Publisher: DC
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Kelley Jones
Colourist: Michelle Madsen
Editor: Rebecca Taylor
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $2.99
DC
In Swamp Thing #1 the jaded hero/monster just wants some me time. After his solace is interrupted by the Phantom Stranger warning of severe threats to the future, Swamp Thing shrugs it off. “Aren’t there always…?” the jolly green giant states. But after a couple track down Swamp Thing, he agrees to help them with their zombie son. Swamp Thing’s not tired of being a hero, just the politics of being a hero.
Forty-five years after creating Swamp Thing, Len Wein is back on the reins. Wein’s had plenty of time to think about his character, who spends most of the issue venting. One can’t praise artist Kelley Jones enough, channelling the great Richard Corben. Every single page is a beauty, and colourist Michelle Madsen keeps things fairly simple and allows the artwork to speak for itself.
It’s no surprise that Swamp Thing #1 reads like a good Bronze Age comic, one where the hero re-evaluates himself but is sucked into fighting along the way. The formula works, and if the new series goes in a different direction from the Alan Moore glory days, Swamp Thing #1 at least keeps the character from going stale.
Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker