Book Review: Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Vol. 1 by L. Wein et al.

Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Volume 1 written by Len Wein, art by Bernie Wrightson and Nestor Redondo

This book has the origin story of Swamp Thing from The House of Secrets #92. It's a short story that chronicles the accidental creation of Swamp Thing. Alex Olson is a brilliant scientist developing a "bio-restorative formula" in a secret lab in the Louisiana bayou. His wife Linda is also a scientist and works alongside him. Alex's best friend hangs around a lot, though he is jealous of Alex's scientific success and of getting the girl. So the "friend" enacts a plan that winds up blowing up the lab and killing Alex. He buries Alex in the swamp and marries Linda. But the chemicals interact with the bog and the body, creating Swamp Thing. The monster returns to the house where the friend, in a bout of paranoia, is about to kill Linda because he thinks she'll figure out what really happened. Swamp Thing kills the husband and the wife flees, never knowing that the monster who saved her was her first husband.

The story was popular enough that Swamp Thing got his own comic. Issue #1 has to be the fastest reboot of a character. This time, Alec Holland and his wife are working for the government on the formula but some mobsters who call themselves "The Conclave" want to buy the formula. Alec refuses. The mobsters' boss decides if they can't have the formula, no one can. So they plant a bomb which causes Alec to get the burning chemicals all over him. He flees into the swamp water where he is eventually transformed. Linda dies in the explosion. Alec then goes on to have various adventures as Swamp Thing. Their friend, FBI Agent Matt Cable, investigates the murder of the couple and blames Swamp Thing.

Swamp Thing's first adventure sees him kidnapped by Doctor Arcane, an eastern European techno-wizard who thinks he can achieve immortality from Swamp Thing's condition. Arcane's minions, the Unmen, overwhelm Swamp Thing and he is flown all the way across the Atlantic. After dealing with Arcane, Swamp Thing works his way back to America in an assortment of bizarre adventures that leads him to Gotham City (and thus Batman) and eventually back to the bayou. The arc leads through some weird and imaginative situations.

The stories are enjoyable. Wein and Wrightson are a good creative team. They lean into the horror elements of the stories effectively, giving them a creepy vibe that matches the tragic fate of Holland. He's a scientist who can no longer communicate, becomes a monster, and is pursued as his own killer. Horror is a less prevalent theme in superhero comics, making this feel fresh. The writing is quite florid, with Swamp Thing often described as a "moss-covered monstrosity" or "muck-encrusted man-monster" with "rheumy, red-rimmed eyes." Sometimes it reads over the top but only occasionally. Again, it fits well with the horror tone.

Recommended--it's an interesting origin story and the horror theme sets it apart from the standard comic book heroes.