Customer Reviews

Swamp Thing, Vol. 7: Regenesis

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
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Rich Veitch certainly gets off to a good start with this collection. This collection picks up after the reunion of Swamp Thing and Abby, his wife. Veitch begins a compelling storyline in which the Parliament of Trees has accidentally planted the "seed" for the NEW Swamp Thing, thinking Alec Holland had died during his time wandering the universe. Swamp Thing goes head to head against his elders, and a new monster, the "Wild Thing," is introduced. Veitch even works some magic in making Abby a stronger character, and bringing back John Constantine.

The "BUT" in my review comes from the relatively scant amount of material included in this book. While it is not as expensive as the others in the Saga series, it collects only SIX issues. And the final issue feels like a cliffhanger. If DC/Vertigo has no plans to release AT LEAST the rest of Veitch's run, I will be very disappointed. A great deal of new information is presented in this collection, without much payoff by the book's conclusion.

Following one of comicdoms high-points can't be easy. One of two things usually happens: the writer moves in a new direction leaving the past continuity completely behind (think Geoff Johns on the Flash after Mark Waid) or the writer tries to keep the book what it was but fails (think Doom Patrol after Grant Morrison left - Rachel Pollock was miserable). But in taking the reins on Swamp Thing after Alan Moore finished up his multi-year run, Rick Veitch does a real interesting job. His first few issues are in this collection. It's definately worth reading and I hope DC keeps 'em coming. But if you haven't already read the six collections that make up Mooore's run on the title...well, you should do that first. Then come read this.

While no one is (or could be) Alan Moore, and he is certainly the definitive Swamp Thing writer, Veitch does a really good job. Moore concentrates on ST as horror, Veitch centers his story on sci-fi aspects.

These issues make up only a small part of Veitch's (almost) 2 year run (with the abrupt ending caused by the infamous Jesus issue cancellation). Altogether, it is rare that a writer can pick up and produce quality stuff after the great master has left.