Roots of the Swamp Thing!

Swamp Thing has achieved nowhere near the popularity of his comic book bretheren. He’s been pushed to the shadows. That’s too bad, because he may be the most compelling character that the comic field has to offer. Like Ben Grimm, he’s a man trapped in the body of a monster. Unlike Mr. Grimm, this ‘monster’ doesn’t have the support of a surragate family. This tradepaperback presents readers with the very first appearance of Swamp Thing as a stand-alone story in House of Mystery, then takes us through his adventures in his own self-titled series. Through the course of the series we see Swamp Thing face off against a werewolf, a Frankenstien inspired ‘Patchwork Man’, a witch, a Lovecraftian nightmare, and the Batman.

These stories stand the test of time due in strong part to the art of Berni Wrightson, whose work improves from issue to issue. One of the big problems, however, is the character if Matthew Cable. He meets the Hollands once, fails to protect them from being assassinated, then spend the rest of the series proclaiming that they were his best friends. Throughout the series he also claims to be an agent of the CIA, the FBI, and whatever other government organization you could think of. Whichever one it is, he must have quite a bit of clout as his pusuit of the Swamp Thing takes him from the Louisianna bayous to he Swiss Alps.

This trade is great because we get to see berni Wrightson’s progression as an artist. He truly does get better from issue to issue. Also prenented in this trade are three never-before-reprinted stories drawn by Nestor Redondo. These stories are quite different from the others presented in this trade as writer Len Wein seems to have been going for more of a continuing narrative, but they are no less effective. Redondo is given a number of grotesque creatues to draw and does not disappoint.
Fans of DC’s new incarnation of Swamp Thing should pick this one up to see where it all began.

Roots of the Swamp Thing is published by DC Comis, written by Len Wein, with art by Berni Wrightston and Nestor Redondo.

Reviewed by T-Shirt Joe

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