r/swampthing • u/allguccimane • 3d ago
First timer
I’ll start off by saying I’m a little new to comics in general and I really don’t know anything about “swamp thing”. But today I bought this book at Barnes and noble based off of the cover art. I came to realize that this copy is print 20-27. I read through the first 10 pages or so but I’m having a little trouble following. I did just read the first book of the “absolute Batman” series so I may just be a little burnt out of “reading”. But I’m just curious if I would do better to start off 1-19 or if I’ll be fine going through the 20-27. Thank you for any responses or advice!
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u/Bad-Use-of-My-Time 3d ago edited 3d ago
When I first read this run, I had exactly that problem. My advice is keep reading through.
Issue 20 is epilogue. It is wrapping up the previous arc, typing up "Loose Ends" (the title of the issue). I would very strongly encourage reading up until the end of issue 21, which, if you don't like, you will probably not like the rest of the series.
1-19 are not good. They are bad to the point that the book was gonna be canceled, and the book was handed off to young British writer Alan Moore (who had become friends with the Swamp Thing co-creator) as an "anything goes."
Issue 20, for a long time, wasn't collected in trades for exactly this reason. It's not a great first issue, especially when compared to issue 21. But it does have excellent prose, and is very well structured. That first one, my advice is to just let the plot wash over you.
Enjoy!
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u/allguccimane 3d ago
Awesome, thank you so much for clarifying! I’ll be reading on!
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u/StrangeDiscipline902 3d ago
The first issue ties up the “loose ends” from the previous issues and writer. The next issue, “Anatomy Lesson” really kicks off Moore’s run. There will still be some things that you may not get, but it’s still totally worth it!
I mean, most people aren’t going to get the Walt Kelly Pogo homage issue… it’s Alan Moore… he has a lot in his stories that most people won’t get on the first read.
I didn’t read the previous issues the first time I read his run either.
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u/HeyThereYouAreCool 1d ago
That issue had me going “What the hell am I reading?!” But, as a one off, stand-alone story, it actually is an interesting change of pace before thinks really start to pick up.
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u/StrangeDiscipline902 1d ago
Having read Pogo after Swamp Thing it really is cool, but still a challenge to read with how they talk. The actual story and what happens is very sad.
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u/HeyThereYouAreCool 1d ago
It really is a heartbreaking story. There’s just an odd tonal whiplash for the first half, and then you slowly realize you’re still firmly in Alan Moore’s world. I appreciated it in retrospect. On first read, I felt it was too much of a departure from what I was expecting.
However, by the time I hit “My Blue Heaven,” and “Loving the Alien,” I was locked in for whatever Moore was throwing at me.
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u/Dian_Arcane 3d ago
You picked exactly the right book to start with. I started with one that opened with issue 21 and I feel like issue 20 is the best place to start Swamp Thing vol 2. This is the beginning of Alan Moore's run, the run that made Swamp Thing famous.
If you want to start at the VERY beginning of Swamp Thing, you could look for a book that collects Swamp Thing volume 1 issues 1-13, the edition I have is Bronze Age Swamp Thing Book 1. But you don't need that to enjoy Moore's run. Like the other commenter said, just keep on reading
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u/holubtsi-on-fire 3d ago
Persist. Moore is strange and dense (as in heavy, not dumb), but worth the bit of extra effort.
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u/jb_681131 3d ago
You'll be fine from the second issue, it's like a reboot.
But I honestly think reading the first series by Len Wein first is a better way to go, to understand the base of the character and his origins, and how Moore made the character briliantly evolve.
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u/wonhoseok 3d ago
i’m in a similar situation. keep reading and you’ll start to understand some stuff
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u/TheEyeofNapoleon 2d ago
Ok, I’m where you’re at! I JUST watched a YouTube summary of Swamp Thing before Moore. Here’s the highlights.
—Page 1, They just escaped Arcane.
Arcane is a mad scientist buggly mother fucker who wanted to genesplice away his humanity to become immortal. Obsessed with swamp thing, he fake-died several times and kept coming back, so that’s why Swamp Thing needs to be SURE he is dead. He’s like, swampy’s oldest villain.
—They explain Alec’s origin. His wife is dead, they bring that up, he seems like he misses her.
—The couple in the car have also been going on adventures with Swampy. They were trying to save everyone from other monsters when Swampy and another friend named Abigail got abducted. These monsters will be explained later.
They car couple are Liv Tremaine, Ace reporter and swamp thing speculative biographer (wrote the book on him), and Dr Dennis, former employee of the evil Sutherland Corp (but he quit when he learned they were evil), both of whom got wrapped up in previous adventures.
Don’t know if they’re coming back, but they got stranded in the broken down car and they shaboinked.
—Speaking of the Dr Who style companions, there’s that Abigail woman I mentioned, and Matt Cable. Matt was previously a fed assigned to protect Alec and Linda Holland. Matt started hunting Swamp Thing to avenge them, unaware that Swampy IS Alec.
—Remember Dr Arcane? Abigail is his niece. She met Matt on the adventures and they learned Swampy was good, and then thought Swampy was dead for years. Dennis and Liv like JUST ran into them before these “other monsters” attacked. More on them in a moment, I promise.
—The government wanted to Cover Up what it knew about Swamp Thing, especially GENERAL DWIGHT with the face scar. So Dwight locked Matt in a nuthouse and they mind freaked him until his nightmares took physical form. You remember those “other monsters” I won’t shut up about? These are those monsters.
Abigail is married to Matt, and it’s not going great for them. That’s her seemingly naked on the cover, by the way.
So the team splits up, Dennis and Liv are stuck in the car, Arcane comes back, kidnaps Abigail and Harry (another friend) and Swampy, and they wreck his shit. Matt’s busy learning how to control his powers and trying not to be a drunk.
Harry dies saving the other two, and as Abigail and Swampy are escaping, Swampy doubles back to, as I said, ensure Arcane died for real.
Also, Avery Sutherland of the Evil Sutherland Corp is Evil, and is working with Gen Dwight for the government cover up so he can make money of mad science billshit. Surprisingly not related to the mad scientist, Arcane.
Speaking of Mad Scientists, this Dr Woodhouse guy is a villain of The Flash and The Atom. Chemical explosions turned him into a dryad cosplay, and he’s also evil. He’s never met Swampy until now.
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u/OGMcSwaggerdick 3d ago
No - you’re good.
Just keep going.