Customer Reviews

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The 8 issues of Saga of the Swamp Thing contained in this volume (#20-27) contain one of the best story arcs in comic history. Anyone who is a fan of Alan Moore (The Watchmen, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, etc.) should put this book high on their list of priorities.

This volume has two major boons over the previously released paperback version of the TPB from 1998:

1. The obvious one: the hardcover is nice for damage mitigation, and is a nice presentation.
2. The important one: the hardcover version contains issue #20, which is actually the first one written by Moore (but illustrated by Dan Day not Stephen Bissette), the paperback TPD does not.

That being said, I was disappointed that they didn't go with a higher grade paper for this hardcover volume, something glossy would have been nice. Unfortunately it is the same newspaper-print stock type paper that was used in the paperback (were it not for this I would have rated it 5 stars easily).

Another issue, probably due to the fact that I pre-ordered the book and it was shipped the day it was released: the cover feels sticky, like the ink isn't completely dry. We'll see if that goes away after a few days.

All in all a great book. If you don't already have the paperback TPB definitely pick this up. Even if you do, you will probably want to get this version for issue #20 if you are a die hard Moore fan.

I have to say I was greatly disappointed with this release. I've been a fan of the Moore/Bissette/Totleben run of Swamp Thing since it first came out in the mid-1980s. When I heard about this collection (which I assumed meant the eventual release of all the issues in hardback), I was so excited.

Imagine my disappointment when I took the plastic wrapping off the volume.

First, the pages are printed on the same paper stock as the tradepaperback editions. I know the price of the volume reflects this low-quality paper, but I would have been happy to pay extra to get a high-quality product. Isn't that the point in buying a hardback of something you can get in a paperback for significantly less cost?

Second, the dustjacket was obviously designed by someone unfamiliar with the limitations of offset printing. As I know from my profession, you do NOT print on wax paper type paper. The ink will never completely dry on this type of paper. Unfortunately, that's the material they decided to use for this volume's dustjacket. It's sticky because of the wet ink, and a moderately-pressured wipe of the dustjacket will result in a black smudged finger or cloth. I have yet to risk placing it in my bookshelf with the rest of my volumes, for fear of it leaving ink on the volumes that sandwich.

All that said, would I buy future volumes of this hardback series? Absolutely...but only because I'm such a hardcore fan. And these issues ARE completely amazing. However, unless you're also a hardcore fan, I would have to recommend the tradepaperbacks as a more reasonable option for the money-versus-quality rationale.

This book reprints issues #20 - 27. The first story-arc ends with issue #24. This book LEAVES OUT THE LAST FOUR WORDS OF THAT STORY! The story ends with a full-page picture of Swamp Thing with arms outstretched, head titled up toward the sky, with the sun setting behind him. In the original comic book, and the first paperback reproduction, the upper left-hand corner of the page has the words "...and meet the sun." Those words are the poignant climax of a five-issue story, and DC somehow managed to omit them, ending the story in mid-sentence.

I know it sounds bizarre, but as Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up. You can read about it elsewhere on the web, including the blog of artist Stephen Bissette and the DC message boards.

Having said that, yes these are absolutely great stories. (The dream sequence in one of the chapters brought tears to my eyes.) I wouldn't tell you not to buy the book because of those missing words...especially now that you can put them in mentally yourself. But you might want to wait until they do a second (hopefully corrected!) printing...or look for one of those first paperback editions (which won't have issue #20, though).

One of the best comic runs in the history of comics hasn't really gotten the attention it deserves when it comes to collected editions. This is Moore at his best. The stories in this book are truly amazing. Swamp Thing learns of how he really came to be and faces off with some of the best characters. Moore has always had a gift for writing women characters, and you have to love his portrayal of Abigail.

Another bonus in this collection is Issue #20. This has never been reprinted and Moore fans who couldn't find the old issue can now get it in this hardcover.

Now, not everything is perfect. There are two flaws with this collection. The first flaw is the dust jacket. It seems like they printed it on wax paper or something like it and it is really stick and kind of wet feeling. I will say this though, after about a week of having my copy, it doesn't feel nowhere near as bad as when I first got it. The second flaw is that the paper is still printed on the rough type of paper and not glossy. I would have loved this collection if the paper would have better instead as the same as the old trade paperbacks.

But those flaws aside I will say that this is still a nice hardcover edition. If they release the other five books, I will definitely get them all.

What a cheap and shoddy book this is. Once again, Vertigo has proven that the company is more interested in cutting corners to save pennies and maximize profits, instead of treating collections of its greatest comics with the respect the work deserves. (For further evidence of this shameful practice, take a look at the awful paper Vertigo uses in its FABLES trade paperback collections. For shame!)

The paper in this Swamp Thing collection is better than the newsprint used in the original 1980s comic books it reprints, but not by much. It's not glossy at all, which means most black areas look flat and drab. Because of the way this paper absorbs ink, it's often difficult to read the frequent white text on black captions, just like in the original comics. The paper is not even opaque, for cripe's sake, showing a lot of bleed-through that makes you wonder if the book is acidifying and deterioriating before your very eyes.

Also, the waxy-feeling dustjacket is printed on some paper of unknown origin that seems specifically designed NOT to be used as a dustjacket. When a book doesn't even feel good to hold in your hands, that's saying something.

Story-wise, these are some of the best comic books ever written/drawn, deserving good printing on quality paper at the very least. (And why there's no Absolute edition of this series is beyond me.)

It's a damned shame that Vertigo has so little regard for their best comics that they keep putting out third-rate collections like this one. Save your money, and hope for the day when a new management team will have more interest in quality control.

I am so glad that I picked this amazing book up. Alan Moore's amazing writing is only magnified by simply gorgeous artwork. This is truthfully one of the greatest stories I've read in years.

This is the seminal work from Moore that resulted in most of the truly adult comics that we have today... It hold up very well for its age, and is a pleasure to read, and reread...

A note about the format... I am super happy to finally have a hardcover version, but I would have rather had a more expensive version with better paper... However, I do not have any of the issues with the jacket... It is kind of a wierd material that looks cool... It doesn't bleed ink, and I bought mine on release day as well...

I wanted to hate this book.

For years, all you keep hearing about is how great Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing was. How he took the title, and in effect comics in general, in a much darker direction. Even a more adult direction. I blew that off as hooey. It can't be THAT good.

Damn it all, it is!

Thanks in no small part to his artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, and very much to his colorist Tatjana Wood, Moore created a masterpiece in storytelling. First he ties up the loose ends of the previous creative team in his first issue (reprinted here for the first time), then takes us on a trip to see the true origin of the Swamp Thing, one he understandably (once you read it) does not take well. From there, we see a tale of a creature looking for its place in the world, while at the same time battling other creatures made of flora, as well as demons.

Meanwhile, the supporting cast is fully fleshed out with Abigail Arcane-Cable being the person trying to most restore ST's humanity, while her husband loses his and battles demons of his own, until one tragic occurence near the end of the book where a demon wins without much effort.

I can't type much here without spoiling everything. Suffice it to say the hype IS accurate, the entire book holds up exceptionally well 25+ years later. And it's reprinted on high-quality paper, so it looks beautiful too.

I wanted to hate this book. Instead I love it. That's some good storytelling right there.

What a waste! These editions feature the same low quality paper stock and color process as the old TPBS. They just slapped fancy hardbacks and and a dustcover on!

This brilliant and visionary series deserves the same treatment that the Sandman got: Absolute Editions.

If you already have the trades, stay away from these rip-offs.

Nice collection of what I'd consider to be among the best comic book runs of any period...ever. Moore reinvents the Swamp Thing and subsequently reinvents how we think about comics. Steve and John bring a unique horror-look to mainstream comics, and Moore's amazing tales catapult Swamp Thing from just another second-rate title to THE horror title of its generation. "The Anatomy Lesson" should be on everyone's must-read list. This is pure Vertigo in the pre-Vertigo era.

DC was smart to offer this now, as WATCHMEN fever is already catching on amongst the usually non-comics reading masses. I wouldn't be surprised to see other Moore reissues arriving soon.

The book is moderately priced for a hardcover, so I don't mind that the paper isn't a high-grade glossy stock. If anything, this hardcover reads like someone's handbound collection of the original comics. I personally like the fact that it isn't hyper gloss, super slick. The wax-paper dust jacket is also unique. I like it because of this. I slapped a Brodart on it and it's just fine.