An interesting look at Swamp Thing as he comes to terms with his life and the people he has left behind in his former life. It also deals with a few other issues and adventures and was quite interesting. In this day and age an ecological hero is an interesting story and it's good to see that they were already dealing with some of the issues (Greenhouse effect does get a lookin).

I really should read more in this series. ( )

Such a great collection! The art is amazing & the story is wonderful! ( )

Oh, [a: Alan Moore|3961|Alan Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304944713p2/3961.jpg]. You're so ridiculously good, and even this early on in your career your work remains downright exemplary. There's something beautiful about a person taking established characters and casting them in a light both so familiar and yet so different as to alter your entire perspective. Here's Cain and Abel, Deadman, The Stranger, and Spectre; here's everything you know about Swamp Thing changed to the point that he is Earth's Elemental, a Gaurdien in the word's of Pog(o) the (Intergalatic O)possum in a beautiful tribute. It's gorgeous.

Swamp Thing was to Alan Moore what [b: Animal Man|768938|Animal Man, Vol. 1|Grant Morrison|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1308882182s/768938.jpg|1414840] was to [a: Grant Morrison|12732|Grant Morrison|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1311378308p2/12732.jpg]. This was a chance to create something utterly new and yet so familiar to the human experience and worldwide mythos that it rings true even as we read it. He didn't so much create a new story as he did access the cycle that Abel offered up in the House of Secrets. The secret is, as always, that there is nothing new under the sun... but seeing that, and accessing those eternal stories, is never really that easy a thing.

Here we see the plant, our very animus mundi, enter into Hell to rescue a single flower. We learn that Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory are infinite aspects of a God so vast we can barely make sense of... Her? Him? It all gets foggy and we barely remember once we get free. We just know the sacrifice is there and is always what is important. There is always a choice. Knowing how to choose rightly is often the problem.. ( )

Fantastic, like the first volume. Moore never seems to run out of brilliance.

There is one dud of a story here, "Abandoned Houses". But don't blame Moore - this one was written by the original Swamp Thing co-creator
Len Wein. Luckily, the story is bookended with two great ones by Moore. ( )

Som Neil Gaiman bemærker i forordet, så er det en hård tjans at arbejde i det klassiske amerikanske tegneserieformat. 22 sider hver måned + et årshæfte sætter især tegnerne under pres, så de fleste serier måtte arbejde med gæstetegnere og enkeltstående historier uden for den gennemgående fortælling. Sådan er det også i andet bind af Swamp Thing, men afløserne for hovedtegner Stephen Brissette gør det godt, og Moore formår at få lidt ekstra ud af sidehistorierne. F.eks. indarbejder han den første otte-siders historie fra 1971.

I den gennemgående historie vender Arcane, Swamp Things gamle ærkefjende og Abbys stedfar, tilbage fra de døde for at hævne sig. Alle ved jo, at superhelte og superskurke meget sjældent er 100 % døde, men det er trods alt de færreste, der direkte vender tilbage fra dødsriget. Det gør Arcane, og det giver Moore en fantastisk mulighed for at trække historien mere i retning af horror, og det gør han så godt, at især det første nummer er genuint uhyggeligt. Tegningerne understreger uhyggen ved netop kun at antyde det monstrøse og overlade resten til fantasien.

Historien kulminerer i det lange årshæfte, hvor Swamp Thing som Orfeus må rejse til dødsriget for at hente sin elskede tilbage. Helvedet minder mere om Dantes svovlsøer end om den græske mytologis skyggeverden, men en fascinerende og velfortalt historie er det under alle omstændigheder.

I den sidste historie erklærer Abby endelig sin kærlighed til Swamp Thing – og omvendt. Det udvikler sig til noget, som vel bedste kan beskrives som plantesex, hvor hun spiser en frugt fra hans krop og derefter får adgang til en del af hans bevidsthed. Det er meget syret, men også ret smukt og en værdig afslutning på et glimrende bind. ( )