July Book Club Discussion: Swamp Thing: Anatomy Lesson!

[Mister Mets]

Looking at the first issue.

This is not included in my TPB of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run, although it is included in some recent collections. This is more of a bridge issue between the two runs, as Moore ties up some loose ends and sets up some big reveals, to the extent that it's very easy to think his run began next issue with the Anatomy lesson.



There's a good hook here that while the big bad had been defeated at the tail end of Mike Pasko's run and this issue confirms it, other forces decide to go after the weakened Swamp Thing. Obviously this run becomes much bigger under Moore, but at this point he's a completely unknown British writer taking over a book featuring a character who had just been in a movie. At this point, he had a lot to prove just to keep his current audience, and I'd have to think they were on board here.

Artist Dan Day doesn't come back during the Moore run, but he's working with inker John Totlebon and colorist Tatjana Wood, so the style is consistent with what comes next and what the book had evolved into.

One theme here is men expecting women to fall in love with them just because they were in extreme danger together, so Moore is already looking at a new understanding of typical comic book behavior.



We see hints of a later story. It works by itself, but I wonder if it also helps make the big reveals next issue seem more shocking, because so far it seems business as usual. The story is interesting and tragic, with danger to some of the supporting characters, but it seems like this is going to be a bad guy the Swamp Thing's going to have to fight soon enough.



With that in mind, the reader may easily think the military's trap for Swamp Thing is no big deal. Until we see just how effective it is.

Grade: A (Mainly because I know it gets better)

[SJNeal]

i started to read Swamp thing at issue number 1. At least for this series. Having never read a Swamp Thing comic before I want to see the difference between what came before and Moores run.

Not a bad idea. I liked Pasko's stuff - it was no Moore, but it was decent.

[Mister Mets]

And now for the second issue.

Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 "The Anatomy Lesson"



The second issue is the highlight of the run. It works pretty well as a standalone comic, and as the beginning of a new arc. It starts as a D-list villain is brought in to advise people who think they have killed the Swamp Thing, and just want to figure out how to make money from him. There's a very matter of fact way to how the villains operate. One guy is rich and connected; he doesn't think he needs to understand everything immediately in order to make a fortune. The other guy wants to stay out of jail, but he's able to make a crucial connection. The regular supporting characters disappear for this issue, which makes it more effective as one-off (although obviously it's excellent as part of a larger run.)



This reads like a horror story, and it's a damn good one. I don't know the extent to which this is typical of the early run by Paska and company, or the original run by Wein and Wrightson. I should definitely check out the latter. Steve Bissett and John Totlebon's art has the right mood for a story about an unsettling discovery at night.



This is not the last time Moore has an autopsy in a major comic book scene, but it is quite effective as an excuse for exposition. And it leads to the big discovery, one of the most significant retcons to any DC character, something that changes not just the Swamp Thing, but sets in motion new story engines for other series as well. But if all you want to read is this one issue, you're still going to have a good time.

Grade: A+

[etrumble]

I'm reading along with you Mr. Mets but can't add anything much to your excellent discussion!

It's been years since I've read this and I'm enjoying in much more than I expected.

As I've mentioned before, this was one of the few DC highlights from this time(IMO).

[thwhtGuardian]

Yes, and Wes Craven was the driving force behind the movie-which was directly responsible for DC reviving Swamp Thing. When Craven got the rights and put the movie in production, DC hadn't used Swamp Thing in a few years and he hadn't had a series of his own since the initial series was cancelled in '76. Len Wein talks about reviving the series because of the film a bit in the forward to the first collected edition of the Moore issues (I reread the forward and intro by Ramsay Campbell, and the first issue last night).


My initial reaction to #20-I was absolutely blown away by the page designs. Moore writes full script, so that was mostly his designs executed by Day, The framing of the pages, especially 2 page sequences on left and right and some individual pages framed top and bottom, and then the panel to panel sequencing, especially the 2 pages with the Newton's Cradle to absolutely control the flow of time for the reader were absolutely amazing. Moore's plotting and dialogue are great (his mastery of prose in top notch), but for me it is his absolute mastery of the craft of the form of comics and its use in telling a visual narrative that sets him apart from most of his peers.


-M

I just read #20, and this was something that really struck me as well. The symmetry in the layouts isn't just a neat, poetic design choice but is actually a huge part of the story itself.Told through double page spreads, which are mirrored across the center, we watch the crumbling relationships of Liz and Dennis on the one hand, and Matt and Abigail on the other play out before us. Alone those stories would have been interesting, but the symmetric page design really tied these two plot threads together in a truly organic way that heightened both their impacts.

On top of that the title itself is pretty clever, not only does "Loose Ends" apply to the soldier's comment about Sunderland tying up loose ends with swamp thing but it's also Moore cleaning house to clear the board so he can tell the stories he's interested in telling.

[Mister Mets]

Saga of the Swamp Thing #22-24



I'm going to look at these three issues as a discrete unit. The Floronic Man decides that he is going ot wipe out all animal life to protect the plants. Swamp Thing tries to process last issue's realization that he is not a human being, but some kind of plant consciousness that absorbed something from a human being, and they're not sure what that is. Abby's trying to help and not sure what to do.



This is a story that remains creepy even if in a firmly DC world. Up until this point, Jason Woodrue the Floronic Man had been a minor bad guy. But he's the perfect menace here. His callousness distinguishes him, his mental break builds on both his character and his decision to experience something extraordinary, and he just has some really creepy scenes.

[Mister Mets]

Moore's run on Swamp Thing is largely a romance between the Swamp Thing and Abigail. And it's set up nicely here. She's a supporting character in this title, so she's been through some stuff, but she's still going to try to do the right thing. She's the one who reminds me him that even if he's learned that things he took for granted just aren't so, there's still much to live for.



When there's a threat to life on Earth, the Justice League get involved, but there's a poetic take on the DC icons here. We see that this is an extinction-level threat that they're not necessarily equipped for. The resolution to the story is powerful, and the Justice League's role is excellent, as they're mainly dealing with the clean-up. This element of shared continuity is a bit controversial, as some readers don't like the idea that a story in the DC Universe should consider questions like Superman doesn't just save the day. But we do get a good answer here.

Grade: A+

[thwhtGuardian]

And now for the second issue.

Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 "The Anatomy Lesson"



The second issue is the highlight of the run. It works pretty well as a standalone comic, and as the beginning of a new arc. It starts as a D-list villain is brought in to advise people who think they have killed the Swamp Thing, and just want to figure out how to make money from him. There's a very matter of fact way to how the villains operate. One guy is rich and connected; he doesn't think he needs to understand everything immediately in order to make a fortune. The other guy wants to stay out of jail, but he's able to make a crucial connection. The regular supporting characters disappear for this issue, which makes it more effective as one-off (although obviously it's excellent as part of a larger run.)



This reads like a horror story, and it's a damn good one. I don't know the extent to which this is typical of the early run by Paska and company, or the original run by Wein and Wrightson. I should definitely check out the latter. Steve Bissett and John Totlebon's art has the right mood for a story about an unsettling discovery at night.



This is not the last time Moore has an autopsy in a major comic book scene, but it is quite effective as an excuse for exposition. And it leads to the big discovery, one of the most significant retcons to any DC character, something that changes not just the Swamp Thing, but sets in motion new story engines for other series as well. But if all you want to read is this one issue, you're still going to have a good time.

Grade: A+

What I loved most about the autopsy is the way that through the process of removing the organs one by one Moore was not only saying that everything you thought you knew about Swamp Thing was wrong, but also that it never really made all that sense to begin with which is a hell of a way to take over a book. It's also a great visual for rebuilding the character the way he wants to which is a great follow up to "Loose Ends" as that was an end to what came before and this is very much a new beginning.

Going back to #20, I loved how prescient Moore was in the general's response to explaining away Arcane's crash, "'National Security' is one of those magical little phrases. It stops people from worrying about where you're going, what you're doing....who you're killing." To be sure, the 80's were definitely a time where people distrusted the government but in a post 9/11 world it just carries even more weight I feel. Some lines in comics age like milk, but every so often you get one like the above that really gets better with age.

[Johnny Thunders!]

One thing I love about that run is how Moore talks about the Justice League in passing, he hits on what makes the unique in just a few choice lines

[thwhtGuardian]

Saga of the Swamp Thing #22-24



I'm going to look at these three issues as a discrete unit. The Floronic Man decides that he is going ot wipe out all animal life to protect the plants. Swamp Thing tries to process last issue's realization that he is not a human being, but some kind of plant consciousness that absorbed something from a human being, and they're not sure what that is. Abby's trying to help and not sure what to do.



This is a story that remains creepy even if in a firmly DC world. Up until this point, Jason Woodrue the Floronic Man had been a minor bad guy. But he's the perfect menace here. His callousness distinguishes him, his mental break builds on both his character and his decision to experience something extraordinary, and he just has some really creepy scenes.

I think looking at these issues as one unit rather than individual issues definitely reads better, individually there is a choppiness to the pacing as Moore builds on that symmetrical story telling I talked about before expect where as it was reflected right across the fold in #20 so you could easily see the parallels in the story making it feel complete these reflected halves of the story between Swamp Thing and Woodrue play out from issue to issue and only feel cohesive when read as one.

As a modern reader that's no strange thing as nearly every book seems to be written with the inevitable collection in mind, but I wonder if other writers were doing that before Moore did here in Swamp Thing, and how did readers feel about that then?

As an aside, there are some really great images here! In particular I absolutely loved the way Bissette framed the first look at the confrontation between Swamp Thing and Woodrue at the end of #23; the way the view of Woodrue was framed with just Swamp Thing's legs in the foreground felt like a shoot out from an old western which gave it a great cliff hanger vibe.

And that depiction of Hawkman? That's seriously the best I've ever seen.

[etrumble]

I think looking at these issues as one unit rather than individual issues definitely reads better, individually there is a choppiness to the pacing as Moore builds on that symmetrical story telling I talked about before expect where as it was reflected right across the fold in #20 so you could easily see the parallels in the story making it feel complete these reflected halves of the story between Swamp Thing and Woodrue play out from issue to issue and only feel cohesive when read as one.
1[/IMG]

That's an interesting comment since I feel the exact opposite.

I remember reading these when they first came out. The efforts made to summarize the prior issue(via the dissection, whatever) was classic for the era and made it feel very much a 1980s book to me, which I enjoy, more for nostalgia than anything.

I actually prefer reading these individually but certainly do agree that the whole(story) is greater than the sum of its parts.

[thwhtGuardian]

That's an interesting comment since I feel the exact opposite.

I remember reading these when they first came out. The efforts made to summarize the prior issue(via the dissection, whatever) was classic for the era and made it feel very much a 1980s book to me, which I enjoy, more for nostalgia than anything.

I actually prefer reading these individually but certainly do agree that the whole(story) is greater than the sum of its parts.

The disection was good, and the issue where it occurred read fantastically on its own but #22-24 were different animals.

[Mister Mets]

Swamp Thing #25-27



This three parter might not get the attention of the big stories (the original arc, the debut of Constantine, the consummation, the parliament of the green, etc.) of the run, but it is really noteworthy. If the first volume was mainly about Swamp Thing learning new things about himself, this is about what makes Abigail. And it is also one of the most unsettling stories of any horror comic I've ever read.



Abigail gets a new job working with autistic children. One children in particular is scared of a monster called the Monkey King. This gets to one of Alan Moore's skills, as things that seem a bit silly; an obsession with spelling, visions of a swordfish accident suddenly have powerful payoff.



The monster itself is just creepy. This is probably the best version I've seen of an old trope of fears coming alive, just because of what we see, in terms of what it reveals about character (Swamp Thing has a very reasonable fear), what it hints at (there are clues about what Abigail's afraid of that hint at a life outside of this comic book series) and how it can make us care for characters just introduced for the sake of this one story.

[Mister Mets]

Meanwhile, weird stuff is going on with Abigail's husband, which is one of the most effective subplots I've seen (hmm, noticing a trend of this run featuring pinnacles of a type of story) in serialized horror. Etrigan the Demon guest-starrs, although his willingness to take innocent lives to stop a monster complicates things. It also crystalizes a big part of what this run of Swamp Thing is about, as we have an unflinching (as far as DC superhero comics go) look at what's bad in the world, but it won't stop the people who are well aware of this from risking everything to try to make it better.

Grade: A+

Volume One Grade: A+/ It's easily on of the 50 best comic book trade paperbacks I've ever read.

[Mister Mets]

I didnt buy it in the News stand as I was only 3 at the time.

But I am excited to read it now. There are a couple reasons for this. The few things of Alan Moore I have read I have really enjoyed. And the other is the fact that I have only read one Swamp Thing comic in my whole life and that was the Future State comic and even then it was only the first issue.

it is not that I have a dislike of Swamp Thing. I am just mostly into the cape and mask super hero comics. Swamp Thing never seemed to be something I would be interested in because it was not the normal that I read. Even now most of the stuff I read is the standard Super Hero stuff.

I am looking forward to reading this and thanks to me being older and wiser (Maybe) I will go into this read with an open mind

If you're not familiar with Alan Moore's work, you're in for a treat.

And there are other really good comics out there.

I think I reread this whole run every 3-4 years and it’s always a pleasure. It’s like the guidebook for Sandman, Preacher, Animal Man, and even Morrison’s Batman. One thing about Moore, at least in my book, his language is such a pleasure to read. (Not for nothing, the original Wrightson Wein run is also must read.)

It's definitely a big influence on some of the best comic books of the late 80s/ 80s.

What I loved most about the autopsy is the way that through the process of removing the organs one by one Moore was not only saying that everything you thought you knew about Swamp Thing was wrong, but also that it never really made all that sense to begin with which is a hell of a way to take over a book. It's also a great visual for rebuilding the character the way he wants to which is a great follow up to "Loose Ends" as that was an end to what came before and this is very much a new beginning.

Going back to #20, I loved how prescient Moore was in the general's response to explaining away Arcane's crash, "'National Security' is one of those magical little phrases. It stops people from worrying about where you're going, what you're doing....who you're killing." To be sure, the 80's were definitely a time where people distrusted the government but in a post 9/11 world it just carries even more weight I feel. Some lines in comics age like milk, but every so often you get one like the above that really gets better with age.

Great point on the metaphor of the autopsy.

One thing I love about that run is how Moore talks about the Justice League in passing, he hits on what makes the unique in just a few choice lines

I think that was a definite influence on the Avengers scene in Daredevil: Born Again.