Saga of the Swamp Thing #2

This volume is, without a doubt, superior to the previous one. Moore gives the impression of really being in his element (disregarding issue #33, which he didn't write), and really begins to show off his remarkable ability to evoke complex imagery and emotion with his writing. The art is hit or miss in some issues (notably #28) but really, really shines in the last issue, Rite of Spring, which I will discuss later because it is amazing.

While Book One tended to flounder in places where Moore had to tie up loose plot ends (and in some cases felt like he was still getting his bearings, which makes sense because Swamp Thing was his first foray into American comics), Book Two reads like a promise of what's to come, and the last two issues in particular are very typical of Moore's writing. At the beginning of the volume we're shown that Swamp Thing is not technically Alec Holland (at least not physically, which really isn't that much of a revelation, but it's shown later that he really isn't Holland at all when we see Holland in the afterlife with his wife Linda), which really ties together what we know of the character thusfar. It also frees up our main character to get together with Abby, who is likewise made available by the events of issues 29-31, which were delightfully creepy and were built up wonderfully. The revelation that Abby had essentially been sleeping with her uncle was played up wonderfully, and her reaction to the revelation was excellent and dramatic but not overly so. With the annual we begin to get a sense of the supernatural community within DC, something that really impressed me with later volumes, and while getting Abby's soul back so quickly felt a little too easy, it felt necessary to do so quickly so that the story could be continued. In issue 32 we get a cute, sad little side story that really has nothing to do with anything, but really highlights the environmental theme of the series as a whole. I was delighted to see Cain and Abel in issue 33- or, rather, I was delighted that I knew who they were- and found the revelation that there had been other Swamp Things before Alec (the current one) to be really intriguing.

And then there's Rite of Spring. I could go on and on about how amazing this one issue was, because it was really that good, but none of my rambling would really do it justice. If there was one issue that would justify my reccomending this series, this would be it. While it's admittedly fairly esoteric in general, it is one hundred percent pure Alan Moore awesomeness, and is a wonderful testament to his skill. This is the issue in which I found the art was the strongest, and it harmonized perfectly with the writing in so many ways- from the tiny details in the background that really brought the swamp to life, to the somewhat psychadelic imagery, to things as inconsequential as the artist's impressive ability to draw decent-looking teeth (it's harder than it sounds, people), I have nothing overly negative to say about the art, and those who know me will know how rare that tends to be. This ultimate consummation of Abby and the Swamp Thing's feelings for one another, which have been evident for a long time (mostly on Abby's part, but one could argue this was foreshadowed in the Annual by Swamp Thing's refusal to see Linda in the afterlife), is amazing and perfect and absolutely everything it needed to be, and reminded me a lot of the sex scene in Promethea with the titular character and Jack Faust. I continually marvel at Alan Moore's ability to depict sex in his comics, and how he weaves symbolism in so effortlessly with his writing.

For its fantastic atmosphere (in particular the part where the Joker isn't laughing), the amazing drawings of insects, fantastic sense of weight, incorporation of other parts of the DC universe (like Deadman and the Phantom Stranger), excellent writing and Rite of Spring in general, I give book two of Saga of the Swamp Thing a 4.5/5.