It's quite jarring going back to revisit Alan Moore's legendary run on Saga of the Swamp Thing from the early 1980's over twenty years later, only to recognize how painfully relevant some of the recurring themes still are, let alone how engaging of a world Moore creates in one of his earliest mainstream works.
Though this hardcover collection of Saga of the Swamp Thing that collects issues #28-34 as well as Swamp Thing Annual #2 is being published by Vertigo, Saga of the Swamp Thing was released at a time before the mature Vertigo imprint existed at DC Comics. As such, it's admittedly quite reeling to see appearances fromDCU characters like Deadman and The Phantom Stranger in this collection. But as with most of Moore's work from this era, Swamp Thing is imbued with a sense of poetic beauty that serves as the precursor for later works. A prime example of this comes in the last issue of this collection, which deals with the blossoming of the relationship between Alec Holland, now the Swamp Thing, and his longtime friend Abigail Arcane. The way in which he is able to share his love with her in place of a physical relationship reeks of the early seeds for an idea more fully explored in Promethea (read our review of Absolute Promethea Volume 1), in the same way that Book One saw the early threads of Watchmen coming together in the way Moore presented the Justice League.
In terms of thematic content, perhaps the most recurring concept throughout both this volume and the previous one is the idea of environmentalism and the conservation of the Earth's natural resources. While the previous hardcover collection was a bit more forward in its presentation of these ideas, mainly in the storyline involving the Floronic Man, Moore takes a much more subdued approach here. As moving as the ongoing soap opera of Alec, Abigail, and Abigail's estranged husband is throughout the course of this book, the standout issue is the standalone tale of issue #32, the classic featuringPog and his small alien crew of swamp dwellers.
Drawn by non-regular artist Shawn McManus, this issue provides an all at once lighthearted and dense departure from the main overarching storyline. While I found McManus' work quite distracting in the book opener, issue #28, the irregularity of this single issue's story provides an opportunity forMcManus to shine without having to be compared to the great work of Stephen Bissette.
The issue follows Pog and the crew of his ship, who land in the swamps of Louisiana continuing their centuries long search of a new home, after their previous planet was engulfed by a "solitribal breed of misanthropomorphs who refused to convivicate with elsefolk", that "constricted their own uncivilization, and exclucified anykind else from joining it". It may be spoken in Pog's own strange language, but the message is clear. As Pog and his crew begin to settle into their new surroundings, Swamp Thing reluctantly points to a few "misanthropomorphs" of his own: humans, devouring hot dogs and hamburgers, and just generally being the slimy pigs that we are. Soon after, things unravel for the strange creatures and this bizarre, unique tale becomes the saddest issue in the whole of this collection.
Though Moore's Watchmen is rightfully credited with bringing a whole new mentality towards the comic book medium, Swamp Thing's contribution to mainstream comics can't go ignored, and this second volume is right smack dab in the middle of what makes that statement ring true. You've got these inherently silly characters - the titular protagonist is a beast made of plants after all - yet there is such a gravity to it all; intrinsic human loneliness that Moore taps into with seeming ease, and provides an overwhelmingly effective tale of the human condition without losing any of the pulp horror madness or superhero antics.
It also shouldn't go unmentioned that the issues of this second volume is where Moore really dove into the reforming of the Swamp Thing character, allowing him to accept his true nature as a thing instead of a human, but more importantly, his place as an Earth Elemental, only the latest in a long line of other Swamp Things. As a fan of the character in any incarnation, it would behoove you to check out the story with some of the most resounding updates to the character'smythos.
Though there are a bevy of talented artists on display in these issues, the work by Bissette is the most effective and to me, the most representative of the glory days of Swamp Thing. His work in these issues is truly innovative, considering the era in which these issues were published. Many of his page layouts are simply bizarre, but they work so well with the ebb and flow of Moore's writing that it conforms their collaborative issues into a cohesive work of art instead of simply a DC comic book. It's for this reason that the first issue of this collection is a bitoffputting, as the work by McManus - while great in its own right - simply pales in comparison to the style previously established by Bissette in the earlier volume.
Saga of the Swamp Thing is the kind comic that, even 25 years later, you can give to a non-comics fan and have them simply understand why you read what you read. There's a reason that this run on Swamp Thing is so greatly revered, and a good chunk of those reasons are in this collection. Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Two is in comic shops November 25.
