Swamp Thing: Twin Branches written by Maggie Stiefvater and illustrated by Morgan Beem
In this re-imagined origin story for Swamp Thing, Alec Holland is a teenager and a twin. Their dad has an affair, forcing them to spend the summer with cousins in rural Virginia. Alec is an introvert who is researching plant memory and brings a lot of his experiments with him. His twin Walker is outgoing and sociable. Walker has a much easier time fitting in with the redneck culture of their summer home. Alec's experiments get spilled on the way from the airport. The cousins' dogs get into what's left of the boxes in their aunt's garage. The dogs start changing in odd and disturbing ways. The twins start drifting away from each other. Can they resolve their problems before tragedy strikes?
The story is mildly interesting. The setting is very moody and stylish, with a fairly unique art style. I liked the characters. They had authentic problems and struggles. The book retains the tragic arc of Swamp Thing's story, though it seems like it will not have a sequel or become an ongoing series.
This graphic novel is branded as "DC Graphic novels for young adults" but the language alone is R-rated. I was surprised by this, especially since it is completely unnecessary. The horror elements are on the border between PG and PG-13.
Mildly recommended.
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