Swamp Thing [Paperback]

Andy Diggle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2005 | Series: Swamp Thing

Genius writer Alan Moore created a graphic novels landmark with his awesome Swamp Thing series. Now a new and vibrant creative team look set to continue this stratospheric standard of excellence. Swamp Thing, once human scientist Alec Holland, is an elemental creature harmonised with nature itself. But the natural order is in turmoil and to restore it, Swamp Thing must kill his own daughter and wife! In the coming war, only one man can protect humanity from the fallout: the Hellblazer himself - John Constantine! A worthy successor to an already legendary series, this is gothic horror as deep, dark and savage as the swamp it's set in!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Swamp Thing, best known from the classic tales penned by Alan Moore, makes another comeback. Bereft of his human soul, Alec Holland, a.k.a. Swamp Thing, is now the embodiment of earth, air, fire, water and, of course, root. He envisions himself the protector of the Earth and desires to rebalance nature-by force. The only one powerful enough to stop him is his daughter, Tefé, who controls the power of flesh. Tefé faces her own journey, as she is tempted by a mysterious sorcerer in the heart of the Black Forest. Meanwhile, John Constantine returns to try to keep a lid on things before Swamp Thing destroys what he once protected. Despite the fact that this is a new story line, readers unfamiliar with the tale will have a hard time. The writing is weak; it substitutes exposition and grandstanding for action. The all-powerful Swamp Thing does very little with his might, although there is the promised throw-down between father and daughter. The art is over-the-top, with disproportionate figures and a good helping of gore. The one highlight is Constantine, who has all of the best lines. This comic will probably please long-time fans of the series, but not attract newcomers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

With Swamp Thing, American comic-book readers discovered the innovative British writer Alan Moore, who took over the title in 1983 and dramatically revitalized the character--a walking mass of vegetation, once human, with godlike powers over plant life--before moving on. The comic then hobbled on under less-gifted scribes, enjoying intermittent success. Bad Seed, the first story arc in the latest attempt to revive Swamp Thing, promises more success. Stripped of his human conscience, Swamp Thing threatens to restore the balance on Earth between animal and plant life, which would imperil humanity in the process. Standing in his way are his daughter Tefe, who possesses elemental powers of her own, and sorcerer supreme John Constantine, who, thanks to his upcoming movie incarnation, is omnipresent in DC comics these days. Writer Diggle skillfully weaves together elements from Swamp Thing's previous incarnations, and Breccia's lush drawings are appropriately swampy. Libraries containing Moore's Swamp Thing collections, in particular, should give patrons a chance to discover the venerable vegetable's latest version. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Titan (February 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840239549
• ISBN-13: 978-1840239546
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,756,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andy Diggle is a professional writer. His work for publishers such as DC Comics, Vertigo and Marvel has been collected in over two dozen graphic novels in multiple languages.

He was formerly the Editor of legendary British sci-fi comic 2000AD, and has twice been named as one of the "Top 50 Most Influential People in Science Fiction" by SFX, the UK's leading sci-fi magazine.

The movie adaptation of his award-winning action thriller THE LOSERS opened worldwide in April 2010, and is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

http://www.andydiggle.com
http://twitter.com/andydiggle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good relaunch of Earth's Elemental, October 13, 2005

By 

Mark Ambrose "mark my words" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swamp Thing (Vol. 1): Bad Seed (Paperback)

Andy Diggle, while his run was very short on the series, adequately re-acquainted readers with the big leafy superhero with some of the worst luck ever. It has been years since Alec Holland/Swamp Thing became Earth's elemental, with control over all aspects of nature. Having shed his human soul, he isn't so warm to mankind anymore. Enter his ex-wife, his teenage daughter, and a certain mage in a trenchcoat, and some real trouble is brewing.

Diggle and Breccia make for a good team. Diggle obviously relishes in the past storylines of ST, while Breccia goes hog wild creating slimy, hideous creatures. New readers, however, will be a bit puzzled. I've read every volume of Swamp Thing available and I actually became lost at times. In the gap between Regenesis and Bad Seed, a LOT happened to the Holland family. I read up some online to get a good idea... but between Rick Veitch's run, a series of bad decisions following that, a concluding run on the original Vertigo title by Mark Millar, and a relaunch title primarily featuring Tefe (Alec and Abby's daughter), many people missed a lot. And Diggle does not do much to bring us up to speed. Aside from this, however, it is a treat for fans to see the title revamped, and Diggle's obvious enthusiasm is contagious.

My advice: read the other volumes first, get up to speed online, then delve into the new series. It's really worth the effort.