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Swamp Thing (1982) (Collected Editions) #11
Swamp Thing (1982-1996) Vol. 1: The Root of All Evil
The legend of Swamp Thing continues here! He was an elemental embodiment of the world's plants—the spirit of all her marshes, bogs and fens. He had a wonderful daughter and a loving wife, and the power and beauty of nature filled his life. He was the Swamp Thing. He was a god. He was happy. And then he woke up. Without warning, Doctor Alec Holland finds himself thousands of miles from the Louisiana swamp that he thought was his home. He has a life he doesn't remember and a human body he thought he had lost forever. His time as the Swamp Thing is nothing but a disappearing dream, a hallucination, a bad trip. But the monster rampaging through the bayou he left behind is all too real. So is the beautiful woman who loved him, the danger she now faces and the terrible vengeance of the power he once served—the gods of field and forest known as the Parliament of Trees. Comics legends Grant Morrison (THE MULTIVERSITY) and Mark Millar (Kick-Ass) team with artist Phil Hester (GREEN ARROW) to dig deep into the Swamp Thing mythos in SWAMP THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL, collecting issues #140-150 of the original VERTIGO series.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2015
18 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,788 books4,589 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 14, 2020
Once upon a time Mark Millar was Grant Morrison's protege and they often worked together on projects. Morrison's influence is definitely felt in the first arc where there are a lot of drug and hallucinogenic sequences. Then you can see Millar's influence in the next arc with the simple, moustache twirling villain who just wants to hunt Swamp Thing because he's a big game hunter. By the end of this book, the story finally seemed to be headed somewhere interesting introducing an elemental storyline and other parliaments other than the Parliament of Trees. But this was overly long and simply boring for long stretches of it.
Phil Hester's art is hidden behind Kim DeMulder's heavily shaded pencils giving the book the same monotonous, dreary look as other Vertigo titles of the period.
Phil Hester's art is hidden behind Kim DeMulder's heavily shaded pencils giving the book the same monotonous, dreary look as other Vertigo titles of the period.
July 31, 2016
They’re definitely not anymore but back in the 1990s Grant Morrison and Mark Millar were besties - Millar was even Morrison’s protege! - and the two wrote comics together. Comics like Swamp Thing... which turns out to be a long, long way from either writer’s best work!
Alec Holland thinks he dreamt being Swamp Thing and embarks on some rambling, pseudo-spiritual journey to find something or someone or do something. Swamp Thing is separate from him and is rampaging through the Bayou for some reason. Abby Arcane is around, as is Linda Holland, nobody seems to remember anyone or know what’s going on, least of all the reader!
The Root of All Evil is such a mess! It’s 11 issues of rambling, barely interesting drivel. The first half is written by Morrison and Millar and Morrison’s influence is evident with all the druggy, dreamlike sequences and focus on the mystical. The second half sees Morrison depart and Millar takes the story into darker waters with Linda Holland working in Amsterdam (har har, like her surname geddit…) where punters pay to murder her as she can’t die for some reason. Ugh.
If Morrison’s writing style is evident in his contribution, Millar’s penchant for ridiculously one-dimensional villains is just as noticeable with the big game hunter character - a walking cliche who wants to mount Swamp Thing’s head on his wall because he’s a big game hunter. It’s amazing this crap got published.
To be fair to Millar he does seem to eventually wring some semblance of a coherent story towards the end of the book with Swamp Thing battling the avatar of the Parliament of Stones but that’s way the hell at the end of this overlong volume and I’d long since given up caring.
Phil Hester’s art is fine but I’m not a fan of his jagged, angular style so I didn’t love it. The visuals do look extremely dated though from the spidery inking to the washed-out colours to the flat layouts - it all looks very much like a ‘90s comic and very unappealing which might put some people off even more.
Not that the writers do anything to make you want to pick up the book anyway with their wanky storytelling! Morrison and Millar may have gone on to become much better writers but their Swamp Thing collaboration and Millar’s subsequent solo run on the character is utterly unmemorable and dull - avoid this comic like the fetid sludge-heap of narrative claptrap it is!
Alec Holland thinks he dreamt being Swamp Thing and embarks on some rambling, pseudo-spiritual journey to find something or someone or do something. Swamp Thing is separate from him and is rampaging through the Bayou for some reason. Abby Arcane is around, as is Linda Holland, nobody seems to remember anyone or know what’s going on, least of all the reader!
The Root of All Evil is such a mess! It’s 11 issues of rambling, barely interesting drivel. The first half is written by Morrison and Millar and Morrison’s influence is evident with all the druggy, dreamlike sequences and focus on the mystical. The second half sees Morrison depart and Millar takes the story into darker waters with Linda Holland working in Amsterdam (har har, like her surname geddit…) where punters pay to murder her as she can’t die for some reason. Ugh.
If Morrison’s writing style is evident in his contribution, Millar’s penchant for ridiculously one-dimensional villains is just as noticeable with the big game hunter character - a walking cliche who wants to mount Swamp Thing’s head on his wall because he’s a big game hunter. It’s amazing this crap got published.
To be fair to Millar he does seem to eventually wring some semblance of a coherent story towards the end of the book with Swamp Thing battling the avatar of the Parliament of Stones but that’s way the hell at the end of this overlong volume and I’d long since given up caring.
Phil Hester’s art is fine but I’m not a fan of his jagged, angular style so I didn’t love it. The visuals do look extremely dated though from the spidery inking to the washed-out colours to the flat layouts - it all looks very much like a ‘90s comic and very unappealing which might put some people off even more.
Not that the writers do anything to make you want to pick up the book anyway with their wanky storytelling! Morrison and Millar may have gone on to become much better writers but their Swamp Thing collaboration and Millar’s subsequent solo run on the character is utterly unmemorable and dull - avoid this comic like the fetid sludge-heap of narrative claptrap it is!
August 14, 2020
First things first. This isn't the best Grant Morrison story I've ever read. This isn't the best Mark Millar story I've ever read. This isn't even the best Swamp Thing story I've ever read. It starts off merely okay, but gets better as it progresses, and even manages to pull a decent ending out of what was shaping up to be a mess. I think the turning point comes when Millar stops trying to write like Morrison--they collaborated at first; then Morrison dropped out, leaving Millar to finish things on his own--and starts finding his own voice.
When it comes to Swamp Thing, I'm familiar with Alan Moore and Rick Veitch's runs on the series, and that's about it. So I was floundering a bit at the beginning of this. Swampy and Abby are no longer together? And he's separated from the Green? Okay, I'll roll with it. So now, ST can appear human? That's nice. We start with a Has The Previous Continuity Been A Hallucination, Or Is What's Happening Now The Hallucination? storyline, which is one of the oldest tricks in the book. We also get an intentional parody of the opening of Alan Moore's "The Good Gumbo" which is played for shock value. There's a great deal of shock value in the first half of this book, and it grated on me. It felt more like cheap theatrics than something to serve the story. Eventually, we get Swampy headed to Europe, and even more eventually the Black Forest, to confront an enemy that those of us who read the Alan Moore issues thought was dead ... like that means anything in comics. As I said, once the book stops waving blood and guts in your face and settles down to actually tell a story, it gets pretty good. The quality varies, but it's quite fun seeing Millar come into his own as a writer. Recommended.
When it comes to Swamp Thing, I'm familiar with Alan Moore and Rick Veitch's runs on the series, and that's about it. So I was floundering a bit at the beginning of this. Swampy and Abby are no longer together? And he's separated from the Green? Okay, I'll roll with it. So now, ST can appear human? That's nice. We start with a Has The Previous Continuity Been A Hallucination, Or Is What's Happening Now The Hallucination? storyline, which is one of the oldest tricks in the book. We also get an intentional parody of the opening of Alan Moore's "The Good Gumbo" which is played for shock value. There's a great deal of shock value in the first half of this book, and it grated on me. It felt more like cheap theatrics than something to serve the story. Eventually, we get Swampy headed to Europe, and even more eventually the Black Forest, to confront an enemy that those of us who read the Alan Moore issues thought was dead ... like that means anything in comics. As I said, once the book stops waving blood and guts in your face and settles down to actually tell a story, it gets pretty good. The quality varies, but it's quite fun seeing Millar come into his own as a writer. Recommended.
July 4, 2018
A long time ago, back before Multiversities and Kick-Asses and the like, Grant Morrison and Mark Millar were the best of friends. In fact, Millar was kind of Morrison’s protégé, as shown here when they joined together to tell some Swamp Thing stories, before Morrison left Millar to his own devices. This is the first of three volumes collecting those Millar/Morrison stories.
First, a disclaimer. I love Swamp Thing. I am not a big fan of Mark Millar. But I went into this with an open mind, so this is as impartial as I can manage.
I’m not sure exactly what happened prior to this run of the book; we’ve got references to Abby and Alec together, and Tefe exists, but what ‘s happened in the interim isn’t exactly clear. It’s not too important, but some context would have been nice to start off.
The first four issues are one rough story, with Alec having been forcibly separated from the Swamp Thing, leaving the creature free to roam the world and, y’know, murder people. When it sets its sights on Abby, Alec sets out to save her from what’s left of himself. These issues are definitely the most Morrison-influenced. They’re straight forward, don’t get me wrong, but the amount of insider drug knowledge just screams Morrison’s personal experiences. Other than that, it’s nothing we haven’t seen in Swamp Thing before, and done better elsewhere.
This is all just a primer however, as the next stories set Alec on a quest that leads him into conflict with the other newly minted Parliaments as he flees the judgement of the Parliament of Trees. There’s definitely a sense that Millar has a longer term story that he wants to tell here, but it’s all a bit murky until it becomes clear, and not in the ‘I wonder what’s going to happen’ way, in the ‘what the hell is going on’ way. Even when we do get some answers, it leads to more questions, in an exponential fashion.
It was about midway through the final few issues of the book that I realised what really turned me off about this story; Swamp Thing spends 11 issues on the back foot. All of his battles are fought tooth and nail, and he never gets anywhere. It’s 11 issues of desperation and despair, and it’s just depressing. Swamp Thing’s always been a tragic character, but this is just too much all at once. Give the poor guy/plant a break. Even when he manages to succeed near the end of the volume, it doesn’t feel like enough, especially with the threat of further trials to come.
There are some decent DC Universe links here too, with appearances from the Spectre and Deadman, as well as a villain I won’t spoil who I haven’t seen in comics for a long time.
The majority of these issues are pencilled by Phil Hester, and it’s all very angular and pointy. Definitely very late 90s/early 2000s Vertigo, it’s serviceable but sometimes a bit dark and murky (like the writing!). There are momentary spots of clarity, like when Alec reclaims the Swamp Thing mantle in issue 143, but it definitely lacks the polish of other creators that have worked on Swamp Thing.
There are some great ideas in here; the elemental powers of the Earth are something I’m surprised no one has ever explored before (like how it took 50 odd years of Green Lantern before someone decided to explore other colours properly) but the execution is all over the place, far too grim and gritty for its own good (I know it’s Vertigo, but seriously), and the conclusion comes about too quickly. Here’s hoping that this gets a little better as we go along.
First, a disclaimer. I love Swamp Thing. I am not a big fan of Mark Millar. But I went into this with an open mind, so this is as impartial as I can manage.
I’m not sure exactly what happened prior to this run of the book; we’ve got references to Abby and Alec together, and Tefe exists, but what ‘s happened in the interim isn’t exactly clear. It’s not too important, but some context would have been nice to start off.
The first four issues are one rough story, with Alec having been forcibly separated from the Swamp Thing, leaving the creature free to roam the world and, y’know, murder people. When it sets its sights on Abby, Alec sets out to save her from what’s left of himself. These issues are definitely the most Morrison-influenced. They’re straight forward, don’t get me wrong, but the amount of insider drug knowledge just screams Morrison’s personal experiences. Other than that, it’s nothing we haven’t seen in Swamp Thing before, and done better elsewhere.
This is all just a primer however, as the next stories set Alec on a quest that leads him into conflict with the other newly minted Parliaments as he flees the judgement of the Parliament of Trees. There’s definitely a sense that Millar has a longer term story that he wants to tell here, but it’s all a bit murky until it becomes clear, and not in the ‘I wonder what’s going to happen’ way, in the ‘what the hell is going on’ way. Even when we do get some answers, it leads to more questions, in an exponential fashion.
It was about midway through the final few issues of the book that I realised what really turned me off about this story; Swamp Thing spends 11 issues on the back foot. All of his battles are fought tooth and nail, and he never gets anywhere. It’s 11 issues of desperation and despair, and it’s just depressing. Swamp Thing’s always been a tragic character, but this is just too much all at once. Give the poor guy/plant a break. Even when he manages to succeed near the end of the volume, it doesn’t feel like enough, especially with the threat of further trials to come.
There are some decent DC Universe links here too, with appearances from the Spectre and Deadman, as well as a villain I won’t spoil who I haven’t seen in comics for a long time.
The majority of these issues are pencilled by Phil Hester, and it’s all very angular and pointy. Definitely very late 90s/early 2000s Vertigo, it’s serviceable but sometimes a bit dark and murky (like the writing!). There are momentary spots of clarity, like when Alec reclaims the Swamp Thing mantle in issue 143, but it definitely lacks the polish of other creators that have worked on Swamp Thing.
There are some great ideas in here; the elemental powers of the Earth are something I’m surprised no one has ever explored before (like how it took 50 odd years of Green Lantern before someone decided to explore other colours properly) but the execution is all over the place, far too grim and gritty for its own good (I know it’s Vertigo, but seriously), and the conclusion comes about too quickly. Here’s hoping that this gets a little better as we go along.
August 22, 2015
Bad Gumbo (140-143). In this first arc by both Morrison & Millar, you can see how hard they're trying to be Moore. The first issue, when Alec wakes up with his whole Swamp Life being (seemingly) a dream feels as much of an about-face as "The Anatomy Lesson", something that the authors emphasize even more when they again ask the question of who Alec is and who the Swamp Thing is ... but in a different way from Moore's classic.
Morrison & Millar aren't up to Moore's quality of writing, but it's great to see reflections of that terrific run after several years of comics that had been mediocre in comparison. It's also terrific to see the horror fully back in the comic.
What surprises me most is how much setup there is for Millar's more extensive run, with the Traveller and his friends all coming on stage and the idea of a series of trials beginning [7/10].
Big Game (144-147). It's interesting to see Millar reinvent Swamp Thing yet again in the next arc, this time as a hunted fugitive in a humanoid body. However this arc reaches its full height when it increases its scope — not only giving us the Parliament of Stones, and thus really setting up Millar's arc, but also bringing in a plethora of DC's supernatural superheroes, such as Deadman and the Spectre.
Beyond that, it's also got a lot of weird wackiness like the damned priest and the returned Linda Holland. Millar shows off that he knows how to dance Swamp Thing through horror and strangeness, offering a real return to form for the character. And Nelson Strong: he's laughable as an adversary in this incarnation, but he's got a really nicely bookended story that adds interest to this particular road trip [7+/10]
The Root of All Evil (148-150). I find this last story to be a bit muddy, particularly for what Sargon's trying to do, and how Swamp Thing fixes it. Nonetheless, it's nice to see connections back to Swamp Thing comics of old, and to see more of the sort of horror that Moore was writing. After a bit of meandering in this first volume, Millar finally really reveals what's going on with his Swamp Thing run, which will be continued in the next volume [7/10].
(And thank goodness! This is a run that I've been waiting to see in TPBs for years!)
Morrison & Millar aren't up to Moore's quality of writing, but it's great to see reflections of that terrific run after several years of comics that had been mediocre in comparison. It's also terrific to see the horror fully back in the comic.
What surprises me most is how much setup there is for Millar's more extensive run, with the Traveller and his friends all coming on stage and the idea of a series of trials beginning [7/10].
Big Game (144-147). It's interesting to see Millar reinvent Swamp Thing yet again in the next arc, this time as a hunted fugitive in a humanoid body. However this arc reaches its full height when it increases its scope — not only giving us the Parliament of Stones, and thus really setting up Millar's arc, but also bringing in a plethora of DC's supernatural superheroes, such as Deadman and the Spectre.
Beyond that, it's also got a lot of weird wackiness like the damned priest and the returned Linda Holland. Millar shows off that he knows how to dance Swamp Thing through horror and strangeness, offering a real return to form for the character. And Nelson Strong: he's laughable as an adversary in this incarnation, but he's got a really nicely bookended story that adds interest to this particular road trip [7+/10]
The Root of All Evil (148-150). I find this last story to be a bit muddy, particularly for what Sargon's trying to do, and how Swamp Thing fixes it. Nonetheless, it's nice to see connections back to Swamp Thing comics of old, and to see more of the sort of horror that Moore was writing. After a bit of meandering in this first volume, Millar finally really reveals what's going on with his Swamp Thing run, which will be continued in the next volume [7/10].
(And thank goodness! This is a run that I've been waiting to see in TPBs for years!)
January 4, 2021
So this book contains 3 major arcs. Two good, one too Millarish and comes off as try hard.
The first arc explodes into a frenzy as Alec awakes and his HUMAN again. Confused and not sure what is happening, convinced he was on a acid trips of sorts, he tries to fit back into a human-like lifestyle. But on the flipside in the swamps the Swamp Thing is going around destroying and killing everything and everyone with no mind of who they are. When he sets his target to Abby, Alec must return home to stop it.
Then we get into a weird yet interesting arc where Alec is trying to hide who he is while on a mission to find his old wife. It's kind of cool, dark, twisted, and fast paced for me to enjoy with some acid trip like moments in the art. The last arc is a old magic user who wants to use his Niece while trying to kill Alec forever. It has a cool fight but omg this arc felt like it would NEVER end.
Millar and Morrison actually make a solid pairing. Now days they hate each other but back then it was fun. This collection for the first two arcs is around a 4 but the last one barely above a 2.5. So I'ma settle on a 3. Overall, fun, and I'll read more.
The first arc explodes into a frenzy as Alec awakes and his HUMAN again. Confused and not sure what is happening, convinced he was on a acid trips of sorts, he tries to fit back into a human-like lifestyle. But on the flipside in the swamps the Swamp Thing is going around destroying and killing everything and everyone with no mind of who they are. When he sets his target to Abby, Alec must return home to stop it.
Then we get into a weird yet interesting arc where Alec is trying to hide who he is while on a mission to find his old wife. It's kind of cool, dark, twisted, and fast paced for me to enjoy with some acid trip like moments in the art. The last arc is a old magic user who wants to use his Niece while trying to kill Alec forever. It has a cool fight but omg this arc felt like it would NEVER end.
Millar and Morrison actually make a solid pairing. Now days they hate each other but back then it was fun. This collection for the first two arcs is around a 4 but the last one barely above a 2.5. So I'ma settle on a 3. Overall, fun, and I'll read more.
March 14, 2021
In 1994, Grant Morrison briefly took over as head writer for “Swamp Thing”, (Very brief: he only wrote issues #140-143) starting a storyline that was completed by Mark Millar. The entire run, consisting of ten issues, is compiled in “The Root of All Evil”.
I’ll be honest: this isn’t my favorite Swamp Thing compilation. It’s not bad, but it certainly isn’t Alan Moore level. Morrison is a decent writer when he wants to be, and when he’s good, he’s very good. When he’s mediocre, though, his stories tend to be meh and/or incomprehensible. Such is the case here.
Add to that some lackluster artwork by Phil Hester and Kim DeMulder. Again, it’s not bad, it’s just not wonderful.
Anyway, the plot (as comprehensible as I can articulate it): Alec Holland wakes up from a dream in which he lived an entire lifetime in which he had been killed, came back as a giant plant-monster, and fell in love with a beautiful woman named Abby. Meanwhile, a real swamp monster is on a bloody rampage in Louisiana. Intriguing start, I’ll give it that. I like Morrison’s attempt here to confuse the reader as to what is a dream and what is reality.
It kind of gets muddled immediately, though, as Holland begins to suspect that something is not right. Apparently, the Parliament of Trees are performing some kind of test on Holland. I think.
Regardless, Holland and Swamp Thing have been separated into two entities, and Holland must somehow re-incorporate himself with Swampy to avoid killing any more innocent people.
From this point, I’m not sure what the hell is happening. There’s something about a sorcerer named Sargon who wants to take over heaven, and Swampy must travel to Germany, to the Black Forest. Swampy also meets the Parliament of Rocks, who has created an avatar from the spirit of a soldier named Colonel Strong. It looks like the rock creature from “Frozen 2”.
I really wanted to love this, as I was excited to see Morrison’s name attached to a series that has quickly become a favorite. Unfortunately, I was somewhat underwhelmed.
I’ll be honest: this isn’t my favorite Swamp Thing compilation. It’s not bad, but it certainly isn’t Alan Moore level. Morrison is a decent writer when he wants to be, and when he’s good, he’s very good. When he’s mediocre, though, his stories tend to be meh and/or incomprehensible. Such is the case here.
Add to that some lackluster artwork by Phil Hester and Kim DeMulder. Again, it’s not bad, it’s just not wonderful.
Anyway, the plot (as comprehensible as I can articulate it): Alec Holland wakes up from a dream in which he lived an entire lifetime in which he had been killed, came back as a giant plant-monster, and fell in love with a beautiful woman named Abby. Meanwhile, a real swamp monster is on a bloody rampage in Louisiana. Intriguing start, I’ll give it that. I like Morrison’s attempt here to confuse the reader as to what is a dream and what is reality.
It kind of gets muddled immediately, though, as Holland begins to suspect that something is not right. Apparently, the Parliament of Trees are performing some kind of test on Holland. I think.
Regardless, Holland and Swamp Thing have been separated into two entities, and Holland must somehow re-incorporate himself with Swampy to avoid killing any more innocent people.
From this point, I’m not sure what the hell is happening. There’s something about a sorcerer named Sargon who wants to take over heaven, and Swampy must travel to Germany, to the Black Forest. Swampy also meets the Parliament of Rocks, who has created an avatar from the spirit of a soldier named Colonel Strong. It looks like the rock creature from “Frozen 2”.
I really wanted to love this, as I was excited to see Morrison’s name attached to a series that has quickly become a favorite. Unfortunately, I was somewhat underwhelmed.
May 23, 2020
I love the first issue of this volume. It's a great example of how to do a hard reset and continue to make the title intriguing. The concept is interesting, the dialogue is focused, and Morrison and Millar seem to be setting up a long, intricate plot.
After that issue, it falls to pieces really quickly. Evil Swamp Thing, The Council Of Rocks, Totally Not Kraven The Hunter, Swamp Thing Disguising Himself As His Wife's Dead Abusive Ex Husband? No. Thank. You.
It seems as though each issue provided Millar (Morrison leaves after four issues) with an entirely new plot idea which he vaguely tied to the previous volume. Abby's motivations seem to change panel to panel, and I have no idea who some of the Council Of Rock characters are supposed to be.
Nothing after the initial set up worked for me at all.
If you're a hardcore Millar or Morrison fan, this might be interesting to pick up and see how each of them have evolved from this writing style.
After that issue, it falls to pieces really quickly. Evil Swamp Thing, The Council Of Rocks, Totally Not Kraven The Hunter, Swamp Thing Disguising Himself As His Wife's Dead Abusive Ex Husband? No. Thank. You.
It seems as though each issue provided Millar (Morrison leaves after four issues) with an entirely new plot idea which he vaguely tied to the previous volume. Abby's motivations seem to change panel to panel, and I have no idea who some of the Council Of Rock characters are supposed to be.
Nothing after the initial set up worked for me at all.
If you're a hardcore Millar or Morrison fan, this might be interesting to pick up and see how each of them have evolved from this writing style.
October 22, 2024
Morrison and Millar take us on a horrific three-subplotq ride that's sometimes confusing but satisfying overall, and apparently opens up a new upgrade for our favourite living vegetable.
The sometimes cryptic fairground mumbo-jumbo is wrapped up in a good, eerie, unhealthy atmosphere, especially in the second act. If the antagonists are a little simple and ott, the mastery of the plot and the endgame make up for it.
Hester and Demulder's drawing isn't always top-notch, but it's still of superior quality, with some very nice inking effects reminiscent of the Bissette/Totleben period, only better.
The sometimes cryptic fairground mumbo-jumbo is wrapped up in a good, eerie, unhealthy atmosphere, especially in the second act. If the antagonists are a little simple and ott, the mastery of the plot and the endgame make up for it.
Hester and Demulder's drawing isn't always top-notch, but it's still of superior quality, with some very nice inking effects reminiscent of the Bissette/Totleben period, only better.
January 8, 2024
Me gustó mucho. Se ve la mano de Morrison por todos lados, a pesar de que firma Millar. El dibujo de Hester empieza más bien correcto y luego va degradando en un estilo sucio, como lo pide el guión, que le sienta de maravillas al gran Swampy. Con estos 10 issues ya tengo por seguro que quiero leer la etapa completa, y lo mejor de todo es que un reinicio del personaje, que no requiere leer lo anterior. Además, un final que me dejó más que conforme, con unas escenas muy emotivas de la Cosa en el bayou, con unos colores increíbles, hermosos... Altamente recomendado
March 16, 2023
So, to clear the air, in a way, I have not ever read Swamp Thing before. Never. Never thought I was going to, never thought I'd really be interested. I was cruising the ol' Internet Archive when I woke up(looking to see if Grant Morrison's New X-Men was on there) when I stumbled across this. They only wrote for the first section of the story, so probably shouldn't have been credited as the only author, but oh well. I did really enjoy it though! A tale of a man who's actually a swamp creature and he goes on an intercontinental voyage to reclaim his place as Nature's defender. I will say that without a doubt the thing that elevates this story the most is all the supernatural intrigue happening around Swamp Thing. The Word, and the Traveler, and Blake, and Roberto and all these players in a grand cosmic game of magick and cards and fate is very very cool. I love all these levels of "playing with something far older than you're aware of", it's awesome. Swamp Thing himself I think is mostly a straightforward character which is a little disappointing, as it does feel like he has very little agency in this story about him. It's only volume 1, so maybe it changes in the next volumes but he seems to be very much at the mercy of the people playing cards over the fate of his life. Also, I do have to say that I think this series would have benefitted very much from having Morrison stay on as a co-writer. The rest of the volume is still really great, but Morrison's section is so much more clearly focused thematically and also more engaging for Alec/Swamp Thing as a character. Morrison's section has interesting and unique themes running through it, as well as being the only section of the story that really provides emotional moments for Alec's development. I wish the rest of the volume had had more of those things introduced there. All in all though, still a really great read, definitely worth checking out.
P.S. Also the artwork is incredible throughout and it's really trippy and weird and scary and cool and awesome.
P.S. Also the artwork is incredible throughout and it's really trippy and weird and scary and cool and awesome.
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January 23, 2015At long last, a collection for the mind-expanding run in which Mark Millar (with a little help from Grant Morrison, before the falling-out) gave not-Alec Holland the ending he deserved. I think this is only the first half of it (I have it in singles), but hopefully the rest will follow - and the many fans Millar has won with his flashy but hollow recent work will have a chance to see what he could do back when he was good.
October 2, 2022
The art is dog shit ugly. Ugly like 'I can't really see what's happening; is this panel even finished' kind of ugly. That's really distracting and off-putting.
The story. By the end, I thought it was okay. Well, I mean, if you think something that literally can't die (it seems) is interesting. Huge narrative jumps from 'I'm dead...oh, no I'm not, I just kinda grew again'.
This is 'Book 1', so I shouldn't need foreknowledge. I felt like I did here. There's a lot of words that don't mean much. I got confused by the 'good swamp thing' and the 'bad swamp thing'. I wasn't really clear about the motivations for the 'good one'. But since he could kinda magic himself wherever, and fighting was pretty meaningless (given that he could magic himself back anywhere "Oh no, I can't enter the green again. This time is really it!...Oh, no, I'm kinda okay. Look, now I can melt rock. How did I know that? How did I do that when I was dead?"
There's some equally ugly other people who literally pull solutions out of their assholes.
Is it philosophical? All the humming and hawing is, at the end of the day, pretty plot specific--hell, evil...something about divine purpose maybe...poker (but the stupid kind of poker where the winner always gets a royal flush, cos, y'know ODDS!...but it's all tied to the specifics of what needs to happen and when, and remains essentially about THAT world, rather than anything translatable to THIS one.
Who cares, when it's such an ugly and unclear drag?
The story. By the end, I thought it was okay. Well, I mean, if you think something that literally can't die (it seems) is interesting. Huge narrative jumps from 'I'm dead...oh, no I'm not, I just kinda grew again'.
This is 'Book 1', so I shouldn't need foreknowledge. I felt like I did here. There's a lot of words that don't mean much. I got confused by the 'good swamp thing' and the 'bad swamp thing'. I wasn't really clear about the motivations for the 'good one'. But since he could kinda magic himself wherever, and fighting was pretty meaningless (given that he could magic himself back anywhere "Oh no, I can't enter the green again. This time is really it!...Oh, no, I'm kinda okay. Look, now I can melt rock. How did I know that? How did I do that when I was dead?"
There's some equally ugly other people who literally pull solutions out of their assholes.
Is it philosophical? All the humming and hawing is, at the end of the day, pretty plot specific--hell, evil...something about divine purpose maybe...poker (but the stupid kind of poker where the winner always gets a royal flush, cos, y'know ODDS!...but it's all tied to the specifics of what needs to happen and when, and remains essentially about THAT world, rather than anything translatable to THIS one.
Who cares, when it's such an ugly and unclear drag?
April 30, 2018
This collected volume is about where I gave up reading Swamp Thing in the 90s after being drawn in by Moore's seminal run on the title. Looking back, Morrison's decision to work with Millar to break the character out of his established continuity must have demotivated me from buying the title, especially as Morrison's starting issues are probably his weakest work in comics. Pity, as the continuing story gets stronger and more interesting as it progresses under his then protege Millar, but strangely hearkens back to Moore's classic take on Swampy vs Batman and Morrison's own Beard Hunter issue of Doom Patrol. It all felt a bit familiar despite a 25 (?) year break. Still, following on from Moore and Veitch was a hard task, and I'm looking forward to the next volume, even if only to find out where M & M's seeds take root.
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November 23, 2019The start of Mark Millar’s Swamp Thing run (with Grant Morrison on the first arc) is fine. He tries a little too hard to be Alan Moore I think. Alec Holland, separated from his Swamp Thing form, goes through an existential drug-induced journey to reunite with himself and save Abby. Later, he heads to Europe to confront the Parliament of Trees and Sargon the Sorcerer, all part of some weird prophecy. Millar shoots for the fences in trying to make an epic story but doesn’t quite pull it off. I like how he expands the mythology, and the risk he takes in having Swampy out of his plant form for most of these issues. It’s almost too action-heavy, though, and he doesn’t explain everything all that well in the end. I see potential here, so hopefully Millar’s run improves.
May 13, 2023
Pretty dated. While the core idea of Swamp Thing leaving the bayou to confront an ancient order is compelling, the whole thing flails about tonally. Grim rather than edgy, this is very much Mark Millar in his 20s liberally eviscerating infants in an attempt to get a rise out people. I barely noticed Grant Morrison, save for an early and hilariously on brand lecture about DMT.
It reminded me of Spawn both in art and sentiment: cities are seething dens of murderers, child molesters, and drug dealers. The whole thing is unpleasant and wearying - the quiet decency of the occasional character not enough to make me feel anything but happy to see the back of it.
It reminded me of Spawn both in art and sentiment: cities are seething dens of murderers, child molesters, and drug dealers. The whole thing is unpleasant and wearying - the quiet decency of the occasional character not enough to make me feel anything but happy to see the back of it.
July 31, 2019
The first volume of Mark Millar's Swamp Thing, partially co-written with Grant Morrison - and it really shows. The first few issues are deeply interested in psychedelic drugs, something that leaves the story never to return along with Morrison. It was a real return to horror, along with a slowly evolving storyline regarding the elemental guardians of the planet. It takes a little while to get going, but once it's hitting on all cylinders, this is a great story that only gets better as it goes along.
January 19, 2018
This was good. Grant Morrison did the first 4 issues in it and I dug those. I'm not too familar with Swamp Thing, but this didn't really have any super hero garbage in it. Just a crazed swamp monster killing everyone and then a mystical journey. It was worth checking out and strange enough to be interesting. It looks like it may have gotten into a narrative comic hero story after this so I may not check those other books out. But this was a winner.
November 15, 2018
A really shoddy follow up to Moore’s run
This really tries its best to rewrite and go its own path after the legendary Moore run with the character. However, it tries to do this so hard that it really undermines what makes Swamp Thing so compelling and great.
It’s equal parts Morrison and Millar’s fault as it has both of their shortcomings here with very few of either’s talents.
The artwork is amazing, but it is undermined by the shoddiness it has to depict.
This really tries its best to rewrite and go its own path after the legendary Moore run with the character. However, it tries to do this so hard that it really undermines what makes Swamp Thing so compelling and great.
It’s equal parts Morrison and Millar’s fault as it has both of their shortcomings here with very few of either’s talents.
The artwork is amazing, but it is undermined by the shoddiness it has to depict.
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April 17, 2024Only read the Morrison stuff- in an extremely 90s Morrison-Millar move they brutally murder the Alan Moore self-insert character and his family, and find a way to have Alec offer meta-analysis on previous Swamp Thing stories, making sure to diss them for "simplistic" metaphors which is funny. Otherwise classic weird Morrison adventure that sets up a Millar run I'm not interested in. Great art, Tatjana Wood was making every other colorist of the era look like absolute novices.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2024
Awful. I'm a Morrison fan, and in general I much prefer Morrison to Moore. I also find Amazonian Shamanism interesting.
It's clear that Morrison wanted to start from scratch, but seems to be deliberately undoing, inverting, and retconning all that Moore did and doing so in a deliberately disrespectful way. I dislike the writing. I dislike the art. Much of what I read was distasteful and disparaging of the previous material.
It's clear that Morrison wanted to start from scratch, but seems to be deliberately undoing, inverting, and retconning all that Moore did and doing so in a deliberately disrespectful way. I dislike the writing. I dislike the art. Much of what I read was distasteful and disparaging of the previous material.
March 2, 2025
Un libro que recopila 11 números de la serie.
Tiene una primera parte en la que Alec Holland despierta en su cuerpo, pero por una serie de sucesos se da cuenta que la realidad que vive no es la verdad. Por eso emprende un viaje intentando recuperar sus recuerdos.
Luego de algunos rechazos debe viajar a Holanda y luego a Alemania, donde descubrirá una nueva maldad que espera despertar, y lo intenta, pero no digo más para que lo lean y juzguen su ejecución por ustedes mismos.
Tiene una primera parte en la que Alec Holland despierta en su cuerpo, pero por una serie de sucesos se da cuenta que la realidad que vive no es la verdad. Por eso emprende un viaje intentando recuperar sus recuerdos.
Luego de algunos rechazos debe viajar a Holanda y luego a Alemania, donde descubrirá una nueva maldad que espera despertar, y lo intenta, pero no digo más para que lo lean y juzguen su ejecución por ustedes mismos.
January 26, 2018
I only read the Morrison parts. And it was fine.
Swampy has a lot of cool things going for him and I believe this comes after Moore's rich history. However, due to the timeperiod it came out it's still a bit difficult for me to get fully behind.
Still, got to complete the Grant Oeuvre.
Swampy has a lot of cool things going for him and I believe this comes after Moore's rich history. However, due to the timeperiod it came out it's still a bit difficult for me to get fully behind.
Still, got to complete the Grant Oeuvre.
March 22, 2018
This was my first time reading anything Swamp Thing related and was greatly impressed with this series. I picked up books 2 and 3 of this as well as the bronze age omnibus that was released in October 2017. I'm glad I came across this series and highly recommend it.
June 2, 2019
“Evil Swamp Thing” is kind of a fun concept, but Mark Millar is nowhere near as good a writer as Alan Moore. Plus, I’m not a huge fan of that sketchy art style a lot of Vertigo stuff from this era has.
June 17, 2019
I was curious about this after reading a couple volumes by Brian K Vaughan, and I was surprised how surreal and hallucinatory so much of it was. Had some grotesque moments that reminded me of Sandman.
November 8, 2023
Underrated Morrison gem- this doesn’t have the absolute craziness of their Doom Patrol or the conceptually challenging Animal Man but this is an amazing Swamp Thing story.
The forbidden fruit, New Christ, blood trees, good gumbo, psychedelic drugs, and peeing tree sap
The forbidden fruit, New Christ, blood trees, good gumbo, psychedelic drugs, and peeing tree sap
November 3, 2024
More like a 2.75 star rating.
I have a soft spot for 2edgy4u 90s comics but this mostly felt like a nothingburger. It had some neat ideas, and I liked the buildup to the showdown with the parliament of stone.
I have a soft spot for 2edgy4u 90s comics but this mostly felt like a nothingburger. It had some neat ideas, and I liked the buildup to the showdown with the parliament of stone.
January 22, 2021
Swamp Thing is always good if not Great. This case I have to say it was really done really well. Grant Morrison and Mark Millar rarely disappoints.
March 26, 2021
Grant Morrison’s first chapters are great but millar mills around and the logic is kind of absent.
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