blogging by Andrew Wickliffe


Swamp Thing 42 (November 1985)


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In a strange but significant way, Moore cops outs with this issue. He concludes his possessed slave descendants story without examining any other the racial elements he brought up in the previous issue. Instead, he conveniently brings in some zombies, some hallucinations and Swamp Thing… everything ends very nicely.

Actually, it ends nicely for zombies too. It’s Alan Moore ending on a joke. It’s a creepy one… but still a joke.

What’s so inexplicable is that shift in tone. Moore set this story up to be serious and, instead, it’s a little episode in the life of Swamp Thing and Abby. Nothing to fret over.

But here’s another interesting detail… it’s utterly fantastic. Moore’s mix of horror and action works great, as does the artwork. Bissette and Totleben bring their disquieting but digestible horror art.

It’s a great issue. But it’s not special, which Moore previously implied it would be.


One response to “Swamp Thing 42 (November 1985)”

  1. vernon wiley

    Speaking (once again), or the art, I always wondered how John Tottleben did that crazy textural patterning in his work. Many mood artists use blacks effectively to convey mood or depth, but Tottleben’s weird inks almost suggest an arcane surface on which the art sits. Very creepy, and perfectly suited to the subject matter.

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