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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When scientist Alec Holland and his wife Linda are murdered to gain access to their bio-restorative formula, Alec rises from his watery grave as Swamp Thing!
Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Volume one collects a story from The House of Secrets #92 and Swamp Thing #1-13.
Like a lot of people my age, my first exposure to Swamp Thing was the Wes Craven movie from 1982. I've read some of the Alan Moore issues but I've never read any of the originals until now.
I don't know if Joe Orlando's editorial direction had anything to do with it but Len Wein and Berni Wrightson (and later Nestor Redondo) crafted something that feels like a throwback to the EC horror comics of the 1950s. Wein uses a lot of captions for narrative effect, much like the EC comics, and Berni Wrightson's moody artwork is straight out of the Vault of Horror. Once I forgave Nestor Redondo for not being Berni Wrightson, I liked his art quite a bit as well.
Old Swampy goes from one calamity to the next, hitting many staples of the horror genre, like mad scientists, wizards, werewolves, aliens, robots, secret societies, and horrors from beyond the stars. Compared to today's tales, it feels a little rushed but that's part for the course. Wein and Wrightson embraced the monster of the week formula with great success. Seeds are planted that won't bear fruit until sometime later in the run. Hell, it takes much of the volume for Matt Cable to change his views on Swamp Thing and Abbie Arcane hasn't had much interaction with the muck-encrusted avenger yet.
This run of Swamp Thing is probably more influential than people give it credit for. This feels more like a Marvel book than a DC book. In fact, it feels like a horror take on The Hulk at times, making it a spiritual ancestor of The Immortal Hulk. Also, now that I've read this, it's pretty apparent that Sam Kieth was trying his best to channel Berni Wrightson in the early issues of The Sandman.
The ending left me wanting more but it was a satisfying stopping point. The relationship between Matthew Cable and Swamp Thing turned a corner and it left Swamp Thing in a good place. The wait for the next volume is going to be tough but I think I'll manage.
Len Wein, Berni Wrightson, and Nestor Redondo crafted a great piece of horror that somehow got through the comics code. Four out of five Un-Men.
Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Volume one collects a story from The House of Secrets #92 and Swamp Thing #1-13.
Like a lot of people my age, my first exposure to Swamp Thing was the Wes Craven movie from 1982. I've read some of the Alan Moore issues but I've never read any of the originals until now.
I don't know if Joe Orlando's editorial direction had anything to do with it but Len Wein and Berni Wrightson (and later Nestor Redondo) crafted something that feels like a throwback to the EC horror comics of the 1950s. Wein uses a lot of captions for narrative effect, much like the EC comics, and Berni Wrightson's moody artwork is straight out of the Vault of Horror. Once I forgave Nestor Redondo for not being Berni Wrightson, I liked his art quite a bit as well.
Old Swampy goes from one calamity to the next, hitting many staples of the horror genre, like mad scientists, wizards, werewolves, aliens, robots, secret societies, and horrors from beyond the stars. Compared to today's tales, it feels a little rushed but that's part for the course. Wein and Wrightson embraced the monster of the week formula with great success. Seeds are planted that won't bear fruit until sometime later in the run. Hell, it takes much of the volume for Matt Cable to change his views on Swamp Thing and Abbie Arcane hasn't had much interaction with the muck-encrusted avenger yet.
This run of Swamp Thing is probably more influential than people give it credit for. This feels more like a Marvel book than a DC book. In fact, it feels like a horror take on The Hulk at times, making it a spiritual ancestor of The Immortal Hulk. Also, now that I've read this, it's pretty apparent that Sam Kieth was trying his best to channel Berni Wrightson in the early issues of The Sandman.
The ending left me wanting more but it was a satisfying stopping point. The relationship between Matthew Cable and Swamp Thing turned a corner and it left Swamp Thing in a good place. The wait for the next volume is going to be tough but I think I'll manage.
Len Wein, Berni Wrightson, and Nestor Redondo crafted a great piece of horror that somehow got through the comics code. Four out of five Un-Men.
kingova's review against another edition
5.0
Neko je rekao: “Swamp Thing is one lonely mother-fucker.” I šta više može jedan retro džanki kao ja da poželi od stripa iz 1972. ako su glavne teme usamljenost i odbačenost. Prava poslastica.
Alek Holand a.k.a. Stvorenje iz močvare je bio naučnik koji usled eksplozije gubi svoju laboratoriju. Tokom eksplozije biva poprskan bioobnavljajućom formulom na kojoj je radio zajedno sa svojom ženom Lindom, i postaje čudovište.
Alek na svom putu u potrazi za odgovorima sreće mnoštvo neprijatelja, od ludog naučnika Arkanusa, vukodlaka, Betmena, vanzemaljca do M’nagala samoproklamovanog boga, koji je kako sam tvrdi, dotakao umove Lavkrafta i Poa.
Stvorenje je frankenštajnovski arhetip i tokom čitanja se tačno primećuju brojne sličnosti. Ono što je mene jako dotaklo u ovom stripu je ta emocija u Vinovom scenariju, i znam da to stalno guram u prvi plan, ali bez ljubavi koji je smisao? A ljubav je ono što Aleka održava i vodi kroz njegov mučan život. A Rajtson je to savršeno prikazao svojim crtežom, zaista vredno divljenja.
Inače strip je nastao kada su Vin i Rajtson oboje prolazili kroz težak emotivni period, a dobro je poznato da iz emotivnog rastrojstva nastaju najbolja dela. Najkreativniji smo kada patimo. Samim tim, oseća se koliko ovaj strip ima dušu.
Prva knjiga ima 13 maestralnih horor epizoda(13 magičan broj, nema šta) od kojih je 10 crtao Rajtson i kasnije napustio serijal, pa mi je trebalo neko vreme da se naviknem na Redondov crtež u preostale tri epizode. Imam i malu dozu straha da nastavim sa čitanjem jer nije Vinov scenario u drugoj knjizi već je radio Mur. Iako Alana stvarno volim ipak imam neku tremu jer mi je Vinov stil baš legao. Držim palčeve i idem dalje.
Alek Holand a.k.a. Stvorenje iz močvare je bio naučnik koji usled eksplozije gubi svoju laboratoriju. Tokom eksplozije biva poprskan bioobnavljajućom formulom na kojoj je radio zajedno sa svojom ženom Lindom, i postaje čudovište.
Alek na svom putu u potrazi za odgovorima sreće mnoštvo neprijatelja, od ludog naučnika Arkanusa, vukodlaka, Betmena, vanzemaljca do M’nagala samoproklamovanog boga, koji je kako sam tvrdi, dotakao umove Lavkrafta i Poa.
Stvorenje je frankenštajnovski arhetip i tokom čitanja se tačno primećuju brojne sličnosti. Ono što je mene jako dotaklo u ovom stripu je ta emocija u Vinovom scenariju, i znam da to stalno guram u prvi plan, ali bez ljubavi koji je smisao? A ljubav je ono što Aleka održava i vodi kroz njegov mučan život. A Rajtson je to savršeno prikazao svojim crtežom, zaista vredno divljenja.
Inače strip je nastao kada su Vin i Rajtson oboje prolazili kroz težak emotivni period, a dobro je poznato da iz emotivnog rastrojstva nastaju najbolja dela. Najkreativniji smo kada patimo. Samim tim, oseća se koliko ovaj strip ima dušu.
Prva knjiga ima 13 maestralnih horor epizoda(13 magičan broj, nema šta) od kojih je 10 crtao Rajtson i kasnije napustio serijal, pa mi je trebalo neko vreme da se naviknem na Redondov crtež u preostale tri epizode. Imam i malu dozu straha da nastavim sa čitanjem jer nije Vinov scenario u drugoj knjizi već je radio Mur. Iako Alana stvarno volim ipak imam neku tremu jer mi je Vinov stil baš legao. Držim palčeve i idem dalje.
cryo_guy's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this one a lot. Swamp Thing is a mix of Gothic romance, Lovecraftian horror, fantasy/scifi, and of course comic book heroism. I liked the classic look of the art work too. I especially liked Batman's appearance in which he is described as annoyingly committed to duty by Swamp Thing. He really does have a rich inner monologue--I found myself admiring that the most about the character that because he was mute, his monologuing became your insight into his often failed, but ultimately successful attempts at communication. It'll be nice to have read this when I get around to Moore's take on the character.
jonathancrites's review against another edition
4.0
This collection was a truly fun to read throwback to 70s soapy horror from DC. I’ve always like Len Wein as a writer and his plots are pretty good here but I have to be honest in that the Bernie Wrightson art steals the show. What a great combination of talent and subject. Would recommend.
apageinthestacks's review
4.0
I’m not usually a fan of pre-Crisis comics (and even then I much prefer early 00’s), but I actually really enjoyed the Wein/Wrightson stuff. The rest ranged from okay to not great, but it was still a great collection to read overall. Laid some great groundwork, and I’m excited to reread the Moore run with all of the background.
northern_mint's review against another edition
3.0
I read the first 10 issues collected in Dark Genesis and they were really fun. I gave them 5 stars. I think it's real good campy fun. The last four issues are really unsatisfying. Cable and Abigail are weak characters and they always annoyed me but as they take a center stage to wrap up the arc, they really drag the quality down in this series.
studaslop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Pre-Moore and pre-Crisis Swamp Thing is lots of fun! Ranges from darkness and horror to sci-fi absurdity, sometimes quite introspective and other times full of punch action sequences. It’s a good time and a really great collection of one of comics’ greatest characters.
bstratton's review against another edition
5.0
Swampy is a very different book before Alan Moore, John Totleben, Steve Bissette et al get hold of it. But Berni Wrightson’s art is just gorgeous, and Len Wein’s scripting evokes some of the best elements of the horror and suspense comics of the 50’s and 60’s. I didn’t realize until reading this that, while Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing is some of the best comics ever written, he was handed some strong source material to work from.
dozens's review against another edition
4.0
**Edit**: Browsing the reviews here, there seems to be a lot of hate toward the Nat Broder/Silicon Crystal Man character. That story was one of my favorites! Because a) Phantom Stranger, and b) the character was a great mirror to hold up to Swamp Thing. Their origins were almost exactly the same: bodies suffused with strange science stuff during a lab explosion. Broder's body was literally dumped in the swamp, from which he rose up as the Silicon Man!
He was extremely the Anti Swamp Thing: made of silicon and circuitry instead of roots and moss; cold, unfeeling technology instead of moss and muck that feels too much. Yearning for power and dominion instead of belonging and family. Swampy doesn't have his connection to the Green yet, but Broder's connection to the web and weave of the Internet unknowingly predicts even that. He even *looked* like Bizarro, and was Swampy's inverse every bit as much as Bizarro is Superman's.
**Original review:**
Super fun and nostalgic. Swampy has always been one of my favorites, since I was a kid.
Started reading this when the DC TV series was going to come out. Standout moments:
1. The Monster of the Week format of the earliest issues: Swampy punches a werewolf! A vampire! A Frankenstein! A robot! An alien! A weird worm!
2. Seeing first appearances of TV series tie-ins: Nathan Ellery and the Enclave, Avery Sunderland, the Phantom Stranger.
3. One of Swampy's very first adventures lead him to Gotham, and to an encounter with Batman! Did not know that.
4. There is nothing earth elemental, and nothing about The Green at all about this entire first run. He's just a mossy green hulk who wants to be left alone.
5. The "Karen Clancy/Anti-Christ Saga" was a loooooong run full of characters and content that I've never heard of. That whole bit felt like a fever dream. When it was finally over and we got to another Anton Arcane/Un-men fight, I was happy to be back to "classic Swamp Thing" territory.
He was extremely the Anti Swamp Thing: made of silicon and circuitry instead of roots and moss; cold, unfeeling technology instead of moss and muck that feels too much. Yearning for power and dominion instead of belonging and family. Swampy doesn't have his connection to the Green yet, but Broder's connection to the web and weave of the Internet unknowingly predicts even that. He even *looked* like Bizarro, and was Swampy's inverse every bit as much as Bizarro is Superman's.
**Original review:**
Super fun and nostalgic. Swampy has always been one of my favorites, since I was a kid.
Started reading this when the DC TV series was going to come out. Standout moments:
1. The Monster of the Week format of the earliest issues: Swampy punches a werewolf! A vampire! A Frankenstein! A robot! An alien! A weird worm!
2. Seeing first appearances of TV series tie-ins: Nathan Ellery and the Enclave, Avery Sunderland, the Phantom Stranger.
3. One of Swampy's very first adventures lead him to Gotham, and to an encounter with Batman! Did not know that.
4. There is nothing earth elemental, and nothing about The Green at all about this entire first run. He's just a mossy green hulk who wants to be left alone.
5. The "Karen Clancy/Anti-Christ Saga" was a loooooong run full of characters and content that I've never heard of. That whole bit felt like a fever dream. When it was finally over and we got to another Anton Arcane/Un-men fight, I was happy to be back to "classic Swamp Thing" territory.
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