The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #8

The Saga of Swamp Thing 8 This issue features Swamp Thing and company–I’m tempted to start singling Liz out because I think she remains a character, but I’m not sure yet–on an island with a bunch of scenes from classic movies. You get to see Tom Yeates, for a couple pages, do a King Kong adaptation. It’s awesome.

Unfortunately, Pasko established himself as pretty serious early on in the series and doing an issue with a giant gimmick is beneath him. Oh, there’s a whole plight of the Vietnam vet thing going on too, but Pasko’s handling of it is far from innovative. It’s a serious subject and Pasko’s ambitious to try to discuss it… It’s just a bad execution.

The awesome artwork easily makes up for the story’s bumps though.

The Stranger backup too discusses war, but in a far broader sense. Barr doesn’t do a terrible job, but these backups are all pretty useless.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #7

The Saga of Swamp Thing 7 Swamp Thing continues his cruise ship adventure, ending up fighting a giant undersea monster. It reminds a lot of the first series, only this time there are subplots. Casey, Swamp Thing’s former charge, has turned out to be an evil psychic. Or something along those lines. It means more action scenes for Yeates, who handles some of them beautifully—Swamp Thing getting knocked around by a tentacle, for example.

The issue sort of fails though. It’s great looking and Pasko’s writing is fine, but there’s nothing to it for Swamp Thing at all. The subplots don’t have to do with him; Pasko spends more time on regular scenes with the supporting cast. Not being having Swamp Thing talk is really starting to hurt.

The Stranger backup is notable as Barr goes all out for an anti-war statement. On art Fred Carrillo does well enough. It’s interesting, but not compelling.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #6

The Saga of Swamp Thing 6 Yeates’s art takes a strange turn this issue. He spends less time on Swamp Thing than he does on the supporting cast. There’s a lot of action this issue too—Pasko does a great job pacing, considering how many big events occur—and even those Yeates handles oddly. He hurries through them, not taking the time to elaborate. Like I said though, his work rendering the supporting cast in still moments shows a great deal of work.

Pasko’s writing, besides the great plotting, is still strong. He’s got a couple iffy scenes, but he’s really working hard towards making the world of Swamp Thing both fantastical (with awful monsters) and realistic (with awful people).

The issue has the familiar “monster of the month” feel to it, which is unfortunate as the monster just becomes an abnormal, totally unnecessary plot point in the story.

The Stanger backup’s decently produced but silly.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #5

The Saga of Swamp Thing 5 So Swamp Thing now has his supporting cast… at least for now. Casey the mute wasn’t cutting it.

It impressive what a good issue Pasko and Yeates produce with all the handicaps. It’s all about the evil organization running an evil clinic. Swamp Thing shows up and gets duped into believing it’s real–his doctor turns out to be a naive innocent too. Hence the growing supporting cast.

Pasko only has so many pages and he paces the issue quite well, even if some of the content is way too expository. Eventually, it gets to the good, disturbing stuff and he and Yeates do well. Yeates shines, in fact, on the creepy stuff. Though I guess Swamp Thing is still secondary to the horror revelation of the issue (again).

The Phantom Stranger backup is pointless. Howard Bender, with DeZuniga on inks, produces some great art, but Barr’s missing a compelling story.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #4

The Saga of Swamp Thing 4 This issue concerns a demon who possesses people in order to feed on children’s souls. The children in question must be murdered, of course. The demon targets minority children as it turns out their troubled souls taste the best. So it’s definitely disturbing, but not as terrible as he could have made it. In some ways, it’s a cop out but Pasko’s Swamp Thing is episodic. Any different handling would have been insensitive.

Yeates’s art just gets better and better. He still has a more action-oriented Swamp Thing rendition, but the people and places are exceptional.

A lot of the issue is talking heads and Pasko has definite understanding of complex issues, if not the dialogue-writing chops to perfectly convey them.

He does well enough though.

The Stranger back-up from Barr and Tony DeZuniga is a little off. Great art, but too much emphasis on Stranger backstory.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #3

The Saga of Swamp Thing 3 And here’s where Pasko hits his stride. The issue features Swamp Thing versus a town of teen vampires who have not just ruined the town but done so out of boredom. Though I suppose their argument vampires don’t have to worry about money rings true.

Pasko handles the villainy of the characters and their supernatural situation well. But the best part is how he deals with the vampire hunters. Swamp Thing sort of moves through the issue (he’s only trying to get out of town) as an observer. That approach harkens back to the original series.

Speaking of the original series, Yeates usually renders Swamp Thing in that slicker manner, but he’s starting to establish the more mossy Swamp Thing here. Very interesting to see how it all progressed.

It’s a good issue.

The Phantom Stranger backup is strong too. Barr has an interesting script, though he needs another page.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #2

The Saga of Swamp Thing 2 Pasko immediately identifies the bad guys this issue—not just the regular bad guys, but the bad organization too. It’s the Sunderland Corporation and I’m pretty sure they’re around the rest of the series.

As for the regular bad guys, Pasko’s got a goofy, steel-handed corporation espionage guy who’s straight out of the first series and its silly villains. The other villain is revealed to be secretly German, something he’s kept hidden.

The story itself moves fast. Pasko gets in a resolution to the cliffhanger, a chase scene (a slow one, Swamp Thing can’t run) and then a big finish. He even hints at what’s coming next, something with punk vampires in rural Illinois.

It’s fine, if familiar. Yeates’s style is changing, getting into his creepy renditions of normal people.

Mike W. Barr joins Spiegle on the Phantom Stranger backup. It’s okay, though Spiegle foolishly illustrates the Stranger unveiled.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #1

The Saga of Swamp Thing 1 For his first issue, Martin Pasko basically just rewinds a little from where the seventies series left Swamp Thing and picks up like it’s just another issue. There’s an ignorant small town (this time in the South), a helpless child everyone calls a witch and Swamp Thing’s miserable. It’s like nothing has changed.

The issue opens with a flashback of the old series, concentrating on the origin not the subsequent developments, and Pasko does well with Swamp Thing’s internal monologue.

There’s another secret organization and a man in the shadows and someone out to exploit Swamp Thing. The big revelation here is the bio-restorative formula is slowly killing him, something both Swamp Thing and the bad guys know.

Thomas Yeates’s artwork is great, bringing out the horror elements in an otherwise straightforward story.

Then there’s a Phantom Stranger backup from Bruce Jones and Dan Spiegle. It’s pretty good too.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #143

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It’s Yeates and Bissette doing a Tarzan issue… how bad can it be?

Not at all; it can’t be bad.

The story is split into three parts–the first features Tarzan exploring the Hollow Earth and thinking about his life, before he runs into some cannibals. Well, are they cannibals if they only eat other humanoids? They also eat each other. So they are cannibals. It’s an amusing buildup to that revelation.

The second part mostly has to do with Tarzan journeying with a Hollow Earth native. She’s trying to find a mythical island. This part is from her perspective so it’s never clear why Tarzan’s hanging out with her.

The final part, scripted by Bissette, is more action oriented. Tarzan goes into the Hollow Earth underworld and finds a malevolent tribe of creatures.

Beautiful artwork–it’s very strong overall.

Now I want to read more of Yeates’s Tarzan work.

Detective Comics (1937) #500

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For issue 500, DC went with something rather celebratory for Detective Comics–it’s very oversized (84 pages) and has many Detective Comics regulars–back to Slam Bradley–making appearances.

The opening Batman story, from Alan Brennert and Dick Giordano, is fantastic one about Batman going Earth-3 to save his parents. It’s a great, touching story. I love it. I’ve probably read it, in one place or another, like ten times.

The rest is mostly a mess. Len Wein’s Bradley story is atrociously written, the Mike W. Barr Elongated Man story is flat–the Hawkman story does have some beautiful Joe Kubert artwork and a nice Martian Manhunter cameo (he doesn’t appear otherwise).

The final story, by Cary Bates and Carmine Infantino, featuring Batman and Deadman, is a total mess.

I couldn’t get through Walter Gibson’s prose story.

But it’s worth it for the opener alone and it’s well-intentioned.