Writer: Alan Moore
Artists: Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, Stan Woch, Ron Randall, Rick Veitch, Alfredo Alcala
Collects: Swamp Thing issues 43 to 50
Collected under Vertigo
And welcome to yet another installment of everybody's favourite swamp monster. In this collection, Alan Moore spins his epic titled "The American Gothic Saga" which has its roots in book 3, with the introduction of John Constantine. We finally learn what Constantine has been preparing Swampy for all this time in Moore's sprawling and ambitious storyline (though, arguably far from the finest; it's his creepy one and done stories that entice me more) which guest stars almost everybody from DC's horror stable, (Etrigan the Demon, Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, Abel & Cain from the House of Mystery, Zatarra and Zatanna, Doctor Occult, Sargon the Sorcerer, Baron Winter, Steve Dayton) which in itself is a feat, as nobody gets the short shrift here.
We begin with three short stories. In "Windfall", a wandering beatnik finds a tuber which he suspects to have hallucinogenic properties and takes it home. Little does he know that the tuber came from Swampy's body (We earlier saw Abby eating one in Book 2 to understand Swamp Thing's world) and might have unexpected results on consumption.
In "Bogeymen", we see Moore's take on serial killers. A sick man who thinks he's the traditional bogeyman haunts the swamps until he comes face to face with the Swamp Thing.
"Ghost Dance" tells the story of a mansion constructed exclusively for ghosts. Trouble begins when the tourists visit, and things start getting weird.
The next issue is a Crisis on Infinite Earth's crossover, which has not much to do with the series itself - we just see some red skies, Batman has a run in with Constantine and chaos all around. You don't need to know a bit about the event to enjoy this one.
Now begins the Saga in earnest. Swamp Thing is first introduced to the Parliament of Trees, constituted of protectors of the green, like himself. We learnt that Alec Holland wasn't the first Swamp Thing way back in Book 2. Now we get a look at his predecessors and their lives.
The Brujeria seek to bring back the original darkness. A message has been sent in the form of a pearl and the mystic heroes must stop it. All goes in vain and the creature that is the living embodiment of darkness is awake once more.
Writer Alan Moore once again surprises, showing he can write epic crossovers better than almost everybody. What exactly is the beast awakened is never explained satisfactory, neither is the conclusion - all we know is that the good guys won. A minor flaw in an otherwise solid volume.
Alfredo Alcala's inks are wonderful, as are Stan Woch' and Ron Randall. The usual team of Bissette, Totleben & Veitch never fails to astonish.
For paperback collectors, a paperback collecting the same issues is available as Swamp Thing Volume 4: A Murder of Crows.
My rating: 9 on 10
Collects full covers, Hardcover: 24.99 US$, Paperback: 19.99 US$
Artists: Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, Stan Woch, Ron Randall, Rick Veitch, Alfredo Alcala
Collects: Swamp Thing issues 43 to 50
Collected under Vertigo
And welcome to yet another installment of everybody's favourite swamp monster. In this collection, Alan Moore spins his epic titled "The American Gothic Saga" which has its roots in book 3, with the introduction of John Constantine. We finally learn what Constantine has been preparing Swampy for all this time in Moore's sprawling and ambitious storyline (though, arguably far from the finest; it's his creepy one and done stories that entice me more) which guest stars almost everybody from DC's horror stable, (Etrigan the Demon, Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, Abel & Cain from the House of Mystery, Zatarra and Zatanna, Doctor Occult, Sargon the Sorcerer, Baron Winter, Steve Dayton) which in itself is a feat, as nobody gets the short shrift here.
We begin with three short stories. In "Windfall", a wandering beatnik finds a tuber which he suspects to have hallucinogenic properties and takes it home. Little does he know that the tuber came from Swampy's body (We earlier saw Abby eating one in Book 2 to understand Swamp Thing's world) and might have unexpected results on consumption.
In "Bogeymen", we see Moore's take on serial killers. A sick man who thinks he's the traditional bogeyman haunts the swamps until he comes face to face with the Swamp Thing.
"Ghost Dance" tells the story of a mansion constructed exclusively for ghosts. Trouble begins when the tourists visit, and things start getting weird.
The next issue is a Crisis on Infinite Earth's crossover, which has not much to do with the series itself - we just see some red skies, Batman has a run in with Constantine and chaos all around. You don't need to know a bit about the event to enjoy this one.
Now begins the Saga in earnest. Swamp Thing is first introduced to the Parliament of Trees, constituted of protectors of the green, like himself. We learnt that Alec Holland wasn't the first Swamp Thing way back in Book 2. Now we get a look at his predecessors and their lives.
The Brujeria seek to bring back the original darkness. A message has been sent in the form of a pearl and the mystic heroes must stop it. All goes in vain and the creature that is the living embodiment of darkness is awake once more.
Writer Alan Moore once again surprises, showing he can write epic crossovers better than almost everybody. What exactly is the beast awakened is never explained satisfactory, neither is the conclusion - all we know is that the good guys won. A minor flaw in an otherwise solid volume.
Alfredo Alcala's inks are wonderful, as are Stan Woch' and Ron Randall. The usual team of Bissette, Totleben & Veitch never fails to astonish.
For paperback collectors, a paperback collecting the same issues is available as Swamp Thing Volume 4: A Murder of Crows.
My rating: 9 on 10
Collects full covers, Hardcover: 24.99 US$, Paperback: 19.99 US$
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