",,,and meet the sun!"
As I've said elsewhere, I'm not a fan of horror, but I am willing to give certain authors some slack in certain areas, especially Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore. I was able to check this out from the library and read it free of charge, which was a good way to sample Moore's early horror style. I'm not sure if I will go out and get the rest of his acclaimed Swamp Thing run, but I am more willing to do so now that I've sampled it here. I'm still not a fan of horror, nor am I yet one of those "Alan Moore can do no wrong" sorts of people (though I have usually enjoyed what he has done, for the most part, of what I've read), but this was a good couple of storylines. If I say it reminded me of The X-Files, I don't say that out of disrespect to anyone, only to show my naivete in that The X-Files are about the sum total of my "thriller/horror" serial experience (unless you count MST3K or Scream 1-3). Moore did a remarkable job simultaneously destroying and reshaping the Swamp Thing's humanity, transforming (terraforming) the character and the story into his own from the beginning. Since it is partway into the series, the casual fans may be at a bit of a loss concerning the supporting characters, but Moore doesn't allow that to be a problem - from the beginning, we know enough of who they are to be able to focus on the ideas and images he and the creative team present (though you probably don't want to dwell on either too long, especially if you are reading this late in the day or night). Likewise, if I say "it's better than I thought it would be," allow me that honest confession - it certainly was not born of hubris or disrespect to its source. It is just a sign of being pleasantly impressed (even if I try to quickly forget the scary bits).