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Swamp Thing (1982) (Collected Editions) #8
Swamp Thing, Vol. 8: Spontaneous Generation
After his joyful reunion with his beloved Abby, Swamp Thing, once known as Alec Holland, must now face the consequences of his long journey through space. A new Swamp Thing is being born, and the old must make a decision: destroy it and maintain his supremacy, or allow it to be born, and risk the destruction of the Green.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1988
About the author
Rick Veitch
425 books77 followersRichard "Rick" Veitch is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 12, 2023
There's a lot of plot-points in here that I just don't feel like they actually go anywhere, but it's a lot of fun regardless. It just makes it hard for me to write about!
John Constantine is getting involved and trying to make the birth of the new elemental work out. Meanwhile Swamp Thing is trying hard to solve everyone's issues including relocating an ancient elemental on Mars.
John Constantine is getting involved and trying to make the birth of the new elemental work out. Meanwhile Swamp Thing is trying hard to solve everyone's issues including relocating an ancient elemental on Mars.
November 13, 2024
In this one, Swamp Thing needs to solve a really hard problem, so he grows a giant vegetable brain the size of a skyscraper and thinks so hard that he transcends time and space and morality and meets God and then comes back to the earth when Abby chops his brain down like a tree and the answer to his impossible riddle is to let his friend bang his wife. I love comics so much.
November 13, 2019
Having gotten his stride after the first volume's a bit more erratic lurches, this volume shows that Veitch may lack Moore's sure poetry that is laid out like prose, but he's definitely brought some ace plotting chops to bear on the storyline. You can see the faint hints of where things are going a long way away and how he moves through the paces is nicely balanced and measured. Still a bit more tongue-in-cheek than Moore ever let the title get, Veitch's Swamp Thing is still a comic book and he has a definitely lighter world view than his predecessor.
April 4, 2019
I have to admit that I have been a fan of Rick Veitch since I read an issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where the Turtles help Casey Jones retrieve his stolen car from another dimension. Apart from the concept of the Turtles being weird in and of itself, this story was sufficiently bizarre enough for my burgeoningly weird fourteen year old self to become a fan (eventually as a parent, my children would have a Veitch drawn TMNT poster that once hung in my teenaged bedroom in theirs.) In the years between being introduced to Veitch's work, I have enjoyed his other work, often in tandem with Alan Moore (Supreme and 1963 immediately come to mind and of course Swamp Thing.) Veitch became the regular artist on Swamp Thing after Stephen Bissette left the book on issue #50, and when Moore himself left, became the writer/artist of the book (after being given a dry run that appears in Moore's final volume of the series.) Veitch was seen as the spiritual successor to Moore, and while I have not been able to lay hands on Vol. 7 the gist of that collection is that the Parliament of Trees, believing the Swamp Thing dead, attempts to create a new Swamp Thing. Except Swamp Thing isn't dead, and his unwillingness to join the Parliament screws everything up, creating new corrupted versions of Swamp Thing.
This collection tries to bring that scenario to its conclusion, but since it is still tangentially dealing with plot threads leftover from when Moore wrote the book, it is difficult to not judge what Veitch did in comparison to Moore. While this collection has its moments, I think the book is going to be judged against the famous Moore penned "plant/human sex" issue. I don't want to get into why the reader might go there if they are familiar with Moore's run on the book (spoilers!) but given that Moore had already crossed that threshold, Swamp Thing's actions at the end of the collection come off as slightly hollow? I'm not sure--I just feel like the retread here isn't right.
And ultimately, that is my problem with this collection. One of the mainstays of both Moore and Veitch's runs on Swamp Thing is his relationship with Abby Cable nee Arcane. And while Moore apparently was able to think outside the box when it came to their physical relationship, Veitch makes it too normal, involving certain old characters in what feels like a forced attempt at creating tension between Abby, the Swamp Thing and his avatar. I'm sure there will be consequences in the next collection, because the next two issues of Swamp Thing are actually included in Vol. 9 and another book I won't mention the name of here (again, spoilers!) But it's just obvious that Veitch isn't as skilled at Moore at his peak. Perhaps that's an unfair judgement, since it's often hard to follow a legend.
This collection tries to bring that scenario to its conclusion, but since it is still tangentially dealing with plot threads leftover from when Moore wrote the book, it is difficult to not judge what Veitch did in comparison to Moore. While this collection has its moments, I think the book is going to be judged against the famous Moore penned "plant/human sex" issue. I don't want to get into why the reader might go there if they are familiar with Moore's run on the book (spoilers!) but given that Moore had already crossed that threshold, Swamp Thing's actions at the end of the collection come off as slightly hollow? I'm not sure--I just feel like the retread here isn't right.
And ultimately, that is my problem with this collection. One of the mainstays of both Moore and Veitch's runs on Swamp Thing is his relationship with Abby Cable nee Arcane. And while Moore apparently was able to think outside the box when it came to their physical relationship, Veitch makes it too normal, involving certain old characters in what feels like a forced attempt at creating tension between Abby, the Swamp Thing and his avatar. I'm sure there will be consequences in the next collection, because the next two issues of Swamp Thing are actually included in Vol. 9 and another book I won't mention the name of here (again, spoilers!) But it's just obvious that Veitch isn't as skilled at Moore at his peak. Perhaps that's an unfair judgement, since it's often hard to follow a legend.
October 18, 2021
This is a review for the entire Rick Veitch run (and its tie-ins), not just this volume.
Alan Moore is an impossible act to follow. I applaud anyone brave enough to try. Rick Veitch had an advantage, having already been working with Moore during the latter part of that run. Because of this, he definitely has a good feel for the tone and character of what Moore set up. It feels like a direct continuation not only of the story, but of the product as a whole. Now, this is mostly a good thing, but unfortunately it also means that this run MUST inherently be compared to the previous. There's no getting around it. Thus, Veitch's success at mimicking Moore is also his downfall. Since Veitch's run merely mimics what Moore had already done, it severely lacks the ambition and explosive creativity that Moore is able to consistently achieve.
There is almost nothing in this run that isn't a retread of something already done before, only each story is stretched out to 8 or 9 issues where Moore would've spent 1 or 2. Make no mistake, this run is GLACIALLY paced, with quite a lot of meandering and focus on side characters I really don't care about (Seriously, who gives a single fuck about Labo). I don't think this is a bad run by any means. It's just not entirely satisfying as a sequel, especially considering the intense editorial meddling that happened for the final arc (which is unfortunately not collected in trades as of writing). Following up Alan Moore is a death sentence for almost anyone who tries, so it's actually a miracle that there's any good here at all, but there ARE good things here, namely the central concept of Swamp Thing and Abby having a baby. I just wish Moore had written it, and I wish he had done it in half the number of issues. And barring that, I really wish they had just let Veitch write the story he wanted to write.
Despite my criticisms, this is certainly a run worth reading for Swamp Thing fans who just couldn't get enough after the Moore run. Just manage your expectations and you'll be mostly happy with the results, I expect.
Unfortunately, after Veitch, Swamp Thing would go through a rather dark period under Doug Wheeler and then Nancy Collins, two runs which very few people are willing to recommend. Thankfully Swampy would receive new life under Mark Millar eventually, and then Tefe would get her own book under Brian K Vaughan no less!
For those who need help reading the Veitch run in the correct order here it is:
Swamp Thing 65
Swamp Thing Annual 3
Swamp Thing 66-78
Swamp Thing Annual 4
Swamp Thing 79-90 (Last three issues are by Doug Wheeler, but they finish up Veitch's plot)
Alan Moore is an impossible act to follow. I applaud anyone brave enough to try. Rick Veitch had an advantage, having already been working with Moore during the latter part of that run. Because of this, he definitely has a good feel for the tone and character of what Moore set up. It feels like a direct continuation not only of the story, but of the product as a whole. Now, this is mostly a good thing, but unfortunately it also means that this run MUST inherently be compared to the previous. There's no getting around it. Thus, Veitch's success at mimicking Moore is also his downfall. Since Veitch's run merely mimics what Moore had already done, it severely lacks the ambition and explosive creativity that Moore is able to consistently achieve.
There is almost nothing in this run that isn't a retread of something already done before, only each story is stretched out to 8 or 9 issues where Moore would've spent 1 or 2. Make no mistake, this run is GLACIALLY paced, with quite a lot of meandering and focus on side characters I really don't care about (Seriously, who gives a single fuck about Labo). I don't think this is a bad run by any means. It's just not entirely satisfying as a sequel, especially considering the intense editorial meddling that happened for the final arc (which is unfortunately not collected in trades as of writing). Following up Alan Moore is a death sentence for almost anyone who tries, so it's actually a miracle that there's any good here at all, but there ARE good things here, namely the central concept of Swamp Thing and Abby having a baby. I just wish Moore had written it, and I wish he had done it in half the number of issues. And barring that, I really wish they had just let Veitch write the story he wanted to write.
Despite my criticisms, this is certainly a run worth reading for Swamp Thing fans who just couldn't get enough after the Moore run. Just manage your expectations and you'll be mostly happy with the results, I expect.
Unfortunately, after Veitch, Swamp Thing would go through a rather dark period under Doug Wheeler and then Nancy Collins, two runs which very few people are willing to recommend. Thankfully Swampy would receive new life under Mark Millar eventually, and then Tefe would get her own book under Brian K Vaughan no less!
For those who need help reading the Veitch run in the correct order here it is:
Swamp Thing 65
Swamp Thing Annual 3
Swamp Thing 66-78
Swamp Thing Annual 4
Swamp Thing 79-90 (Last three issues are by Doug Wheeler, but they finish up Veitch's plot)
April 24, 2018
Veitch's penchant for experimentation is thankfully tempered so far in his follow-up to Alan Moore's outstanding run on Swamp Thing. I actually enjoyed this volume more than the last, largely because Veitch allows the stunning art and coloring (big shoutouts to Tatjana Wood) to show-not-tell some killer plot moments. Our buddy Mr. Thing is struggling to find what to do with the sprout as he comes to the realization that destroying the Parliament of Trees has succeeded in simultaneously stripping his life of their autocratic BS while also unleashing a stream of zombified replacements. Nice job, buddy.
Veitch is very much a horror writer whose tendencies lean toward the absurd. His confounding run on Animal Man, alternately brilliant and repulsive, showcases his extremes in a way his more tempered issues here do not. Still, this story is very much about Swampy thinking things out. Yeah, he temporarily has to share a body with a dinosaur and grapples with some foul potential swampies, but he spends huge chunks of time sitting around, waiting, thinking, and beating the shit out of Constantine. It all works. More than any other DC character of this era, Moss Man can sit and think his way through 18 pages of a 23 page book and have it be dynamic, gorgeous action. A part of me wants Veitch to just indulge in his worst instincts, though. We only get one true gross-out in this volume, and it's executed well. The best plot points & scenes here only tangentially involve our titular hero, specifically when Swamp Thing makes a husk to save Constantine, Chester's comedy of errors as he avoids getting blown up about a half dozen times and the pages showing a potential sprout-harborer going up in flames. My biggest grip with this new volume of Swamp Thing isn't with the vision, but is instead with the degree to which Moore's influence hangs over the book like rain forest canopy.
Moore's run on Saga of the Swamp Thing is ostensibly a body horror comic with occasional superhero bits, but is so damn good because he creates an explosive story with his empathetic, complex vision for our favorite green boy. Moore's Mr. Bog is very much a comic book character; Veitch's version of him is nuanced but feels like less of a character than a cosmic figure. Maybe that's intentional- this run so far has certainly been a deep exploration of what exactly makes our Green Guardian's legacy matter.
Ultimately I like this run as a Moore follow-up. It doesn't hit the same emotional notes by any stretch of the imagination, though Chester and Abby are written with deft sensitivity (this was a pleasant surprise). One of the few Swamp Thing storylines i knew about ahead of time is now on the verge of happening as, no pun intended, the seeds are now being sown for a Swamp Thing-possessed Constantine to impregnate Abby. Just a matter of time before we see what happens with out sprout.
Veitch is very much a horror writer whose tendencies lean toward the absurd. His confounding run on Animal Man, alternately brilliant and repulsive, showcases his extremes in a way his more tempered issues here do not. Still, this story is very much about Swampy thinking things out. Yeah, he temporarily has to share a body with a dinosaur and grapples with some foul potential swampies, but he spends huge chunks of time sitting around, waiting, thinking, and beating the shit out of Constantine. It all works. More than any other DC character of this era, Moss Man can sit and think his way through 18 pages of a 23 page book and have it be dynamic, gorgeous action. A part of me wants Veitch to just indulge in his worst instincts, though. We only get one true gross-out in this volume, and it's executed well. The best plot points & scenes here only tangentially involve our titular hero, specifically when Swamp Thing makes a husk to save Constantine, Chester's comedy of errors as he avoids getting blown up about a half dozen times and the pages showing a potential sprout-harborer going up in flames. My biggest grip with this new volume of Swamp Thing isn't with the vision, but is instead with the degree to which Moore's influence hangs over the book like rain forest canopy.
Moore's run on Saga of the Swamp Thing is ostensibly a body horror comic with occasional superhero bits, but is so damn good because he creates an explosive story with his empathetic, complex vision for our favorite green boy. Moore's Mr. Bog is very much a comic book character; Veitch's version of him is nuanced but feels like less of a character than a cosmic figure. Maybe that's intentional- this run so far has certainly been a deep exploration of what exactly makes our Green Guardian's legacy matter.
Ultimately I like this run as a Moore follow-up. It doesn't hit the same emotional notes by any stretch of the imagination, though Chester and Abby are written with deft sensitivity (this was a pleasant surprise). One of the few Swamp Thing storylines i knew about ahead of time is now on the verge of happening as, no pun intended, the seeds are now being sown for a Swamp Thing-possessed Constantine to impregnate Abby. Just a matter of time before we see what happens with out sprout.
May 12, 2022
Rick Veitch had the unfortunate distinction of being the writer to follow Alan Moore on the DC comic book series Swamp Thing.
Veitch is a decent writer in his own right, but following Moore’s run was a bit like being the understudy to Laurence Olivier: he may be good, but he ain’t that good.
Now, I have had the most difficult time finding the trade paperback versions of Veitch’s Swamp Thing. “Regenesis” is so out-of-print that the lowest price for a used copy on Amazon is $100. That’s ridiculous, and I refuse to pay that much for a comic book.
Thankfully, my local library has an inter-library system that can search all the libraries in the state. Unfortunately, “Regenesis” is not available anywhere.
I read his follow-up, “Spontaneous Generation”, which collected issues #71-76. Frankly, parts of it make no sense, since it refers to events that happened in the previous issues. Which I can’t find anywhere.
I realize all of this would be solved if I owned a Kindle or an e-reader and I “downloaded” the missing issues, but I am virulently anti-electronic-books, so I will just quietly suffer.
My love for Swampy, though, is unhindered by the fact that this volume makes little sense. It’s still Swampy. Green is good.
Veitch is a decent writer in his own right, but following Moore’s run was a bit like being the understudy to Laurence Olivier: he may be good, but he ain’t that good.
Now, I have had the most difficult time finding the trade paperback versions of Veitch’s Swamp Thing. “Regenesis” is so out-of-print that the lowest price for a used copy on Amazon is $100. That’s ridiculous, and I refuse to pay that much for a comic book.
Thankfully, my local library has an inter-library system that can search all the libraries in the state. Unfortunately, “Regenesis” is not available anywhere.
I read his follow-up, “Spontaneous Generation”, which collected issues #71-76. Frankly, parts of it make no sense, since it refers to events that happened in the previous issues. Which I can’t find anywhere.
I realize all of this would be solved if I owned a Kindle or an e-reader and I “downloaded” the missing issues, but I am virulently anti-electronic-books, so I will just quietly suffer.
My love for Swampy, though, is unhindered by the fact that this volume makes little sense. It’s still Swampy. Green is good.
April 22, 2023
Los vacilantes comienzos del guionista Rick Veitch en el título cobran fuerza cuando apuesta en su propa visión del personaje, descartando su astuta recurrencia a la base creada durante la célebre etapa de Alan Moore. Swamp Thing, Abigail y Constantine - quizás el trío que protagoniza los mejores números sobre el personaje - se preparan a dar un salto que puede acarrear consecuencias impensadas no sólo para la saga y su elenco, sino también para el futuro del Elemental.
April 30, 2022
More a push into body horror. But I LOVE the idea Abby gives Swamp Thing of growing a "better" brain to solve with the "Sprout" who was "conceived" to be the replacement Swamp Thing.
In addition, his meditation on superheroes is very interesting. And his solution will seed a lot of potential stories later with the Children's Crusade and BKV's Swamp Thing.
In addition, his meditation on superheroes is very interesting. And his solution will seed a lot of potential stories later with the Children's Crusade and BKV's Swamp Thing.
January 29, 2019
This collection is a little Constantine heavy, but that's not necessarily bad. It's got a lot going on and some of the character endings/solutions are a little less than satisfactory.
Still, that dragon/dino elemental was sick.
Still, that dragon/dino elemental was sick.
April 11, 2021
After a year's worth of issues—this is the second trade of Veitch's run—the overarching storyline shows no signs of maturation; while the ideas here are engaging and thoughtful, the pace is glacial.
February 20, 2022
Decidedly weaker than the Alan Moore run...
August 16, 2022
aa the things i do for un rubio atorrante
July 11, 2024
This series doesn't seem to miss a beat after the departure of Alan Moore. I was delighted to see Alfredo Alcala's finely detailed artwork grace these pages.
January 30, 2023
Best part of the Rick Veitch run. Had a lot of fun with these stories.
May 23, 2016
I'm enjoying this a lot more than I remembered and have come to the conclusion that the Rick Veitch is very underrated, though I've yet to reread the confusing time-travel arc. Veitch manages to strike a good balance between plot (adventure, character development, lots of elementals introduced, subplots galore) and prose (including deep ecology philosophising). He also does all the art (!!), which is less gritty and horrific than the Bissette/Totleben stories, but still really detailed and with clever layouts, partly helped by DC's brief decision to move all of the adverts to the back of the book. So many ideas are introduced, and at the end of the issue Abby and Swampy begin to create Tefe - a pretty mixed up character made up a lot of conflicting elements. Don't stop reading 'Swamp Thing' at Moore - there was still some genius to follow.
June 14, 2015
It's hard to tell a comicbook about a superhero without punching. But that's what the Swamp Thing expects to be.
Here, there's a lot of trippy religious talk. I don't think it ultimately comes together, although it's a good experiment.
It looks like DC stopped collecting this book after the Veitch run -- just like it stopped collecting Shade the Changing Man and Doom Patrol. Collect everything, spare nothing.
Here, there's a lot of trippy religious talk. I don't think it ultimately comes together, although it's a good experiment.
It looks like DC stopped collecting this book after the Veitch run -- just like it stopped collecting Shade the Changing Man and Doom Patrol. Collect everything, spare nothing.
March 4, 2014
I probably should not have started in volume 8. I was lost a lot during this story. I would call this the most "grotesque" graphic novel I have finished in my life. It was earthy and bizarre and gritty and awkward all at the same time, yet I was hooked anyway. I may or may not read further titles.
June 3, 2012
Who could follow Alan Moore on such a trend-setting series? Rick Veitch, so much fun.
November 8, 2014
Loosing patience with Abby and Alec. If Constantine wasn't in this (and it wasn't directly interwining with Hellblazer) I would have quit reading it.
Chester is also awesome.
Chester is also awesome.
January 17, 2013
a bit better than the previous volume
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews