Saga of the Swamp Thing #20-38

 Saga of The Swamp Thing (1983)

#20-38 

I can't remember what prompted me to read Swamp Thing. I was vaguely familiar with the character, but I had never read anything about him. But I do remember how blown away I was reading Alan Moore's re-imagining of 'ol Swampy. Instead of a muckman superhero, Moore transformed Alec Holland into a literal force of nature, who outgrew his humanity.  Probably the biggest thing I remember, outside of the real-life horror, is that how cool it was to read a book where the main character sometimes didn't hardly even appear, and it was great!

 

 

 

 Kingdom Come (1996)

 

 

This was a timely story even back in '96, but it's even more timely now. Set in a future where the first generation of super-heroes are retired/old, it's a classic telling of what happens when the younger generation lacks the ethos and hero-ness of the former. Writer Mark Waid really taps into the essence of what it means to be a hero, and artist Alex Ross is at the top of his game with his lifelike magnificent artwork. Interesting that this would be my #1 choice, given that I really wasn't a DC fan in my childhood. Of course, you'll see that all that changed in the mid-eighties, as I graduated from college and the more "adult" comics became the norm.

 

 

My Top 25 Comic book stories

 

 

I've been reading "comic books since I was about 7 or 8.  Still do, as I believe they are a great & unique format for telling stories.  These are my top picks from about fifty years or so. I'm gonna dive into each of these stories in the next few months. If anybody reads this, maybe something here will pique their interest.

1. Kingdom Come (Waid)

2. Saga of the Swamp Thing #20-38 (Alan Moore)

3. Batman: The Dark Knight  Returns (Miller)

4. The Boys (Ennis)

5. Y The Last Man (Vaughn)

6. Global Frequency (Ellis)

7. The Sandman (Gaiman)

8. Miracleman (Moore)

9. Planetary (Ellis)

10. Watchmen (Moore)

11. The Crow (O’Barr)

12. The Department of Truth (Tynion)

13. Locke and Key (Hill)

14. The Mighty Thor #337-382 (Simonson)

15. Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 (Windsor-Smith)

16. From Hell (Moore)

17. Fables #1-162 (Willingham)

18. Preacher #1-66 (Ennis)

19. Saga (Vaughn)

20. Starman #1-80 (Robinson)

21. Uncanny X-Men #94 - 150 (Claremont)

22. New Teen Titans #1-50 (Wolfman)

23. Warlock #9-15 (Starlin)

24. 300 (Miller)

25. Avengers #89-97 (Thomas)