This deluxe edition collects five one shot stories collaborated with a variety of writers and artists.
“The Talk of the Saints”
Written by Tom King
Illustrated by Jason Fabok
Colored by Brad Anderson
In this brilliant one shot Swamp Thing is put in the middle of a snow barren swamp. A boy accompanies him and continually tells Swamp Thing that the snow monster keeps attacking them. Swamp Thing has no memory of the snow monster or fighting it and with each passing day he loses strength and connection with The Green.
Tom King does a phenomenal job displaying the aspect of villainy you don’t want to accept and you refuse to accept. The big twist in this story is both surprising and heart wrenching. Artist Jason Fabok and colorist Brad Anderson bring a welcoming warmth to Swamp Thing and the boy in contrast to the frozen landscape.
“Hollow”
Written by Brian Azzarello
Pencilled by Greg Capullo
Inked by Jonathan Glapion
This short story is a halloween tale that begins with a female sorceress that bumps into three masked figures on Halloween. She goes on to tell them of a story of how she went to the doorway of hell and found real monsters: one of them being Swamp Thing.
Azzarello writes a rather straightforward story of monsters and how things may not be as they seem. It is truly Greg Capullo’s Stunning artwork that makes this story shine. From Swamp Thing and the sorceress to the nightmares he battles alongside the doorway to hell leaps out at you in all its fiery glory.
“Heart-Shaped Box”
Written by Mark Russell
Illustrated and Colored by Frazer Irving
In this tragic love story Swamp Thing falls in love with Terri Farms, a botanist. Shades of Spiderman: Blue are thrown in rather beautifully with Swamp Thing’s first love Abby Arcane. As with any superhero/antihero love story there are always twists and turns that almost never end well. Mark Russel portrays a few psychological elements that both surprises and darkens the short. The art by Frazer Irving is quite majestic in a dark sort of way though can come off as a bit much in some panels.
“The Spread”
Written by Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Kyle Hotz
This tale is narrated by Swamp Thing and follows Erin Wagner as she is infected with something that brings her into The Green. Kyle Hotz’s art brings an extra gore element to Swamp Thing horror. Colors are vibrant and Tim Seeley’s writing brings in more of Swamp Thing’s antihero selfishness in an understandable yet menacing way.
“Spring Awakening”
Story by Len Wein
Illustrated by Kelley Jones
Colored by Michelle Madsen
This extra story features a wordless story in honor of Len Wein’s last story before he died. They did not want to fill in the script because no one else could’ve written it like Wein could. So the wordless story follows Swamp Thing as he is framed for kidnappings that Solumn Grundy does. The story flops back and forth from the swamp to Gotham City and plays as a detective story that brilliantly shows Batman easter eggs in it. -Eric
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