See, I say Tefé doesn’t get mentioned and Millar all of a sudden mentions here. This issue features the first time Millar has written the regular Abby solo (before he was working with Morrison). She drops by the swamp for old times sake–and because she and her human lover have split up.

Abby’s always been the hardest character for Swamp Thing characters to get–well, maybe just the ones after Veitch–and Millar only does okay. He doesn’t focus on either character this issue, with Alec’s narration disappearing and turning into expositional dialogue.

Most of the issue is spent on the terrified residents of Houma, who go about their lives without knowing some big bad guy is coming after Alec. Millar spends more time on them than Alec and Abby.

It’s not bad at all; in fact, it’s quite comfortable and good, but Millar’s not stretching himself at all.

CREDITS

Many Happy Returns; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

Millar splits the issue between Alec and some old guy named Jim Rook. I don’t think he’s an existing character, but basically he’s a burnt out rock star who used to be a sword and sorcery hero in an alternate reality.

What’s strange is how Millar will go from the comical rock star–the situation’s serious, of course, an elf has come to Manhattan to bring him to save the universe–and the melancholic with Alec.

Alec’s spending his days sitting around the swamp, enjoying nature, maybe messing with Killer Croc a little… He misses Abby (but apparently not Tefé as Millar hasn’t mentioned her in a long time) but he’s relatively content.

The rock star’s story is the important one, as it’ll undoubtedly tie into Alec’s next quest. But the comic’s still called Swamp Thing, even if Millar doesn’t have anything for him to do here.

It’s still good.

CREDITS

Ace of Swords; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

As much as I like Hester and DeMulder, the beauty of the art this issue surprised me. Alec finds himself meeting the Parliament of Waves, who themselves are quite wondrous, but the art is also very expressive as Millar reveals the secret of “River Run.”

Even though there are a couple big forced foreshadowing moments, it’s one of Millar’s best issues. It’s all so tranquil; his narration for Alec is perfect. One can practically hear running water when rereading it.

The issue itself is actually almost entirely talking heads. Alec and the Parliament–there are a couple continuity breaking moments in the conversation, but Millar’s nicely earned breaking the long continuity. He maintains the important things.

It’s also surprisingly successful because of the short time–the last issue and this one–Millar’s had to fully establish the Anna character. He creates and sets free a fabulous new creation with her.

CREDITS

River Run, Conclusion: The Parliament of Waves; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

Hester’s back and he and DeMulder do a fantastic job illustrating Anna–she’s the author of “River Run”–and her life as it all falls apart. Millar might be explaining how she found herself in the predicament of being stuck in her own stories, but it’s not clear. He might be fooling.

Bad things happen to her, page after page, and one forgets the comic is called Swamp Thing. When Alec finally does show up at the end, he’s a stand-in for Millar, the author, explaining to the character why she’s going through such torments.

As a comic about a writer’s life falling apart and her work not even being able to keep her together, it’s quite good. Millar’s rather writerly again and he wears that hat well.

Alec showing up at the end feels forced, like Millar’s now trying to neatly tie everything together.

Messy would’ve been better.

CREDITS

River Run, Chapter Six: Sink or Swim; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

Millar shows off. Admittedly, the constraint of the “River Run” arc–it being a short story collection–let’s him be more writerly than one usually expects from a comic, but this issue is just a fantastic show of talent.

The story centers around a Golden Age hero who has grown old, but still does the superhero thing when needed. Millar doesn’t open with him though, instead setting up the ground situation for the first few pages. Slaughter Swamp is where people go to get rid of themselves and others. And Alec pops into Solomon Grundy’s mind in this place.

The hero shows up to stop Grundy, which leads to a reasonably good fight scene from Hester and DeMulder. It doesn’t read fast enough–Millar foreshadows the hero’s death, which makes one want the issue to read faster. Then there’s the revealation.

Again, not much Alec, but who cares… It’s great.

CREDITS

River Run, Chapter Four: The Secret of Slaughter Swamp; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

There’s a cute little reference to Ultraman and Owlman on the news at the beginning of the issue. Alec’s travels bring him to Earth-Three (or something like it) but he doesn’t run afoul of the supervillains. Instead, he finds himself with the Arcanes.

Only, Anton’s the good one and Abby’s the bad one.

There’s a lot of awful stuff this issue. Millar never gets too graphic, keeping it at the “just enough” level but he makes up for the lack of visuals in disturbing intimations. As a Swamp Thing comic it’s interesting because it’s the first time Millar’s written Abby solo, but it’s more interesting as a DC comic.

The implications of Earth-Three never really come through like they do here.

Lots of great art from Hester and DeMulder. All of it’s disturbing… it’s still great.

Millar’s just wasting time though. Alec isn’t learning anything from his trip.

CREDITS

River Run, Chapter Three: The Bad Seed; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

It’s a good, but far from profound, issue. Much like Moore and Veitch, Millar has sent Swamp Thing on a multi-issue themed adventure. Not through time or space, but through genre fiction. Here he appears in a supernatural noir world, aiding a private detective on a case involving a devolving man.

The detective’s actually the lead; Alec being reduced to a guest star in his own comic (for these reasons, anyway) reminds of the series’s glory days. It can’t be unintentional on Millar’s part, especially not since he writes the detective and the strange world of zombies, werewolves and witch doctors so well.

It probably could be its own comic, but there’s no sign Vertigo was using Swamp Thing to soft pilot comics. Too bad.

There’s a lot of blood, a lot of implied gore, but mostly just great storytelling from Millar, Hester and DeMulder. The comic oozes mood.

CREDITS

River Run, Chapter One: City of the Dead; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.

Millar opens the issue with an homage to Time’s Arrow… telling the story of a woman drowning in the swamp in reverse. He rewinds her final day (starting with the autopsy) until she meets up with Alec.

An indeterminate period of time has passed since the previous issue. Alec’s back in the swamp, sort of in a caretaker role, all by himself and enjoying the world. The town of Houma is almost deserted, everyone fleeing because of his rampage a few issues before. Alec’s half of the issue is spent talking to the mystery woman about her collection of short stories, which has apparently caught her in them.

It’s a somewhat literary issue, given the Time’s Arrow reference and it’s hard not to think slips in time (from Slaughterhouse-Five), for the woman’s problems.

The other half is a Houma cop experiencing his strange new world.

It’s an outstanding comic.

CREDITS

River Run, Prologue: Flotsam and Jetsam; writer, Mark Millar; penciller, Phil Hester; inker, Kim DeMulder; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Stuart Moore; publisher, Vertigo.