REVIEW: Swamp Thing: Reunion

The last issues of Alan Moore's incredible run on Swamp Thing are collected in the Reunion paperback, taking the Earth elemental to the outer reaches of space. The Swamp Thing's interplanetary trek has him stopping over in exotic planet locales such as Rann, J586 and beyond. Along the way, Moore's final work on this Swamp Thing also showcases the intergalactic range of the DC Universe and it's many different characters. Within this story arc, you'll see encounters with a Green Lantern, some Thanagarians and Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" characters Metron and the Great Darkseid.

Throughout his entire run on the Swamp Thing series, Alan Moore's storylines have often had Alec Holland encountering either Earth-based or supernatural and spiritual adventures and nemeses. We've seen him do battle against many supernatural adversaries such as Anton Arcane, The Monkey King and even ghosts of American slaves. We've seen him tussle against Jason Woodrue aka The Floronic Man and his machinations for a "Green World". However, with this collection of stories, Moore provides us with different locales and even deeper holes for our hero to climb out from, with the backdrop of an interplanetary adventure. It's as if Moore had finally drained the well of spiritual and supernatural storylines for the character and took the green giant on this wild ride into the coldness of space before embarking on more "natural" adventures once again.

Not that Moore's final run was any less brilliant than his earlier work on the series. Reunionprovides a different take on the characters with inconceivable adventures that the likes of which no one, especially had even dared to take him on. The storylines take him beyond the limiting nature of being an Earth elemental and Moore shoves straight into the cold hard fact that Earth is just one planet among many. In "Mysteries In Space" and "Exiles", after awkward introduction to Adam Strange, we see him caught in the middle of the Rann-Thanagarian conflict that still resonated decades later. In "All Flesh is Grass", Swamp Thing encounters a Green Lantern in an likely way. Furthermore, this encounter teaches him that there are worlds teeming life and some of them are literally one with the planet. In "Wavelength", which was written by artist Rick Veitch (who succeeded Moore), Swamp Thing's mental fortitude is tested once again as he has an adventure with the New God, Metron. Of course with Swamp Thing, Moore doesn't let up the horror and suffering that Abigail Arcane has to encounter while her man is gone. She has to deal with her family in the "Reunion" story. No worries though, as their own reunion is as tender as always when Swamp Thing comes back to his home in "Return of The Good Gumbo", which is Moore's final story.

 Cover artwork for the various stories collected in Reunion

What readers should take away from this collection, is the same awe and wonder Alec Holland goes through in his interstellar journey, facing foreign foes and stranger worlds than all his time in the swamps of the south. The character travels through the farthest reaches of the cosmos in these amazing adventures. All the while, finding himself and being reminded of the most important human emotion, despite his own lack of um, humanity, that keeps him surviving each wondrous journey, love.

The stories collected in the Reunion paperback include:

Swamp Thing issue no. 57: "Mysteries in Space"
Swamp Thing issue no. 58: "Exiles"
Swamp Thing issue no. 59: "Reunion"
Swamp Thing issue no. 60: "Loving The Alien"
Swamp Thing issue no. 61: "All Flesh is Grass"
Swamp Thing issue no. 62: "Wavelength"
Swamp Thing issue no. 63: "Loose Ends (Reprise)"
Swamp Thing issue no. 64: "Return of The Good Gumbo"