The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
thefool0's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
robbiesbookshelf's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cryo_guy's review against another edition
3.0
The weakest ST I've read so far. But from what I learned in the preface (that it was largely the team brainstorming ideas that Moore then incorporated into his story and that after this volume there wasn't room for that as he had it all mapped out), I can see why. And each of the stories does have potential and isn't terrible. They just come off as very episodic and not all that consequential. Even Constantine is just a jerk who doesn't do much at all.
Nukeface was probably the most irritating because it doesn't resolve at all. I don't really even understand why they wrote it that way. Anyway, everything else is pretty good and I'm pushing forward because I know the series continues strongly.
Nukeface was probably the most irritating because it doesn't resolve at all. I don't really even understand why they wrote it that way. Anyway, everything else is pretty good and I'm pushing forward because I know the series continues strongly.
sonofatreus's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5 stars) I had to think about this review for a bit. After three volumes, I am still in love with the art of Swamp Thing. It continues to impress me to the point that sometimes I just stare at the page in amazement.
That said, this volume was a little weak in terms of story. Swamp Thing's powers were more fully realized, which was great, but this volume felt very serialized. The individual stories were almost totally unrelated, apart from the fact that they each saw ST trying to understand what/who he is. This meant that when 1/3 of the volume is dedicated to a weak antagonist (e.g., Nukeface), it drags the whole story down.
Still, I enjoy the character, the writing, and the art, even if the story is sometimes a bit slow. Will definitely continue reading these.
That said, this volume was a little weak in terms of story. Swamp Thing's powers were more fully realized, which was great, but this volume felt very serialized. The individual stories were almost totally unrelated, apart from the fact that they each saw ST trying to understand what/who he is. This meant that when 1/3 of the volume is dedicated to a weak antagonist (e.g., Nukeface), it drags the whole story down.
Still, I enjoy the character, the writing, and the art, even if the story is sometimes a bit slow. Will definitely continue reading these.
throatsprockets's review against another edition
3.0
It’s always a nice idea to take horror tropes (vampires, werewolves, zombies) and use them to look at contemporary issues (class, sexism, racism) but this clumsily beats at its themes with a club. Gorgeous artwork helps to pull it through.
charlibirb's review against another edition
3.0
I guess I'm not really an Alan Moore fan. This is one of his better concepts, but I really wish there were an overarching storyline. Or at least more than just a storyline that lasts an issue. Some of the mini-stories are cool, but it's hard to start over every time.
I'll keep reading, though. Wouldn't, though, if I were paying for it. #Borrowed
My favorite issue was the plantation issue.
I'll keep reading, though. Wouldn't, though, if I were paying for it. #Borrowed
My favorite issue was the plantation issue.
kandicez's review against another edition
5.0
John Constantine! Did that come across as a squeal, because it was meant to. I love Constantine and he shows up in this volume. Make a girl happy! :D
I could gush about this (really anything Moore touches) for quite a while, but don't need to. The stories inside were amazing. Alec learns just what he is capable of and then does it. Well.
Constantine leads him on a merry chase in search of knowledge about himself and he does get a little, but he also helps people in the chase. People he would not other wise have helped or even been aware of.
The final story features a film crew making a movie on the site of an old slave plantation. Do these places have anything other than horrid histories? I don't think so, but this plantation has an unusually evil story and the souls of those that endured it begin to animate in the film crew and actors. Brilliant!
I wish Moore were still writing Swamp Thing. There are so many stories Moore could tell and ST belongs on the pages of a book because film just would not do him justice.
I could gush about this (really anything Moore touches) for quite a while, but don't need to. The stories inside were amazing. Alec learns just what he is capable of and then does it. Well.
Constantine leads him on a merry chase in search of knowledge about himself and he does get a little, but he also helps people in the chase. People he would not other wise have helped or even been aware of.
The final story features a film crew making a movie on the site of an old slave plantation. Do these places have anything other than horrid histories? I don't think so, but this plantation has an unusually evil story and the souls of those that endured it begin to animate in the film crew and actors. Brilliant!
I wish Moore were still writing Swamp Thing. There are so many stories Moore could tell and ST belongs on the pages of a book because film just would not do him justice.
markarubin's review against another edition
4.0
This series continues to deliver, issue after issue, TPB after TPB. Creepy, and fascinating, and relevant even 30+ years later.
6pminhell's review against another edition
5.0
Hands down the best volume of Swamp Thing so far. It embraces these campy, pulpy old-school horror concepts like werewolves, vampires, and zombies but they're all pulled off in such a mature and politically charged way that they feel fresh and original. Nukeface, the radioactive wino is one of my new favorite comic book villains too. He's too drunk to ever realize he's causing chaos and destruction all around him which I find amazing.
cesspool_princess's review against another edition
5.0
Now this right here is PEAK! Swamp Thing. This is it. There is only one other volume in this run that I think can match this one (which I'll get into later). Anyway, here every single arc is an absolute BANGER. This is also the volume that is most definitively like HORROR.
Starting off with the Nuke Face Papers: I just loved nuke face as a not quite villain, its like he isnt even the villain here and yet he arguably puts ST in the most dangerous situation we've seen him in yet. I also love how the style of the panels adopts that newspaper aesthetic. Ofc also this tackles how corporations dump waste into the environment.
Ok then we have the MER VAMPIRES???? first of all PUNK ROCK MER VAMPIRES???? It was the sort of thing that once it was explained, it makes soooo much sense that vampires (dont need oxygen, weak to sunlight) would live deep underwater??? Like why has this not been done before??? Also Moore uses these vampires to talk about exclusion and insular communities and how we treat those who are different than us. There were parts of this that were genuinely unsettling and I love how it gets almost lovecraftian at the end with the birth of ... the baby...
Alright next arc is the werewolf one. This is Moore's Feminism story and I honestly think he did a great job. He ofc uses the werewolf figure here to talk about feminine rage (classic) and the cultural trap women are put in wrt the expression of righteous outrage at our status, roles, expectations as gentle servile caretakers OR sexual objects. This is paired v effectively with a native American folklore motif. One of my favorite depictions of the werewolf figure in media tbh. It is v short and sweet though, I almost wanted it to go on longer. It was very cathartic but also sad, the woman doesn't get a dub in the end bc she is so confined by the expectations placed on her :////
Finally we have the zombie slavery movie set arc which just floored me. Like honestly from p early on I knew how this arc was going to end and yet it is still executed with such care and skill that it took my breath away. The way that the actors literally become possessed by the real life versions of the characters they are portraying. Yeah this one was literally haunting. And the ending pay off was soooo well done.
So not only do we get beautifully written and illustrated horror but it is also weaving together these stories into a larger narrative about the creeping, seeping hatred and alienation cursing the United States. These stories are very effectively connected together, allowing the parallels between them to shine through brightly and clearly. But then the whole time there is this feeling of suspense, that all of this is not only connected but that it is also growing towards something, toward some horrific, unspeakable, inevitable end ( which John Constantine vaguely alludes to and points ST toward). Yeah I just love this volume so much.
Starting off with the Nuke Face Papers: I just loved nuke face as a not quite villain, its like he isnt even the villain here and yet he arguably puts ST in the most dangerous situation we've seen him in yet. I also love how the style of the panels adopts that newspaper aesthetic. Ofc also this tackles how corporations dump waste into the environment.
Ok then we have the MER VAMPIRES???? first of all PUNK ROCK MER VAMPIRES???? It was the sort of thing that once it was explained, it makes soooo much sense that vampires (dont need oxygen, weak to sunlight) would live deep underwater??? Like why has this not been done before??? Also Moore uses these vampires to talk about exclusion and insular communities and how we treat those who are different than us. There were parts of this that were genuinely unsettling and I love how it gets almost lovecraftian at the end with the birth of ... the baby...
Alright next arc is the werewolf one. This is Moore's Feminism story and I honestly think he did a great job. He ofc uses the werewolf figure here to talk about feminine rage (classic) and the cultural trap women are put in wrt the expression of righteous outrage at our status, roles, expectations as gentle servile caretakers OR sexual objects. This is paired v effectively with a native American folklore motif. One of my favorite depictions of the werewolf figure in media tbh. It is v short and sweet though, I almost wanted it to go on longer. It was very cathartic but also sad, the woman doesn't get a dub in the end bc she is so confined by the expectations placed on her :////
Finally we have the zombie slavery movie set arc which just floored me. Like honestly from p early on I knew how this arc was going to end and yet it is still executed with such care and skill that it took my breath away. The way that the actors literally become possessed by the real life versions of the characters they are portraying. Yeah this one was literally haunting. And the ending pay off was soooo well done.
So not only do we get beautifully written and illustrated horror but it is also weaving together these stories into a larger narrative about the creeping, seeping hatred and alienation cursing the United States. These stories are very effectively connected together, allowing the parallels between them to shine through brightly and clearly. But then the whole time there is this feeling of suspense, that all of this is not only connected but that it is also growing towards something, toward some horrific, unspeakable, inevitable end ( which John Constantine vaguely alludes to and points ST toward). Yeah I just love this volume so much.