Swamp Thing #20

Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Richard Corben
Colorist: Martin Breccia
Letterer: Phil Balsman

In this stand-alone tale, Swamp Thing is desperate to find a quite, solitary paradise in which to exist. His own swamp has become overrun by locals who seemingly worship him. So Swamp Thing decides to escape himself, shrinking his consciousness into smaller and smaller versions of his body. As he shrinks, smaller and smaller, what will he find waiting in the subatomic regions of the world?

First let me clarify something. When it comes to Swamp Thing I was a big fan of Brian K. Vaughn’s ill fated run from a few years ago in which Swamp Thing’s daughter Tefe was the lead, so it’s a bit difficult trying to get into this current incarnation. But I digress.

Writer Joshua Dysart, whose previous work includes the Image book Violent Messiahs, is the third writer to take on the latest Swamp Thing ongoing and it looks to me like the third time is a charm. I’ve only read a handful of books from Alan Moore’s classic run on Swamp Thing in the 80’s but Dysart seems to have captured the same spirit that encompassed Moore’s work. This is a wonderfully creepy little tale, full of things to make you feel uncomfortable and slightly on edge, which is exactly what a good horror story should do. And Richard Corben’s beautifully rich artwork certainly adds to the disturbing atmosphere.

I’m very, very tempted to begin collecting this book again. I had picked it up when it first debuted and after a few boring issues I dropped it. But I really like what Dysart is doing. If only they could get Corben to be the regular artist.
 

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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