• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crushing Krisis

The Newest Oldest Blog In New Zealand

  • DC Guides
    • DC Events
    • DC New 52
    • DC Rebirth
    • Batman Guide
    • The Sandman Universe
  • Marvel Guides
    • Marvel Events
    • Captain America Guide
    • Iron Man Guide
    • Spider-Man Guide (1963-2018)
    • Spider-Man Guide (2018-Present)
    • Thor Guide
    • X-Men Reading Order
  • Indie & Licensed Comics
    • Spawn
    • Star Wars Guide
      • Expanded Universe Comics (2015 – present)
      • Legends Comics (1977 – 2014)
    • Valiant Guides
  • Drag
    • Canada’s Drag Race
    • Drag Race Belgique
    • Drag Race Down Under
    • Drag Race Sverige (Sweden)
    • Drag Race France
    • Drag Race Philippines
    • Dragula
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
  • Archive
  • Contact!
You are here: Home / consume / comic books / DC New 52 Review: Swamp Thing #1

DC New 52 Review: Swamp Thing #1

September 11, 2011 by krisis

In the 80s DC was the edgy comic book company. Even before the launch of Vertigo, they were the publisher letting a new generation of writers use their heroes in non-traditional ways.

While Grant Morrison may be the last oddball left standing from the period, it was ushered into existence by Alan Moore. It was Moore’s hand that guided the landmark Watchman and deconstructions like Killing Joke. He made it possible for the Morrisons and Gaimans of the world to be mainstream comic authors.

While the modern day might treat Watchmen as Moore’s opus, he was already writing bizarre 70s eco-hero Swamp thing for nearly three years by then.

Both Moore’s verdant hero and Morrison’s Animal Man are seeing reinvention in the reboot. Will either hint at the success of their 80s glory years?

Swamp Thing

Written by Scott Snyder, art by Yanick Paquette

Rating: 1.5 of 5 – Weak

In a Line: “I had this Botany professor, Dr. Riis … he would always talk about how the plant world is the most misunderstood area of biology.”

140char Review: Swamp Thing #1 is utterly gorgeous in the hands of Paquette, but it’s all Swamp Talk (+ a dull lecture from Superman) & no Swamp Thing. Lame

CK Says: Skip it.

I’ll come right out and say that I completely hated this script for this issue. It’s the only one so far from the reboot that felt deliberately decompressed, aside from the wreck of Justice League.

Swamp Thing being a dark hero with roots in Alan Moore stories is meaningless when it comes to a fresh start. While Scott Snyder does plenty of explaining via pages upon pages of dialog, it never stops being expository to start being compelling. As a reader who has no idea about the character the talking didn’t really help – it was like listening to a conversation on a bus about someone I’ve never met.

Snyder inserts plenty of heavy-handed one-liners, like “buried alive” and “raised from the dead” in an attempt to make a dull B-story seem like a portent. The chatty issue was made more jarring by a weirdly out-of-context Superman acting like a camp counselor, completely at odds with both other versions we’ve seen so far in the reboot.

The saving grace is a beautiful rendering of an inert script by Yanick Paquette. If he can make dead birds and talking heads look this good, imagine what he’ll do with an issue that’s actually about Swamp Thing?

Despite a gripping into and a final panel giving a hint of what’s to come, this issue is skippable due to the interminable bore of its doughy middle.

Related posts:

  1. Collecting Runaways comic books as graphic novels
  2. X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #6: Fatal Attractions

Filed Under: comic books, reviews Tagged With: Alan Moore, DC New 52, Swamp Thing

Previous Post: « Awake and Asleep with Taxicab Racers, and other stories
Next Post: What I Tweeted, 2011-09-11 Edition »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Scott Snyder says

    September 18, 2011 at 3:33 pm

    Hey Peter – sorry Swamp Thing #1 didn’t do it for you, but I appreciate the read anyway. Thanks again. S

Primary Sidebar


Support Crushing Krisis on Patreon
Support CK
on Patreon


Follow me on Twitter Contact me Watch me on Youtube Subscribe to the CK RSS Feed

About CK

About Crushing Krisis
About My Music
About Your Author
Blog Archive
Comics Blogs Only
Contact Krisis
Terms & Conditions

Crushing Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Events Guide

Spider-Man Guide

DC Comics

  • Drag Race Sverige Season 1, Episode 4 – “Snatch Game” & Mitt Liv Som Tant runway Review & Power Ranking
    A surprising return and a shocking elimination sucked the air out of an entertaining Snatch Game and old lady runway on Drag Race Sverige. […]
  • Guide to Codename StrykeforceNew For Patrons: Guide to Codename Strykeforce
    My Guide to Codename Strykeforce covers Cyberforce's short-lived sibling, which proved the rule that every team needed a mercenary spinoff. […]
  • Guide to CyberforceNew for Patrons: Guide to Cyberforce by Marc Silvestri
    This Guide to Cyberforce covers the title that launched the last of original six Image Comics imprints, Marc Silvestri's Top Cow Productions. […]
  • Guide to Doom PatrolUpdated: Guide to Doom Patrol
    In 2022 DC collected Rachel Pollack's beloved run on the 1987 Doom Patrol series for the first time! Find that and every other collection! […]
  • Drag Race Belgique Season 1, Episode 6 – “A deux c’est mieu!” makeover challenge Review and Power Ranking
    A deux c’est mieu - two are better! That's the case for the queens of Drag Race Belgique, as they create daughters out of RTBF personalities. […]
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 13 – “Teacher Makeovers” Review & Power Ranking
    The final five of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 were challenged with Teacher Makeovers, a subjective challenge that yielded a preordained result from production. […]
  • Guide to X-Men Flagships, 2010-2019Updated: Guide to X-Men flagship titles, 2010 – 2019
    Sometimes X-Men comics make the most sense with a health dose of hindsight. That's why my all-new Guide to X-Men flagship series (2010-2019) makes sense in an all-different way compared to my previous guides covering this period. […]
  • New for Patrons: Guide to Drax the Destroyer
    Learn about the many eras of Drax the Destroyer in my new Guide to Drax, including how the MCU pulled one major detail from each incarnation. […]
  • Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW ContinuityNew for Patrons: Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW Continuity
    Dig into over 200 issues of turtle power in perfect story order with my Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics at IDW! […]
  • Drag Race Sverige Season 1, Episode 3 – “Drag-a’-mera!” design challenge Review & Power Ranking
    The queens of Drag Race Sverige stress over a Drag-a'-mera unconventional materials design challenge and a pair of intimidating judges in Christer Lindarw & Fredrik Robertsson. […]
  • New for Patrons: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Guide to Mirage Studios Continuity
    Curious about the b&w indie comic origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? my Guide to Mirage Studios Continuity covers every issue! […]
  • Drag Race Belgique Season 1, Episode 5 – Snatch Game & Night of 1001 Audrey Hepburns Runway
    The queens of Belgique compete in a oddly low-key Snatch Game and a Night of 1001 Audrey Hepburns runway that emphasized realness over glam. […]
  • RuPauls Drag Race Season 15 Episode 12 - Wigloose The Rusical Title CardRuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 12 – “Wigloose The Rusical” Review & Power Ranking
    Wigloose is one of the best Rusicals ever, and it arrives at the perfect moment to address anti-drag, anti-LGBTQA* legislation across America. […]
  • Updated: Guide to X-Men Legacy
    I updated my Guide to X-Men Legacy, but it's more like an anti-update - since Marvel has yet to get around to recollecting Mike Carey's incredibly run. […]

Layout copyright © 2017 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

Links from Crushing Krisis to retailer websites may be in the form of affiliate links. If you purchase through an affiliate link I will receive a minor credit as your referrer. My credit does not affect your purchase price. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program.