Dustin Gebel
Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where Comic Watch celebrates great comics from the past you might have forgotten about!
Swamp Thing #50
“What will become of the stories? Without that ancient conflict to fall back on, what will they be about?” The question, prompted by Abel to Cain at the end of Swamp Thing #50, is a fundamental question that reflects the meta-narrative of a DC Universe born from Crisis on Infinite Earths and feels relevant in a time of Dark Crisis. It’s a deep question that surely haunts many writers and storytellers, but Moore cleverly undercuts it with an immediate joke from Cain, who pushes Abel off a cliff, sure that this will replace the conflict. It’s an amazing beat that not only reiterates Moore’s comedic skills, but reminds readers of the enduring power of stories, and the shifting nature of a shared universe.
Swamp Thing #50 – written by Alan Moore, with art by Stephen Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John Totleben, colors by Tatjana Wood, and letters from John Costanza – finishes a spectacular story arc that sees the titular avatar of the Green, the various mystics of the DC Universe like John Constantine and Zatanna, and then the Demons of Hell united under Etrigan battling an awoken Great Darkness. The villainous force arises thanks to the events of Crisis of Infinite Earths, which has existed since the light of creation invaded nothingness. The general arc of the story has seen Constantine and Swamp Thing working to counteract the avatars of the Darkness on Earth, recruiting allies and forming a plan to refute the attack.
The issue is made up of four parts: Etrigan preparing a battalion of Demons, Constantine’s scheming with Earth’s mages, Swamp Thing and his compatriots at the edge of the Great Darkness, and Cain and Abel observing the proceedings. The first three groups all play their part in stopping the Darkness from consuming all of creation, while Cain and Abel sit and watch the conflict. The two open and close the issue, offering a frame to the metaphysical conflict that the magical characters find themselves in the middle of. It’s an excellent framing device and provides an anchor that contextualizes concepts and rhetorically undercut the too serious nature of some characters like the Phantom Stranger.
Moore’s story feels like a great encapsulation of what is happening across DC’s continuity (both then and now) in the pages of a Crisis. As realities are folded into one singular continuity, lighter Golden Age characters and concepts intermingle with the darker, more complex, ‘modern’ elements. The combination sharpens the contrast of the DC Universe, recalling how these mystical characters after the Light and Darkness come together. Phantom Strangers describes this, “I suspect a different light has been cast upon their [good, evil] Relationship.” Moore’s script does an excellent job of giving heft to this notion of change, as Swamp Thing, Deadman and the Stranger watch a new dawn for the DC Universe.
The idea becomes an interesting axis for thinking about the various iterations of the DC Universe, which is built on a foundation of merging concepts, ideas, and imprints. The notion of a universe feeling whole after fundamental forces merge recalls the emotional resonance of recent initiatives like DC Rebirth, which returned vital elements like legacy and hope to a publishing line that has shed history from its titles. Without arguing about the merits and flaws of Geoff Johns’s plans and execution, the Rebirth matched this fundamental change of the entire publisher’s course. Both stories work like a signal for changes coming ahead and reflect the underlying nature of DC, which is that the universe is always a step away from a new configuration of its various parts.
Moore’s writing in this issue is sublime, but the art is no slouch either in this anniversary issue. Bissette, Veitch, and Totleben tackle the various aspects of the plot, and each one feels distinct but consistent with the tone of the issue. There’s a moment where the mages observe Etrigan preparing his armor for the fight, where he literally spears demonic and insectoid creatures to spikes to form his vestments, and it’s a horrific realization. In the same breath, the art will shift and see spectral hands of black and gold reaching to one another, and then jump again to Swamp Thing and Deadman watching a sunset, a quiet moment of natural beauty.
The pure range of the issue is breathtaking and serves as an excellent spotlight on the various artists that worked on the run thus far. The human mage section is where some of the most horror creeps in, as the energies from the Darkness’s attack burning characters like Zatara and Sargon the Sorcerer burn from the inside out. Zatanna and Constantine hold the burned remains in their hands, and the leftover appendages sit as burned husks on the table. It’s a haunting image that sticks long after the last page and works as an excellent contrast to the more beautiful graphic elements of the issue.
The book’s most compelling visual elements are not the sprawling figures of The Spectre and the hordes of Demons in hell, but the quieter moments of Swamp Thing holding a conversation with the Great Darkness. The avatar is the only one that willingly enters the Darkness, and is unable to give a definitive answer to the Darkness’s question about what is evil. Swamp Thing’s iconic orange text boxes contrast against the solid black void of the Darkness, contrasting the two that have similar understandings of the world.
Both Swamp Thing and the Darkness don’t have answers, and their understanding comes through a dialogue with one another, orange and black working back and forth across the page to get to a deeper comprehension of human nature. Wood’s blacks and Oranges, highlighted by a bluish-grey for Swamp Thing’s figure, and the white of Darkness’s speech from a limited palette that speaks to the unknowing of the outside world, and plays with the narrative discussion of good and evil, spoken of in a black and white manner. Swamp Thing comes to understand the two concepts are intertwined, and the world is grey between the shades, making his coloring clear in the moment.
Swamp Thing #50 is both timely and timeless, working as an excellent snapshot of the DC Universe during a time of Crisis, while also telling a powerful story about the ever-changing nature of narratives. With Joshua Willaimson referencing the storyline in the pages of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, it doesn’t hurt to revisit this installment in an already well revered run for Swamp Thing. As time goes on, and DC continues its cycle of Crises and Rebirths, this issue will only become more relevant and poignant to fans and critics alike. Paired with an assortment of strong art and captivating colors, Swamp Thing #50 is a must-read for any DC fan.
