Swamp Thing, New comics

New comics!

Lion and Eagle 2

Not Garth Ennis’ best war comic, but I’ll still take it.

Human Target 6

Did Christopher Chance and Ice really just kill Guy Gardner?  If we needed a sign that this is out of continuity…

This continues to be an amazing story, with lovely, understated art by Greg Smallwood.

So, so beautiful.

I've always wondered about this, melting frozen flesh...

Nightwing 90

Wally West shows up for what will probably be a couple of issues.  

Love the mussed hair.

Such a simple, elegant, sublime cover.

Swamp Thing 35-40

Issues 35-36: Alan Moore’s commentary on the dumping of nuclear waste by large corporations.  Swamp Thing learns that he can regrow his body.

Issue 37: John Constantine’s first appearance.  I own a reprint of this, not the original issue.  (I found most of this run in the back issue bins of a used book store when I was in high school.  Which reminds me, I should go back issue diving again sometime.  I used to love it, but I stopped doing it when I realized I owned all the old comics that I wanted.  But I want to do it again for nostalgia’s sake.)

Issue 38-39: I think this is the beginning of the “American Gothic” storyline, where Swamp Thing travels from city to city dealing with various horrible things.  Here, he fights aquatic vampires.

I’m realizing as I read these issues that they’re getting the “Good” rating based off of the art and the creepy mood.  The actual stories themselves are not the draw I would have thought at the beginning of my reading of this run.

Issue 40: The one where Alan Moore acknowledges how shitty it is to be a woman in Man’s world, and then piles on by equating the menstrual cycle with lycanthropy.  What?  The title of the issue is literally “The Curse.”  You go in expecting some kind of feminist message, and then get a “nope, sucks to be a woman, that’s all there is to it.  By the way, you’re literally a monster when you get your period.”  The second Moore work to get the “Huh” rating.  (Promethea was the first.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good (Huh for 40)