Swamp Thing Comic Book Review - Part 1: The Early Years

[Luigi84289]

Still my favorite American Comic.

[fabioproductions]

I have all of the hardcovers of swamp thing, I even picked up the figure by DC, and a bunch of the very original comics, It became my favorite comics of all time. im still missing saga of the swamp thing 6 which is the last since moore left it. of course there are more after that, But only one can catch up for so long :P

[crypter27]

What drawed me to SwampThing,is the concept of the monster being the good guy & the villians being the ones that look human in allot of ways its just the old horror movie stereo type. Flipped around,in a very intellegent way unlike the Hulk he's more of a thinker then a brawler!

[VictoryOnTheHill]

Hey Z, just thought I'd let you know I gave this video a shout out in my last video.

[ps95]

do you have the bat-man issue wear he faces swamp thing?



[clintrock]

you said someone at dc saw moores work, strangely enough Len Wein himself chose him. There is a video about that here on youtube. :) great review btw.

[CultofJ]

good video. btw, I liked Pasko as well. After comics I know he wrote for the 80s Twilight Zone as well as Max Headroom series. And he also was involved with Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

[CultofJ]

Roots of the Swamp Thing covers are my absolute favorite comic covers.

[VictoryOnTheHill]

This review inspired me to go out and finally check out Swamp Thing. I'm about 5 or so issues in to the first hardcover edition of Saga of the Swamp Thing. I complete see why the didn't include Moore's first issue. I was very confused, but after the second issue I was hooked. Thanks for helping me find such an amazing story. You should do more comic videos like this, I'm always looking for more good ones to read.

[Zaranyzerak]

@VictoryOnTheHill Yeah, the first issue was basically just the "tying up all the loose ends from the previous writer" issue so Moore was free to go ahead in his own direction from the next issue onward. Man, are you ever in for a treat! Enjoy!

[TheRealDarkStar]

is the a graphic novel that has issue 11 to 19? :S help lol

[Zaranyzerak]

@TheRealDarkStar Actually, you'd need a bit more of that to fill the gap! The book that has issues 1-10 (there's a new edition that goes up to issue 13), but here's the thing - there were TWO Swamp Thing series'. That book is the first 13 issues of the ORIGINAL series. Subsequent volumes start from issue 20 of the SECOND series, which is the one Alan Moore took over. So there's still issues 14-24 of the original series unaccounted for, then issues 1-19 of the second series! =O

[TheRealDarkStar]

@Zaranyzerak ah right i see, thank you very much fr your help keep up the good vids =D

[Zaranyzerak]

@TheRealDarkStar Oh, and that's not counting the first Annual from the second series (which was an adaptation of the first movie), and some guest appearances in other comics that occurred between the two. I've got MOST of the gap filled, but am still missing some issues from both series'.

[Zaxon72]

The creative nexus of Moore, Bissette and Totleben was lightning in a bottle, right up there with Miller, Wagner, Chaykin, etc. 

[gundanout11]

the sequel the return of Swamp Thing is much campy than the first.

[morganthegeeknerd]

cool ansome stack of swamp thing comics shawn;)

[AndMyAxe414]

Are the Len Wain and Alan Moore versions considered canon to one story?

[Zaranyzerak]

@AndMyAxe414 Yes, they're all part of the same overall story. Alan Moore's version is a retcon, of course (albeit a bloody BRILLIANT one), but it's all considered part of the same canon.

[octagon79]

nice little vids you have here. thanks for the info

[GoblinXXX]

Do not bring your evil here!

Nestor Redondo is great, but Wrightson is a very tough act to follow, probably why he doesn't get the credit he deserves. Some of those later issues of that run are my favorites.

[zebratan]

Very nice review/comic-history lesson. I like the way you address the subject. There's a great balance between facts, humour, personal experience and objective views. Good stuff. Plus the microwave was a stroke of genius:) I'm gonna watch a lot more of your stuff.

[aliciadom]

put boards on those comics

[Zaranyzerak]

@aliciadom I will. When I can afford the luxury of doing so.

[fronio89]

Issue 20 was my first issue of S.T. I became a loyal reader after Annual 2 all the way to....54 or 55 .Somewhere when SwampThing beat the shit out of Batman for locking Maddi up. I though the movie was cool and in keeping with the character,

second next to SuperMan the Movie........

[mossberg451]

alan moore is the one that made it bad ass

[GoblinXXX]

@mossberg451 Yeah-- But Bernie Wrightson's art is pretty damn badass, to start with.

[firekind1980]

I have 3 issues left to collect from the entire run. The 3 seem to be quite hard to buy but someday they will be mine. fingers crossed lol

[NinjaFrankenstein]

So roots of the swamp thing only went on for 10 issues to re print the first 10 issues of the original series?

[Zaranyzerak]

@NinjaFrankenstein 5 issues, reprinting 2 issues each.

[therobertnobile1]

Thats what I like about the character as a classic green monster slash superhero adventures. I dont like him as just a monster but alos as a crimefighter.

[DarthGaras]

Knock at the window? Eek watch out it might be swamp thing!!!

[Indigodelta383]

about alan moore i heard that marvel bought the right to miracleman cool since they hard to find

[DamageIncM]

Woa, I just noticed the woman on the cover of 'The House Of Secrets', she looks like a comic-version of Courtney Thorne-Smith.

Who? Well, the actress on 'According To Jim'.

If you still don't know, earlier on 'Melrose Place' too. :P

[cha5]

I remember reading that Berni Wrightson had used a live female model for that House Of Secrets cover wearing a wig back in the 1970s,

I don't remember her name sorry,

but I think she went onto a career in comics, Karen Berger or Jenette Kahn (sp)

maybe?

[cha5]

Louise Simonson who later went on to become a comicbook writer editor and wife of comicbook artist Walt Simonson.

[Zaranyzerak]

Oooh, nice bit of digging there cha5! I heard that somewhere as well, but had no idea who it was!

[cha5]

Thanks,

I remember reading about it in some Halloween issue of the late magazine

ComicBookMarketplace maybe 10-15 years ago,

I just didn't remember her name 'till now.

[DamageIncM]

Wow, interesting to know more about 'Swamp Thing', it's not that complicated either.

I always found Swamp Thing one of those simple kind of silly classic horror-characters.

Maybe it is kind of like that, but even I am interested in looking into it now. :P

Maybe there is some type of even darker modern take on it I could buy.

I guess that would be 'Dark Genesis' for me, the originals I guess then.

I also like those straight-forward books.

Thanks for the tip, goes on my list. :)

[pelamar121]

looks like a weird cross between the creature from the black lagoon and the incredible hulk

[AlanSmitheeman]

Hi Sean,

I emailed Steve Bissette your video posts and he was so impressed that he immediately placed links to them on his website. You'll need to google his name to get to his site since YouTube blocks the URL to my post.

You'll have to scroll down to see them embedded.

I look forward to seeing if this will boost your viewing count on these posts.

Let's hope!

[Zaranyzerak]

Oh wow, THANK YOU AlanSmitheeman! That's awesome! Would be nice to get a boost in views, but most importantly...Steve Bissette watched my video and liked it! :D Thanks again!

[TimeMedler]

hey sean keeping in the fashion of swamp thing since Constantine first appeared in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37could you review the movie of Constantine staring keanu reeves for the next movie review

[Zaranyzerak]

It won't be the next review since I've already got some specific things planned for the month, but I will make sure to do a review once we get around to watching it. And I'll make sure to mention again that the character first appeared in Swamp Thing.

[Bluejaay]

swamp THING..lol...lol....an INSIDE joke.... lol

[Zaranyzerak]

Just wait until I talk about MAN Thing! :D

[Bluejaay]

as LONG as it doesn't have a preceeding: UUUUGGHHHH!!!! LOL

[1985dude]

I loved the Swamp Thing movie from the 80's. Never was much of a comic book guy

[nerfmerc]

who would win swamp thing (dc) or man thing (marvel)

[Zaranyzerak]

I'd have to say Swamp Thing, just because he can do more. He can actually BECOME the entire dang swamp and just squash Man Thing, so yeah. But don't get me wrong, I love Man Thing as well! Got a pile of those comics as well. And the movie.

[nerfmerc]

i want the movie so bad but when i found out about it it looked to scary for me too wath and it was rated r and i was like 8 when i found it but in can watch it now since i can watch freakin re animator dr hill is a sick fuck

[Zaranyzerak]

Yeah, the Man Thing movie is pretty intense - they basically made it an all-out horror movie. They changed quite a bit from the comics, but I still enjoyed it. I especially like that a lot of the character were named after the original writers/artists of the comics! Nice nod to the fans. And Man Thing himself looks AMAZING, when you finally do get a good look at him. Just would've been nice if they'd stayed truer to the comic...some of the changes seemed kinda unnecessary.

[nerfmerc]

hey theres a slasher movie game its a FIGHTING game hint hint hint hint ;) and its called terrordrome its currently being developed the characters are jason voorhees classic and undead freddy krueger michael myers leatherface ash williams maniac cop the tallman candyman pinhead chucky ghostface and herbert west i really hope u check it out the demo has alot of bugs but a patch will be up in like near halloween

[RazMansReality]

Really great stuff Sean! Never got into The Swap Thing myself but he sounds far more entertaining then he appeared from a distance. You've made me very intrigued!

[angeltread]

the vegetable sex issue of swamp thing is a brilliant issue and quite possibly my favorite issue ever.

[xxAnimeToonsxx]

great series , i totally missed the fact that the legend himself alan moore wrote swamp thing comics lol

looking forward to part 2 : )

[tokyojoe01]

Brilliant! Can't wait for part two!

[joshterry22]

Dude we use to have that same chair and couch lol Swamp thing is a fav of mine. as a kid i watched the movies over and over i also have some of the figures from the un-men cartoon still.

[Zaranyzerak]

Nice! I'm still kicking myself that I didn't grab the DVD release of the cartoon when it came out. Of course now it's long out of print and fetches a mint on ebay...

[Dannyfaye]

theres gonna be a 3rd swamp thing movie called: Revenge Of The Swamp Thing

[patchman1997]

I never eally payed attention to Swamp Thing before. I looked up the original comic on ebay, and you can get it for $4.75! Thought you might want to know.

[Zaranyzerak]

Which issue, though? There's been HUNDREDS of Swamp Thing comics over the years... :)

[patchman1997]

The very first time he had his own comic.

[Zaranyzerak]

Ah, okay. Cool! Probably not in the greatest condition at that price, though...

[kaisalsabag]

greate review, thank you

[AmericanNohbuddy]

Speaking of comics I just finished reading Ultimate Galactus. You know what Galactus was? No, he wasn't a guy. He was thousands of robots that look like the sentinels from the Matrix. Very disappointed.

[Zaranyzerak]

Ack...yeah, I don't like the sound of that at all. Galactus is just a big guy who eats planets, we all know it! Kinda reminds me of the Spider-Man CLONES fiasco from a few years back. Ret-conning shouldn't be done unless it's absolutely NECESSARY....or at the very least, if it takes things in an interesting direction (such as Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, which is probably the best retcon ever done). Hopefully that was some kind of "alternate universe" story and not the REAL Galactus we all know.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

It was an "alternate universe". It was the "ultimate universe". The story itself was good but when they showed "Gah Lak Tus" (which is how they say it in the book) I just did a HUGE face palm.

[QZ7]

HAHA! as soon as you mentioned the saga of the swamp-thing story my mind went straight to the doctor who episode. Thanks for the Who love Z!

[DesolateMinds]

I really enjoyed this review of your collection of Swamp Thing, that i had to once again favorite. Looking forward to Part 2.

[Maximusmadrica]

The Swamp Thing shall forever be in my heart.

[STm0vies]

Nice review man, Swamp Thing is a MUST for all ages!

-Steve

[NothinUsual]

Great review!

Swamp Thing is a true classic, I loved Bernie Wrightson's artwork in the early issues of the first series.

J-Wright got me the 1982 film as a birthday gift. I thought the film stayed true to the comic book origin of Swamp Thing. Plus you gotta dig the awesome 80's special effects!

[dvdmike007]

ways loved Swamp Thing, esp since it birthed Hellblazer