In just six issues, Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson had created one of the most memorable and well-received characters in the early Bronze Age. With stories such as Monster on the Moors (Swamp Thing (vol 1) 4) and The Man Who Wanted Forever (Swamp Thing (vol 1) 2), the horror genre of comics had been reinvigorated with huge success. Yet, like most of their other runs in comic books, Wein and Wrightson weren’t going to be staying with the title for much longer, as with Swamp Thing (vol 1) 14, a new writer in the form of David Michelinie begun to change the direction of the title. But, before Wein’s departure, Wrightson left with Swamp Thing (vol 1) 10 and Nestor Redondo took up the art duties. These latter Wein stories conclude his story arc with Matt Cable continuing his hunt for Swamp Thing, while also featuring new villains and the one old definitive Swamp Thing foe, Anton Arcane…
In the last of two reviews covering Len Wein’s run on Swamp Thing (vol 1), I will be reviewing:
Night of the Bat --- Swamp Thing (vol 1) 7
The Lurker in Tunnel 13 --- Swamp Thing (vol 1) 8
The Stalker from Beyond --- Swamp Thing (vol 1) 9
The Man Who Would Not Die --- Swamp Thing (vol 1) 10
The Conqueror Worms/The Eternity Man/The Leviathan Conspiracy --- Swamp Thing (vol 1) 11-13
Swamp Thing (vol 1) 7-13 was published bi-monthly from November/December 1973 to November/December 1974. All stories were written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson until issue 10, before Nestor Redondo takes over. Lastly, I have read all
these stories in the Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Omnibus.
Night of the Bat --- Written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson
THE STORY
Arriving in Gotham City, Swamp Thing, with his dog, breaks into a shop and steals a long coat and hat in order to disguise himself. However, he is seen by a police officer, who then calls reinforcements. Although they chase after Swamp Thing, he manages to escape. Meanwhile in the Wayne Foundation boardroom, Bruce Wayne discusses business with Nathan Ellery. After the meeting, Bruce becomes Batman and heads to the docks to prevent a smuggling operation from succeeding. Once he defeats the goons, Batman finds a clue to the identity of Mister E, the mysterious leader of the Conclave organisation. Suddenly, Batman notices the bat-signal and heads towards it. At the same time, Ellery is driven to a warehouse after his meeting with Bruce, where he finds Matt Cable and Abigail Arcane sitting in electric chairs, refusing to talk. Meanwhile, Batman meets with Commissioner Gordon, who tells Batman that there is a monster lurking the streets of Gotham. At the same time, a disguised Swamp Thing heads into a bar, where he overhears a conversation between two criminals about the Conclave. Intrigued, Swamp Thing grabs a piece of paper from the criminals which has information about the Conclave on it. However, they fight back and attack Swamp Thing, who easily defeats them by throwing them out of the window, before he heads out with his dog. After investigating further, the dog runs away and is found by Batman, who notices traces of decaying moss on his fur. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing finds the warehouse where Matt and Abigail are held and he breaks in, freeing them both while a scientist informs Mister E. Outside, the dog leads Batman to Ellery’s apartment penthouse, where he meets Swamp Thing. Although Batman nearly defeats Swamp Thing, he retaliates and knocks Batman out. While Swamp Thing climbs Ellery’s building, Batman breaks in by picking the locked door, before following the dog to the top. In the penthouse, Batman watches the dog get closer to Ellery, who he recognises as Mister E, his master. In fear, Ellery shoots and kills the dog while Swamp Thing appears. Enraged, Swamp Thing charges towards Mister E, ready to kill him. However, Swamp Thing realises that vengeance is not the way and he pushes Mister E. But, as a result of that, he falls off the building to his death. Swamp Thing leaves and Batman believes there is more about both Ellery and Swamp Thing than he first thought.
MY THOUGHTS
Although this story does continue from the previous issue with Matt and Abigail being captured by the Conclave, the main plot here is brand new and has no real links to the previous story. Anyway, this issue is most probably the most famous issue of Swamp Thing, next to The Anatomy Lesson in Swamp Thing (vol 2) 21 by Alan Moore. The reason for this is that this issue takes placing Gotham and Batman features as a prominent character. Let me just say: Batman and Swamp Thing are two characters that work so well together. Its rather difficult to explain why, since they spend most of the issue fighting. But Swamp Thing just fits right at home in Batman’s world and towards the end, Batman realises that Swamp Thing isn’t the real villain. That being said, the main story is very simple, yet marvellous enjoyable. Its an incredibly fast-paced read, the action is so very fluent, and it never slows down. The villainous Mister E works well as a good and mysterious villain, since he doesn’t feature much in the story, but when he does, its so blindingly obvious that he is evil. But, like most of the other villains thus far, he gets a great and accidental death, making him and Arcane two perfect candidates for Who’s Been Framed. All joking aside, this tale features the first time a major character has been killed off since Swamp Thing (vol 1) 1. Can you guess who it is? Yes, it’s the dog. This isn’t really a joke, since you have to realise that on his long journey, the dog is the only company Swamp Thing has really had, since it seems to recognise Swamp Thing as Alec Holland. However, when Mister E murders the dog, it feels like Swamp Thing has lost his only friend and now he is completely alone. As one of the most memorable stories from the run, this issue is absolutely perfect, since Batman blends with Wein and Wrightson’s darker depiction of Gotham and it comes as no surprise that Swamp Thing and Batman were reunited many times after this.
Like I said, Wrightson’s art works brilliantly for Gotham City and Batman, adding a sense of fear to the city, while depicting Batman almost like an old gothic legend. Like (continued)
always, the storytelling is on point, the sense of lighting is stunning and there are many memorable moments in this story, making it one of my favourite issues from the run as a whole and actually one of the best Swamp Thing stories ever.
Story: 10/10
Art: 10/10
The Lurker in Tunnel 13 --- Written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson
THE STORY
After hiding in the back of a truck leaving Gotham, Swamp Thing stumbles in a snowy forest during a blizzard. Then, Swamp Thing finds a cave and heads inside, where he finds a bear looming over a dying old man. After Swamp Thing manages to defeat the bear, he speaks to the old man, who tells Swamp Thing not to head into Perdition, a nearby former mining town which became haunted after his father became interested in the occult. The old man then dies, and Swamp Thing carries his body to Perdition. However, some of the villagers’ attack Swamp Thing, believing him to have killed the old man. However, when Mayor Mutteridge and Jason appear, the villagers realise that it was in-fact a bear that killed the old man and that Swamp Thing is innocent. While something awakens underneath the village, Swamp Thing is insisted by the villagers that he must rest, telling him that they want him in perfect condition, making him suspicious. Suddenly, there is a scream from a woman named Lydia, who screams that her son Jody has gone missing. Heading out into the forest, Swamp Thing and the villagers follow Jody’s footprints towards the abandoned mineshaft of Tunnel 13, frightening all the villagers. Instead, Swamp Thing heads into the tunnel and after some time, he finds a strange monstrous creature named M-Nagalah, who recognises Swamp Thing as Alec Holland. Using its tentacles, M-Nagalah grabs Swamp Thing while explaining that he has witnessed mankind’s history and its mindless violence. It then explains that the old man’s father, Abraham, freed M-Nagalah, who absorbed his body. In the coming years, M-Nagalah searched for other minds to absorb and he explains that Swamp Thing would be perfect for absorption. Resisting, Swamp Thing picks up a stalagmite and throws it into M-Nagalah’s body, causing the tunnel to cave in. Afterwards, Swamp Thing leaves the tunnel and threatens to attack Jason, since he forced him to enter the tunnel as a sacrifice for M-Nagalah. However, as Swamp Thing leaves the villagers, a piece of M-Nagalah still lives on in Jason.
MY THOUGHTS
When I first glanced at this story when I first got my hands on it, it reminded me of incredibly abstract Vertigo titles such as the Invisibles, something which I wasn’t a fan of. But, when reading the issue, it fits right at home with all the other stories and overall, it is just excellent. The story begins well in a creepy blizzard and the tale spoken by the old man before his death builds up suspense for the story, since you obviously know Swamp Thing will ignore the old man’s well-placed advice. It is then that Wein begins crossing the checklist for his greatest Swamp Thing stories: a village; frightened villagers; a nearby cave of horrors. The mood of this story is outstanding and incredibly suspenseful, since there are numerous hints throughout the issue that something is living underneath the village. Also, the villagers begin to act very strangely, and you know that something is wrong with them. Not long afterwards, he
is introduced to M-Nagalah, the reason why I first thought this story would be a load of abstract crap. But, when actually reading it, M-Nagalah is an excellent and creepy villain featuring a particularly strange body. The story behind it is very compelling and delves into the occult, once again, something that Wein writes so perfectly in these Swamp Thing issues. The ending of the story is also perfect since the suspense built about the villagers comes to a great climax, while also hinting at a sequel idea. It would have been great to see a follow-up to this story since the villain works so well and there is still an element of mystery behind it. Once again, its hard to find a flaw with this one. Sure, it could be misleading when you first glance at it since you fear it would come across as abstract, but when you read the story, it is just excellent.
Again, Wrightson excels here, illustrating the fear and mystery that Wein’s script desires in order to make it into a classic Swamp Thing story. As usual, Wrightson takes full advantage of dramatic lighting by conveying the villagers in darker lighting, adding a sense of depth and mystery behind their characters. Wrightson’s depiction of M-Nagalah sounds ridiculous when you speak about, but when you actually see it, it is really quite chilling since its just a huge pink muscle covered with veins. See, I said it sounds stupid when you describe it. The storytelling is on point and again, Wrightson adds so much to Wein’s already brilliant story.
Story: 10/10
Art: 10/10
The Stalker from Beyond --- Written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson
THE STORY
On a freight train, Swamp Thing is awoken by two criminals. However, as he throws them out, he falls out of the train as it starts to move, leaving him behind to head back into the swamps. Meanwhile on a cold and windy beach, Matt and Abigail are met with a man in a suit from the Home Office, who (to Matt’s annoyance) tells them that they are needed back in Washington. Sometime later, Matt meets Captain Brad Samson, who tells him that their mission is to find a UFO which has landed in the Louisiana swamps. Meanwhile in the swamps, Swamp Thing finds the old barn which he was born in (Swamp Thing (vol 1) 1). However, when he enters inside, he is shocked to find a spacecraft and an alien standing nearby in a breathing suit. As Swamp Thing inches closer to attack, the alien fires its laser and burns Swamp Thing’s hand off. Although it grows back, the alien knocks Swamp Thing unconscious, before picking his body up and throwing it in the swamps. Later, Captain Samson, Matt and the rest of the team arrive at the barn and discover the alien. As one of the soldiers believes the alien is evil, he tries to shoot it, but the alien knocks him out. After tying the alien to a tree, Cable and the soldiers try to radio back to Washington, but the master transmitter tube is missing, which (unknown to them) is being held by Samson. At the same time, Swamp Thing awakens and finds Cable and the rest of the soldiers, watching them from a distance. During the night while everyone is sleeping, Samson awakens and prepares to shoot the alien, telling it that it is an alien that doesn’t belong on Earth. However, Samson is stopped by Swamp Thing, who quickly escapes, leaving Cable to argue with Samson about why killing the alien is wrong. All the soldiers then begin to fight one-another, before they notice that the alien has escaped. Nearby, Swamp Thing takes the alien back to the barn. The soldiers then arrive, but the alien traps them in a forcefield. Suddenly, the alien speaks after learning enough of the language, telling them that he came in peace, but all he found was violence. He needed help to repair his ship and he would have thanked them, but (continued)
he all he feels now is pity for the human race. Then, the alien enters his spaceship and Samson, Cable and the soldiers escape as the spaceship launches. However, when leaving the atmosphere, the spaceship explodes, leaving Swamp Thing to miserably wander deeper into the swamps.
MY THOUGHTS
It may sound like I’m repeating myself, but this is another story which I feel is utterly flawless. There are so many reasons why I think this story is great, but at its core, it works flawlessly because it’s a lesson of mortality. In previous issues, Wein has been going through a list of fictional creations which work well in the horror genre and most of the time, those creations have been evil. For instance, the werewolf from Swamp Thing (vol 1) 4 or M-Nagalah from Swamp Thing (vol 1) 8. However, the alien in this story is well… pretty much harmless. The real villain of this story is humanity and however sectarian they are and could be when viewing the universe. As much as the story is well written and very good, the real highlight here is simply character. It’s a war between Matt, who wants the alien to be safe, and Samson, who straight away wants to kill the alien for being different. Those different challenging perspectives work incredibly well and, in many ways, it can be reflective of attitudes in the real world towards minorities in different places all over the globe. Swamp Thing is the only character that aids the alien and he is without a doubt the hero of the story. But it’s the alien who is the character to feel sorry for, since people like Samson want him dead. His final speech to the soldiers is so incredibly powerful and it’s a lesson to those like Samson. It really conveys how cruel as humans we can be at times and the fact that the alien dies at the end of the story is even sadder. By then, you realise that when buying this issue, you’d think the alien would be the real menace. However, after reading the story, you realise that the alien is completely faultless, and the real villains are us…
Bernie Wrightson and science-fiction may sound like two things which should never ever meet, since visually, they would look vastly different. However, Wrightson draws a great alien which can be easily misjudged since it can look like a threat. But, as the story goes on, Wrightson’s art helps to display that Samson is the real villain here. Wrightson’s storytelling shines bright here along with his great sense of lighting and drama, making the story another instant classic of the series.
Story: 10/10
Art: 10/10
The Man Who Would Not Die --- Written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson
THE STORY
Wandering in the swamps, Swamp Thing finds an escaped prisoner attacking an old woman with a cauldron. After the prisoner suddenly dies in Swamp Thing’s arms from the number of bullets inside of his body, Swamp Thing speaks to the old woman, who explains that the swamps were once green and beautiful. She explains that years ago, there was a cotton plantation nearby and the man who owned it, Samson Parminter, continually abused his slaves. One day, Samson tried to marry Elizabeth, one of the slaves. However, she was already promised to Black Jubal. Once Elizabeth was tortured and torn apart by Samson, Black Jubal raged against Samson, who tortured him in many different ways and before his death, Black Jubal swore an oath. Not long after, the slaves found Samson torn limb from limb. Suddenly, the old woman tells Swamp Thing that unholy eyes are watching them. Swamp Thing notices a group of strange creatures and he follows them to a graveyard, where he finds Arcane, who lives into a zombified body, along with his Un-Men, who attack Swamp Thing. Arcane explains that after falling from his tower (Swamp Thing (vol 1) 2), he didn’t actually survive, but his Un-Men retrieved his body and managed to construct a new body to put Arcane’s mind in. Working out that Arcane wants to steal his body again, Swamp Thing resists and fights against Arcane. However, just as Swamp Thing is defeated by Arcane and his Un-Men, the graves begin to collapse. Then, the dead slaves of Samson appear, telling Arcane that they are going to repay a debt. Put to sleep by the slaves, Swamp Thing doesn’t see or hear Arcane’s body being ripped to pieces. Awakening in the graveyard, Swamp Thing looks at the graves and finds Arcane’s. As Swamp Thing leaves and heads into the swamp, he is watched by a giant worm-like creature.
MY THOUGHTS
Incredibly fitting that this issue is Bernie Wrightson’s last, since it features all the aspects which not only make his art great, but also make great horror and Swamp Thing stories. I mean, a swamp monster, a graveyard, ghosts and zombies. What can go wrong? The first half of the story may be somewhat slow, but the old woman tells an incredibly gruesome, yet powerful story and you know that it will feature prominently towards the end. However, the story gets amazing in the middle, when Arcane returns. Sure, it was somewhat predictable because not only do the Un-Men (continued)
appear beforehand, but you simply can’t throw away great characters such as Arcane. His return is certainly most welcome, since in just one issue (Swamp Thing (vol 1) 1), he established himself as Swamp Thing’s main foe, since he had the power to take Swamp Thing away from Alec Holland. Anyway, he is quickly reconstructed into a huge threat, since he and his Un-Men manage to defeat Swamp Thing in a great fight, which is undoubtedly made better by Wrightson’s fantastic art. Although it is expected, the ending featuring the dead slaves is brilliant since they can finally obtain a form of retribution by tearing Arcane apart, seemingly killing him for good. This story really works well due to its murky mood and the story is built up well thanks to Wein’s brilliantly placed suspense. Like I mentioned, despite having some incredibly gruesome and powerful scenes, I think the beginning is somewhat slow, but the story is certainly a great and welcome return to Arcane, who perhaps now is really dead… (spoiler, he isn’t really).
This issue must have been like Wrightson’s dream come to life. Seriously, the setting is great enough as a graveyard, but the return of the Un-Men and Arcane’s portrayal as a zombie is so Wrightson that it adds so much more horror to this grim, yet compelling story. Although it was a shame that Wrightson’s run was only ten issues, they certainly will remain some of the most incredibly memorable to me, whether it be his sense of drama, lighting or page layouts. He was an artistic legend…
Story: 9.5/10
Art: 10/10
The Conqueror Worms/The Eternity Man/The Leviathan Conspiracy --- Written by Len Wein with art by Nestor Redondo
THE STORY
Staring at the remains of the old barn (destroyed in Swamp Thing (vol 1) 9), Swamp Thing realises that he has stood in the ground too long and that his roots have been implanted. However, as he manages to break free and continue into the swamps, he is being watched by mysterious eyes. Meanwhile, Matt and Abigail wander around the swamp in search of Swamp Thing. However, they are attacked by an alligator, but luckily, Swamp Thing arrives and defeats it. Although Matt tells Swamp Thing that he wants to help him, Swamp Thing just begins to walk away. Suddenly, Abigail screams as she is captured by a strange purple worm-like creature. Although Swamp Thing tries to fight back, he is knocked unconscious, leaving Matt and Abigail to be captured. Later, Matt and Abigail wake up in a strange room with Luke, Kain, Ruth and Bolt, all of whom have been captured by the worms. Then, two of the worms appear, ordering Matt and Abigail to follow. Following the worms, Matt and Abigail meet Professor Zachary Nail, who calls the place New Eden. He explains that he has been collecting strong and young people to create a society, but he was stopped by Doctor Thirteen, the Ghost-Breaker (The Phantom Stranger (vol 2) 14). This caused atomic waste from Nail’s motors to leak on the plant life, creating the giant worm creatures, who see Nail as their leader. Nail then explains to Matt and Abigail that they must stay inside New Eden so they can rescue them from humanity and what it is becoming. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing wakes up and follows a slime trail from one of the worms. At the same time, Matt and Abigail speak to the other humans and they come up with a plan. Later, Ruth and Abigail scream that Matt has been killed. But, as the worms investigate, Matt awakens and kills the worm. As Swamp Thing arrives and fights the worms, Matt, Abigail and others fight their way through the building and hold Nail as their hostage. Then, the worms reveal their true plans, telling Nail that they used him after he had awakened them with his newly constructed New Eden so they could use humanity for food. Swamp Thing then arrives, and they all fight against the worms. Suddenly, as Nail activates his nuclear reactor, he shoots and kills Ruth, angering Bolt. However, Swamp Thing knocks him out and carries his body out of New Eden with the others, before it explodes, leaving Bolt wanting to confront Swamp Thing. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing wanders through the swamp and finds a glowing jewel. Suddenly, he is transported back to the prehistoric era…
Being attacked by a dinosaur, Swamp Thing tries to escape from the creature, but he is attacked. Suddenly, a caveman appears and kills the dinosaur, surprising Swamp Thing since man shouldn’t exist this early. Swamp Thing then notices that the caveman has been impaled by his own spear and that he is dead. But then, the glowing jewel appears, and the caveman reappears, walking away with the jewel. Back in the present, Bolt, Matt and Abigail attend Ruth’s funeral. Around 100AD in Rome, Swamp Thing is attacked by gladiators and a group of lions. The fight continues out in the coliseum, where the Gladiatorial Games are taking place. As Swamp Thing distracts one of the gladiators, he is killed by another. Swamp Thing listens to the gladiator’s last words, involving the glowing jewel. Then, as Swamp Thing notices that Julius Caesar holds the glowing jewel, he vanishes, reviving the dead gladiator. Back in the present, Cable asks Bolt if he would like to help him in locating Swamp Thing. Appearing in Europe during the Black Death, Swamp Thing is attacked by frightened villagers. After defeating them, Swamp Thing looks around the town and finds Milo Mobius, who holds the glowing jewel while it reflects in his eyes during a speech to his wife about immortality. As Swamp Thing heads closer to the jewel, the villagers appear again. As Mobius is being attacked by the angry mob, Swamp Thing vanishes. Back in the present, Matt tells Bolt that Swamp Thing had no involvement with Ruth’s death and Matt calls him a bigot for taking his anger out on Swamp Thing because he is different. Appearing in a swamp during the American Civil War, Swamp Thing finds the glowing jewel with a soldier, who recognises Swamp Thing from his previous attempts to get hold of it. Suddenly, a group of soldiers appear and begin attacking Swamp Thing and the soldier, who is killed, causing Swamp Thing to vanish yet again. Back in the present, Matt explains to Bolt that his anger for Swamp Thing has disappeared, but he will remember why he is continuing to hunt him when they eventually capture him. Appearing in the swamp back in the present, Swamp Thing meets the carrier of the glowing jewel and he explains that he is immortal, but he has grown to hate it. He therefore asks Swamp Thing to kill him, but he refuses. Then, he follows Swamp Thing into the swamp, but he falls in a quicksand bog. Although Swamp Thing tries to save the immortal, he sinks into the quicksand and dies. Swamp Thing buries the glowing jewel under a pile of moss before heading into the swamps…
Using a speedboat in the swamps, Matt, Abigail and Bolt search for Swamp Thing, who is currently fighting against a group of dangerous animals such as snakes and alligators. After defeating them, Swamp Thing is shot with foam coming from Matt and Bolt, who then capture Swamp Thing and take him back to Washington. Sometime later, Matt and Abigail visit Fenwick Military Academy, where they are shocked to find Swamp Thing held in a hydroponic tank which replicates his natural environment. Matt then shouts at Professor Degrez, telling him that he must not kill Swamp Thing and that he is going to investigate the whole operation. Afterwards, Degrez conducts some tests with Swamp Thing, who grows angry and shatters out of his tank. Although guards arrive and shoot Swamp Thing, the Professor gets in the way and he is killed. The guards then fire foam at Swamp Thing, telling him that it is his fault that the Professor is dead. The next morning, Matt finds that Swamp Thing has been put in a different chamber, which is guarded by laser beams. Matt then decides to head into the hydroponic chamber in order to learn more about the creature. When inside, Matt tries to get Swamp Thing to speak, but it fails at first. Then, after some time, Swamp Thing tells Matt that he is Alec Holland. Afterwards, (continued)
Swamp Thing explains about the Conclave and how it was they that caused the explosion. On fire, Alec Holland leapt into the swamps, causing his chemically enveloped body to nurture to the swamp, causing him to absorb its filth, rot and decay. Matt then leaves Swamp Thing, telling him that he will be back. Shortly, Matt tells Abigail about what happened and how they owe him his life. After midnight, Matt and Abigail break into the Fenwick Military Academy and once they knock the guards out using knock-out gas, they throw a grenade at Swamp Thing’s chamber and he is free. However, when the three of them head out to leave, Bolt appears with a gun, ordering Matt to leave Swamp Thing. He and Matt fight one another, but it ends when Swamp Thing breaks it up and Matt explains that Swamp Thing is Alec Holland to Bolt. Sometime after leaving, Matt holds a funeral for Professor Degrez and once everybody leaves, the grave opens up and Swamp Thing appears, relieved that he managed to hide and fit under the false bottom of Degrez’s coffin. Then, Swamp Thing notices the graves of Alec and Linda Holland and he prays that his wife is living up in heaven happy, while he is living his hell as Swamp Thing. He remembers the man he was once was, before heading into the swamps once again…
MY THOUGHTS
Although these last three issues of Wein’s run have their own stories for each issue, there is one overarching plot which builds up to Swamp Thing (vol 1) 13. Anyway, the first part of the story is The Conqueror Worms, which I think is a very creative and decent story that takes Swamp Thing in a new sci-fi direction, but I think it works since the story still feels very unique and somewhat suited to Swamp Thing, as opposed to the stories later in the run by Gerry Conway. The worms themselves are a scary monster that you are just naturally suspicious of, since they just look like threatening and creepy villains. That being said, they don’t exactly kill anyone in the story as when they attack Matt and Abigail, they just effectively kidnap them. Actually, I should mention what is going on with Matt and Abigail at this moment. After
escaping the Conclave with the help of Swamp Thing, Matt begins to realise that Swamp Thing is actually their ally and with the help of Abigail, they continue hunting for Swamp Thing. Back to the story, the main villain of Professor Nail is your fairly standard crazy scientist type, but the idea still remains creative, since he explains that he and the giant worms are trying to create New Eden. I really like this idea since it challenges some of what happens in the real world. Nail realises that the world is becoming more and more unpredictable, with violence and misery breaking out. He offers to help Matt, Abigail, Bolt and the other humans. But of course, if you had a brain in your head, you’d quickly realise that the giant worms are much more villainous than they first come across, as they want to use the human race as food. This idea I really really like, since its something different. They aren’t trying to be like the stereotypical comic book aliens where all they want is to control the universe. No. All they want is the humans for food. I think that’s a really creepy idea and it makes the worms come across as simple villains, which they are. They aren’t empire builders or evil dictators. The ending of that story is also very good as Nail becomes more of a threat by killing Bolt’s lover, Ruth. This in turn makes Bolt into one of the major characters and while his appearance is somewhat a little late in the title to become so involved, it does change things up quite a bit. Overall, there isn’t really much else to say about The Conqueror Worms. It is certainly a fast-paced story which is enjoyable, but I personally think that it is taking Swamp Thing out of his comfort zone a little too much. I think it works just once or twice but making these types of stories regularly wouldn’t be great. Swamp Thing works at his best in horror stories, ones which can be quite frightening. While I think the worms can be, particularly when they reveal their true motives, the story is simply more science fiction. Unfortunately, the next issue continues to delve into that territory, as the Eternity Man is most definitely my least favourite story of the whole of Wein’s run. However, it isn’t terrible, and I wouldn’t even consider it to be bad. Its just average. There are many good ideas in there which could work in other titles, but not Swamp Thing. With the usual mood of the book and with the Swamp Thing character, a time travel story just doesn’t work here. The main plot of this story actually reminds a lot of the 1965 Doctor Who episode The Chase, in which the Daleks chase the Doctor through time. In this case, Swamp Thing is chasing the immortal holding the glowing jewel. However, there seems to a lack of reasoning for why he is chasing the glowing jewel, since towards the end of the story, he ends up back in the present without even having the jewel. In fact, why did the jewel have the power to transport Swamp Thing through time? In fact, there are loads of unanswered questions about this story and its partly the reason why I simply think this story doesn’t work with Swamp Thing. The different time periods are very interesting and there is certainly a lot of variety in the story, but it simply just falls down to me because it doesn’t suit Swamp Thing. If this was an Adam Strange story or hell, even a Jack Kirby Green Arrow story, I would be much more accepting of it because it suits the usual mood of the story. Swamp Thing is a title featuring a swamp monster who fights against horrific creatures like werewolves, monsters and zombies. This just doesn’t work to me. I also thought the immortal character was incredibly shallow, since he appears every so often, but he really speaks. It would have been better to see him develop over time and learn all the reasoning for why he ended up hating immortality. Also, does he constantly have to hold the jewel for his immortality to continue? Everything to do with the jewel was rather vague to me. However, after finishing that story, we move onto The Leviathan Conspiracy, a story which ties up everything from Wein’s run and plainly put, it is excellent. It works well Wein has been building it up from the very start, meaning that characters like Matt, Abigail and even Bolt have developed since the start and their view of Swamp Thing has changed. That said, they still fire foam at him and capture him, a move which I think is somewhat unfitting of Matt’s character, especially since he no longer sees Swamp Thing as the killer of Alec and Linda Holland. That being said, everything else after that is brilliant. The scenes featuring Swamp Thing held in the hydroponic tank is incredibly emotional and even Matt and Abigail realise that the way they are holding Swamp Thing is cruel. Then of course you get the marvellous scene in which Matt speaks to Swamp Thing, who finally reveals that he is Alec Holland. The reason this works so well is because you have to realise that up until this point, Swamp Thing actually hasn’t spoken much. He has said the odd word or two, but nothing at all revealing or shocking. But in this final issue, he reveals all. Actually, I think that this reveal to Matt would have been so much better in a two-parter. Think about it, you could have completely dropped the time travelling tissue and start this story in that issue, ending it with Swamp Thing telling Matt that he is Alec Holland. That would have been an outstanding cliff-hanger ending which would have continued in the final issue. However, what we got was still very good as Matt finally realises that Swamp Thing has always been his friend. The breakout of Swamp Thing at the hands of Matt and Abigail works incredibly well as it is a very tense scene, but I don’t really understand why Bolt decides to betray Matt at the last minute. You’d think Matt and Abigail would have discussed the breakout beforehand, but it seems they didn’t. That being said, it doesn’t take long at all for them to convince Bolt to help them, which does feel quite rushed when thinking about. All the more reason for why this finale should have been longer. Finally, the last scene after Degrez’s funeral is fantastic and ties everything up nicely in a rather miserable and unpredictable way. Swamp Thing finds the grave of himself and his wife, causing him to remember his old life. That is a pretty sour way to end Wein’s long run, but entirely fitting. This would work so much more than Swamp Thing, Matt, Abigail and Bolt all cheering and smiling, because that’s not how the story. Of course, it never really ends as the title continues for about a year or two afterwards. But Wein’s final story does tie up everything from his run and overall, it is incredibly satisfying.
While Nestor Redondo may not be as prestigious as Bernie Wrightson, I think his art is very good and suits the mood of the title very well. Sure, his depiction of animals such as alligators looks rather… silly, but other aspects such as Swamp Thing look incredible. The sense of storytelling is very clear, particularly in the last story in which many scenes are drawn very dramatically. Like Wrightson, his sense of lighting is brilliant and while he may not be as excellent as his predecessor, he does appear to be his natural heir as artist on the title.
Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
VERDICT
Overall, the latter half of Len Wein’s Swamp Thing is excellent, and he ties up his run on the title effectively and enjoyably. All four stories drawn by Bernie Wrightson are brilliant near-flawless, with many story ideas and character reflecting changes in the real world and our view on different topics such as aliens and legends. While the run may dip in quality with story plots towards the end such as time travel and science-fiction, it never becomes unreadable. Looking at the run as a whole, I would certainly consider it to be one of my favourite comic book runs ever, with artists like Bernie Wrightson and Nestor Redondo adding so much more to Wein’s already fascinating stories. I recognise that Alan Moore’s is constantly spoke of as the best Swamp Thing run ever and it is certainly great, but without Wein’s run, there wouldn’t be a Moore run. To me, this is the best of Len Wein and these are some of his best stories. Well, maybe there are some others featuring a certain dead man…
Stories: 9/10
Art: 9.5/10
Next Week: Superman and Batman: World’s Funnest. Written by Evan Dorkin with art by Dave Gibbons, Mike Allred, Sheldon Moldoff, Stuart Immonen, Joe Giella, Frank Cho, Jamie Hernandez, Scott Shaw, Stephen DeStefano, Jim Woodring, David Mazzucchelli, Jay Stephens, Glen Murakami, Bruce Timm, Frank Miller, Doug Mahnke, Norm Rapmund, Phil Jimenez, Ty Templeton and Alex Ross. Expected by 19/07/2020.
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