Monthly Archives: December 2011

Poor Adam Strange… Moore closes the issue making a joke about him. I get the reasoning–it’s a heavy issue–and it does give Strange a momentary spotlight, which he surely desires–but it’s odd.

This issue is partially about high sci-fi ideas–a planet where the plant life became sentient instead of the animals and what Swamp Thing’s presence would mean to it. But it’s more about the characters, which Moore brilliantly introduces. Though plants, it’s all human interest.

There’s the married couple unexpectedly given insight into each other’s thoughts, there’s the successful artist who’s isolated by success and, finally, there’s the aging Green Lantern.

It’s very much about that aging Green Lantern, down to the political problems on Oa; mostly it’s about his dealing with loss.

And Swamp Thing. He’s there too.

Moore packs the issue with fantastical action and quiet emotion. It’s a great comic book.

Moore does eventually make this issue more of the traditional team-up. He also gives Swamp Thing some significant more page time, as he tries to figure out what’s up with the Rann’s ecosystem.

It’s actually a somewhat tense scene, as it’s unclear if Swamp Thing can help.

The issue opens with a lot of political talk between Adam Strange and one of the Hawk-people. The Hawk-people are not very nice, it turns out, and there’s a great fight sequence for Strange with them. It’s still, for the most part, an Adam Strange comic.

And, forgive the phrase, a strange one.

Moore keeps it untranslated for the most part, so the reader has to guess from the expressions and emotions. He puts a lot of trust in Veitch’s abilities.

But team-up is strange too. Swamp Thing quickly exits, even though he’s more powerful.

It’s another fine issue.

While Moore is taking Swamp Thing on a trip through the post-Crisis DC Universe, he’s also reduced Swampy back to a supporting role. This issue is all about Adam Strange and the troubles on Rann. Swamp Thing’s just stopping over.

And though it might be nice to see the titular character be the protagonist of his own book, Moore does a great job with Strange. It’s a fine example–as many of these Swamp Thing issues are–of the importance of excellent writing. Moore, in the first two pages, makes Adam Strange his own. Once on Rann, he continues it, using a lot of thought balloons for Strange, not a series standard.

It’s Moore adapting to best suit the character.

The result is an excellent comic book (even if Swamp Thing only gets a quarter of it).

Veitch and Alcala adjust from monsters to alien civilizations without a hitch.

Moore overwrites Swamp Thing’s first person narration quite a bit. The more obvious ties to the color blue–he’s stuck on an all-blue planet–aren’t as bothersome as a reference to tenement housing. It’s not in the character. There’s nothing to suggest he’d have that thought.

Otherwise, it’s fine. Wordy, but fine. There’s no other way for Moore to tell the story of Swamp Thing creating a whole world for himself in his loneliness.

This issue informs a certain Watchmen issue too….

It’s the first Swamp Thing issue in a long while to solely feature Swampy. Where Moore excels is in the character development–he manages not to humanize an extraordinary creature too much, instead balancing the emotion and the power (another lesson he uses in Watchmen).

Veitch and Alcala make the blue planet haunting and tragic, while still beautiful.

Moore’s plotting is fantastic too.

It’s problematic, but good.

Reading this issue, I wonder if Moore knew how he was going to bring Liz and Dennis back. He exited them from the series right after he took over. He certainly foreshadowed it.

Interestingly, after doing a few issues “for the fans”–a Batman guest appearance, lots of action–he’s hostile to the traditional comic book reader again. I can’t remember reading many DC comics about battered women….

In addition to doing a great chase issue, he also figures out how to move Abby quickly through her states of grief to get her to be a productive character again. Swamp Thing is still growing.

There are a couple great pages with the human side of Commissioner Gordon and Batman too.

The Veitch art, from the first panel of Abby, transfixes. He and Alcala bring the humanity, but Veitch is able to compose grandiose, emotive panels.

It’s melodrama, but great melodrama.