Swamp Thing: Earth to Earth (Book 5)

DC Comics
Swamp Thing: Earth to Earth (Book 5)
By Leroy Douresseaux
February 20, 2004 - 13:15

DC Comics
Writer(s): Alan Moore
Penciller(s): Rick Veitch, John Totleben
Inker(s): Alfredo Alcala, John Totleben
Cover Artist(s): John Totleben
ISBN: 1-56389-804-7

SWAMP THING: EARTH TO EARTH collects SWAMP THING #51-56 of Alan Moore's run as Swamp Thing writer. I still insist that it was in Swamp Thing that Moore did some of his most imaginative writing. The stories encompassed many genres: romance, fantasy, mystery, super heroes, etc., as well as many sub-genres. Why just have fantasy when he could have fantasy horror, or why just romance when he could do Gothic romance?

Swamp Thing wasn't just about Moore. Some of the most beautiful and emotionally evocative art ever done in comics appeared in Swamp Thing. In this volume, artists Rick Veitch and John Totleben created comics that recalled the best of EC and Silver Age comics, but in the end, the Swamp Thing art during Moore's run is something unique.

Alas, not all is well. The book's closing tale, "My Blue Heaven," is an example of a frequent Moore fault - imaginative story or plot with either a poorly executed script or dialogue. While Heaven is a good idea, it featured some of Moore's most trite exposition. [DRECK, DULL, READABLE, VERY GOOD, EXCELLENT]