Swamp Thing #1 is not a retelling, reinterpretation, or in the latest Hollywood parlance a reboot (as if it were even possible to shock the mind and strip the referent from its source material). Though the relaunch of Swamp Thing has been highly praised and is easily one of the most anticipated comics in the new line, the latest hobby in comix crit seems to be putting DC’s New 52 (a relaunch of all DC’s current titles) in the cross hairs and pulling the trigger, picking-off each new story as woefully inferior to its source. While it’s impossible to forget a cultural legacy, these stories must be examined on their own terms; there is nothing duller than a fan of the original griping about a sequel. A production of Shakespeare from the onset is viewed as the director’s interpretation, while the actor most often is unfairly compared to the legacy of the role (such is the price for being in front of the curtain.)
Although comparisons between the Bard and Scott Snyder may be premature, he has certainly taken on a challenge that is daunting, and has achieved great success. Much has rightfully been made of his meteoric rise in comics: the guy can flat out tell a great story. Yet, the challenge of writing Swamp Thing, a character that through Alan Moore’s poetically twisted interpretation virtually launched DC’s Vertigo Imprint, is to fundamentally rise again from the muck, as a creature that has absorbed past influences and yet, has become something wholly new. Swamp Thing is DC’s Golem and he is a creature worth watching.
Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette’s story oozes virulence in every panel. From the onset, some of the most recognizable Supes (Batman, Superman, and sure Aquaman) in the biz are up to their boots in bloodshed. Birds are falling from the sky; there’s some strange hoodoo in the air. Death cannot be avoided. The panel work is brilliantly paired with remembrances of things past and that is exactly the point. Snyder does not dodge the act of remembering, the reader’s or the protagonist's, he embraces it: a bold move when some diehards have unfurled their Alan Moore editions to examine.
Although comparisons between the Bard and Scott Snyder may be premature, he has certainly taken on a challenge that is daunting, and has achieved great success. Much has rightfully been made of his meteoric rise in comics: the guy can flat out tell a great story. Yet, the challenge of writing Swamp Thing, a character that through Alan Moore’s poetically twisted interpretation virtually launched DC’s Vertigo Imprint, is to fundamentally rise again from the muck, as a creature that has absorbed past influences and yet, has become something wholly new. Swamp Thing is DC’s Golem and he is a creature worth watching.
Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette’s story oozes virulence in every panel. From the onset, some of the most recognizable Supes (Batman, Superman, and sure Aquaman) in the biz are up to their boots in bloodshed. Birds are falling from the sky; there’s some strange hoodoo in the air. Death cannot be avoided. The panel work is brilliantly paired with remembrances of things past and that is exactly the point. Snyder does not dodge the act of remembering, the reader’s or the protagonist's, he embraces it: a bold move when some diehards have unfurled their Alan Moore editions to examine.
In fact, Dr. Alec Holland’s M.O. in issues #1 is attempting to forget, to distance himself from the memory of what he has become, and what he still might be; a violent perversion of nature. The past is the horror in this story, and memory is its co-conspirator. A fellow construction worker chides Dr. Holland about his past, Superman spurs on memories about a botany teacher who taught Dr. Holland about the inherent cruelty in the plant world; his origin story is told in nightmare. Infused with the existential angst of a great Noir character, Dr. Holland simply can’t forget. Could this be akin to the very angst that Mr. Snyder experienced in taking on the task? I am neither Harold Bloom nor a trained psychologist, but I certainly would be nervous.
I will not focus on the well-executed and inventive horror of the body that takes place (you will have to read for yourself). I leave you with this, Snyder and Paquette have given us a vision of Swamp Thing that is now in all of our collective memories.
No comments:
Post a Comment