to navigate, just ask Alec Holland who died it its murky embrace.

Originally created as a one-off character for an early 70s horror anthology called House of Secrets, public interest in the short led DC to spur creators Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson to revisit the concept for a new ongoing series. This first series was relatively short-lived by 70s comics standards, but a new series commissioned in 1982 to take advantage of Wes Craven’s film adaption caught fire when British creator Alan Moore was brought on board, in his first major American comics work. Moore transformed the key tenet of the title from being about a hero who transformed into the plant-based hero and as a plant-based entity that simply took on part of that human’s memories after his untimely death.

Alan Moore’s work has cast a long shadow on the character and for good reason, but in that shadow it’s been hard for subsequent creators to gain a foothold. The character has hosted a who’s who list of creators trying to return the character to the heights of Moore’s run, with everyone from Grant Morrison to Mark Millar, Brian K. Vaughn, Andy Diggle, Geoff Johns and currently Scott Snyder trying to make it grow. With all these varied strains of Swamp Thing, it’s hard to narrow down which ones are the best to start with, but fortunately that’s what our weekly Where Do I Start? series is all about.

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1: Although Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson created Swamp Thing, it’s Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and Jon Totleben who defined what he is today — and this is where it all started. In a span of seven issues, this story-arc redefined the Swamp Thing character away from being a plant-based hero and instead being a monster with remnants of a soul, not unlike Frankenstein’s Monster. With Bissette and Totleben baring down on the horror inflections in the art, Moore deftly introduces environmental subtexts that grow in and around the developing story and become a central thrust of the series as it progresses.

Roots of the Swamp Thing: Plants would be nothing without their roots, and Swamp Thing is no different. This collection brings together the character’s debut and first 13 issues of his series by Wein and Wrightson, combining melodrama and horror to see the hero fight everything from werewolves to aliens, robots, and even his own brother. This collection includes the first appearance of Swamp Thing’s main nemesis Dr. Anton Arcane, as well as his long-time love Abigail Arcane

Swamp Thing: Raise Them Bones: The newest entry into the ongoing ouvre of Swamp Thing, it’s original run isn’t even complete yet but I can’t help but mention it. Scott Snyder and  Yanick Paquette have really found a way to balance Moore’s stamp on the book with their own take of Swamp Thing in the modern world. This collection isn’t scheduled to come out until August, but you can pick it up as singles now — #6 goes on sale in February.

Swamp Thing: Regenesis: Picking up after the conclusion of Moore’s run, writer Rick Veitch and artists Alfredo Alcala and Brett Ewins step into the void as Swamp Thing and Abigail discover that the Parliament of Trees, an overseeing body above Swampie, has accidentally set into motion the creation of a new Swamp Thing. The original goes at it with the Parliament of Trees as well as his replacement, along the way defining Abigail Arcane as more than just a female-in-danger but kicking ass — and plant ass — along the way.

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 4: Considered by many to be the pinnacle of Moore’s run on the book, this story-arc, subtitled “A Murder of Crows,” shows Swamp Thing stepping up against a group of witchdoctors set on causing the destruction of Heaven. The story-arc brings Swamp Thing together with other dark heroes of DC lore like Deadman, the Phantom Stranger, Etrigan and introduces what would become a pillar of Vertigo: John Constantine.

Comments

  1. The Veitch run is really underrated, it’s been nice to see that Snyder is taking notes as much from that run as from Alan Moore’s. If anyone out there is interested, though, you should probably pick up the Moore run before you read Veitch’s if you want to read the stories in order.

  2. Love the “Murder of Crows” arc, but I’m pretty sure Constantine is introduced in the previous arc “American Gothic”. That would get my vote as best of the Moore run.

  3. Is “A Murder of Crows” the arc with Zatara and Zatanna (alongside Constantine and Phantom Stranger)? I don’t want to say anything else, but I remember it being a pivotal story.

  4. @Chris Sweet! I’ve always wanted to get the Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing, but didn’t want to spend a alot of $$ getting every collection. I’ll be looking for that book #4, sounds cool.

  5. I just finished the Alan Moore run for the first time and really enjoyed it. The Gotham arc from Book 5 was my favorite (Gotham being covered in plants and turning into a hippie oasis was awesome) and “The Anatomy Lesson” might be my favorite single issue I’ve ever read.

  6. I’ve been putting together the 80s series for years now (in singles) and won’t read any of it until its all done. It’s starting to drive me crazy. Think I’m at about 110/170.

    • Hang in there, houseian!

    • Unbelievable! Very impressive

    • keep at it, you’ll get there. the final 20 or so issues in volume 2 are the hardest to find. I own every issue of all 5 volumes of swamp thing and most all the trade paperbacks. I also nearly every comic that Swamp Thing makes an appearance in. You could say I’m kind of a fan. I’m loving what Snyder is doing right now with the character. I was pumped to find out he was going to be doing the books for my two favorite DC characters, Swamp Thing and Batman.