Review of Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book One
I wanted to hate this book.
For years, all you keep hearing about is how great Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing was. How he took the title, and in effect comics in general, in a much darker direction. Even a more adult direction. I blew that off as hooey. It can't be THAT good.
Damn it all, it is!
Thanks in no small part to his artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, and very much to his colorist Tatjana Wood, Moore created a masterpiece in storytelling. First he ties up the loose ends of the previous creative team in his first issue (reprinted here for the first time), then takes us on a trip to see the true origin of the Swamp Thing, one he understandably (once you read it) does not take well. From there, we see a tale of a creature looking for its place in the world, while at the same time battling other creatures made of flora, as well as demons.
Meanwhile, the supporting cast is fully fleshed out with Abigail Arcane-Cable being the person trying to most restore ST's humanity, while her husband loses his and battles demons of his own, until one tragic occurence near the end of the book where a demon wins without much effort.
I can't type much here without spoiling everything. Suffice it to say the hype IS accurate, the entire book holds up exceptionally well 25+ years later. And it's reprinted on high-quality paper, so it looks beautiful too.
I wanted to hate this book. Instead I love it. That's some good storytelling right there.