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Swamp Thing, Vol. 1: Raise Them Bones (Swamp Thing Vol. V #1)

by Scott Snyder (Goodreads Author), Yanick Paquette (Illustrations), Marco Rudy (Illustrator)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 1,410 ratings · 112 reviews

In the 40-years since its debut, Swamp Thing has been graced with some of the best writers in comics from Len Wein to Alan Moore and now, as part of the DC Comics—The New 52, 'American Vampire' scribe Scott Snyder brings his talents to an all new Swamp Thing series set in the DC Universe.Following the events of 'Brightest Day,' Alec Holland has his life back...but the "Gre...more

Paperback, The New 52, 168 pages

Published August 28th 2012 by DC Comics (first published November 2011)

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Sep 01, 2012 Dan Schwent rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, 2012, cool-covers

Alec Holland is reborn with memories not his own, memories of the adventures of Swamp Thing. Forces of the Rot are marshaling and only the Swamp Thing can stop them. But what does all that have to do with an immune-deficient child named William?

I've made it no secret that I think Scott Snyder can do no wrong when it comes to comics. Swamp Thing really drove that point home. Stepping into Alan Moore's shoes on one of the projects that took him to stardom wasn't an enviable task. Good thing Scott...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, dark-fantasy, horror, urban-fantasy

A flawed gem.

This is the first Scott Snyder title I've read and, I'll be honest, I am profoundly disappointed. The writing was just...feh.

I understand that Snyder isn't Moore and that Moore has gone a bit...off...in the last few decades. But Moore completely redefined the characters, the themes and the purpose of the Swamp Thing series, all for the better. It still remains one of the best superhero/horror/fantasy comics I have ever read. Even Veitch's attempt to follow Moore after he left the t...more A flawed gem.

This is the first Scott Snyder title I've read and, I'll be honest, I am profoundly disappointed. The writing was just...feh.

I understand that Snyder isn't Moore and that Moore has gone a bit...off...in the last few decades. But Moore completely redefined the characters, the themes and the purpose of the Swamp Thing series, all for the better. It still remains one of the best superhero/horror/fantasy comics I have ever read. Even Veitch's attempt to follow Moore after he left the title was pretty dang good. And everyone I know adores Snyder's work, praises him to high-heaven -- so I suppose I was expecting more.

This work actually had some of the weakest dialogue I have encountered in any post-Silver Age comic; and the only thing that kept me from predicting all the cliched plot developments was the fact that Snyder's reputation led me to believe I wouldn't encounter anything so banal. Like Brandon Sanderson, it would seem that Snyder's strength is in his background characters, because all the worst lines are reserved for the two protagonists. The romantic sub-plot felt hollow and forced, and some of the lines given to Alec Holland and Kerrigan- er, I mean, Abigail Arcane are so bizarrely overblown that they feel like they came out of a vapid Summer blockbuster, not an intelligent horror comic. Also, while Abigail is made into a tougher (albeit generic) character, Alec Holland spends nearly the entire book moping and whining and ignoring any and all sign that things are getting worse because of his commitment to "emo" inaction; I didn't want to read more about him, didn't care what happened to him, couldn't believe the supposed prophesies about him, and ultimately hoped he'd die again and the title would pick up with Moore's emerald elemental, because Snyder's Holland was a pathetic, obnoxious, self-centered mess of a character, and the only reason I kept reading was that the villains and the background characters were genuinely interesting. Every time he started spouting those trite lines about "not asking for this" or "not wanting it", I kept hearing Linkara's "Superboy-Prime Voice" (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/vide...) in my head. I wouldn't at all be surprised if the next volume involved him shouting "I'LL KILL YOU TO DEATH!"

So with all these obvious, maddening flaws, why did I give this four stars? Why did I call this a gem?

Well, Snyder does get some things right. The overall plot is brilliant, a strange combination of picking up where Moore & Veitch left off and rebooting the entire series; and the new antagonistic force, the Rot (which I understand is also the antagonist in the rebooted "Animal Man" series) is delightfully grotesque -- with some fun artistic references to a certain villain in Moore's "Swamp Thing". The art style is a beautiful combination of Veitch's iconic designs and Paquette & Rudy's modern (if inconsistent) comickery. It picks up on almost everything thematic and atmospheric that defined the brilliance of Moore & Veitch's run -- excluding the characterization -- and grounds this book in an understanding of the violence inherent in the plant-world. I especially appreciated this last part, being the son of a Plant Pathologist.

So i may or may not pick up the next volume. There's a lot to like here, but there's also a lot to hate. I'm not sure if I want to pick up another Snyder title based on this volume, but I feel I should give him another chance. We'll see...

EDIT: Did anyone else notice the weird little figure on page 5? The hooded woman radiating red who doesn't seem to appear anywhere else in the comic? She's incongruous, standing out too much not to be noticed, and it actually feels like she was cut and pasted in there... I think I remember Linkara mentioning that she appeared in at least one other New 52 series, so maybe there'll be an attempt to tie all the series together...Or maybe it's a sort of "failsafe" in case even MORE of the New 52 series crash and burn, allowing DC to reboot BACK to the post-Criss, pre-Reboot universe? They can just say it was all that mysterious figure's doing!

EDIT 2: Having FINALLY finished Swamp Thing, Vol. 6: Reunion (which somehow I had no idea I had missed all those years ago) I have to remove that fourth star. Snyder's "Swamp Thing" story tries for the sprawling, epic feel, but it is small and mean and insignificant when compared to the beauty and the majesty of Moore's run; even compared to the satirical strangeness of Wein's original run, Snyder's "Swamp Thing" is a petty, hollow thing. There is potential in it, I recognize that, and I hope that it will be nurtured and come in time to blossom -- but compared to the artists who preceded him? The man is a gnat who fancies himself a giant.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Bane of Kings rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dc, horror, graphic-novels, dc-new-52, 2012-releases-read, notable-2012-releases

“Swamp Thing proves that Snyder can write well outside of Batman with a stunning opening volume to the new series which I will be following for sure.” ~The Founding Fields

Swamp Thing: Raise Them Bones was the second volume of DC’s New 52 that I purchased for trade paperback after the success of the first volume of the Teen Titans: It’s Our Right To Fight, and now that I look back on it, I realise that I could not have picked a more different series. Even though Scott Snyder has worked on Batman,...more “Swamp Thing proves that Snyder can write well outside of Batman with a stunning opening volume to the new series which I will be following for sure.” ~The Founding Fields

Swamp Thing: Raise Them Bones was the second volume of DC’s New 52 that I purchased for trade paperback after the success of the first volume of the Teen Titans: It’s Our Right To Fight, and now that I look back on it, I realise that I could not have picked a more different series. Even though Scott Snyder has worked on Batman, Raise Them Bones is a whole different beast to any DC, and indeed – Marvel comic that I’ve read before. And did I enjoy it?

Yes. I enjoyed it a lot.

"In the 40-years since its debut, Swamp Thing has been graced with some of the best writers in comics from Len Wein to Alan Moore and now, as part of the DC Comics—The New 52, ‘American Vampire’ scribe Scott Snyder brings his talents to an all new Swamp Thing series set in the DC Universe.Following the events of ‘Brightest Day,’ Alec Holland has his life back…but the “Green” has plans for it. A monstrous evil is rising in the desert, and it’ll take a monster of another kind to defend life as we know it!This hardcover collection includes issues 1-7 of the monthly series."

For starters, I have not read any Swamp Thing related title before, and until I saw this series on Comixology I did not even know that Swamp Thing existed. After some thought and some good feedback from regular sources, I ended up picking the first issue up digitally. And I wasn’t that impressed with it, mainly because I was left wondering what the hell was going on.

So I was essentially taking a huge risk with Raise Them Bones. And did it pay off? Yes, yes it did. The first issue was much clearer when read with the other six contained within this volume, and I really got into the great atmospheric tone created by Snyder and artist Paquette alike. Although the series was a bit confusing to start off with, Snyder does a great job at establishing the series for new readers and by the end of the graphic novel I wasn’t too lost. I knew about the Rot and the Green, the two warring factions, I knew about Alec Holland, and I knew about Abigal Arcane and her younger, evil half brother William. Everything sort of fell into place in the last few pages, and I was left thinking – “Holy Crap. This is brilliant.”

Read the rest of the review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/12/.... (less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Kurt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kurt by: Matt

This unsettling horror comic brings a lot of frustration but tells a fascinating story with some powerful visuals. The idea is that a guy comes back from the dead with memories of a Swamp Thing that had taken his place between his death and resurrection, and when he is heavily recruited to become that Swamp Thing himself, he fights the invitation. Of course, we all know what his eventual response will be (there are only so many ways you can publish a monthly Swamp Thing comic that doesn't have a...more This unsettling horror comic brings a lot of frustration but tells a fascinating story with some powerful visuals. The idea is that a guy comes back from the dead with memories of a Swamp Thing that had taken his place between his death and resurrection, and when he is heavily recruited to become that Swamp Thing himself, he fights the invitation. Of course, we all know what his eventual response will be (there are only so many ways you can publish a monthly Swamp Thing comic that doesn't have a Swamp Thing, I suspect), but Snyder takes the reader on a visceral journey to that decision point, with a plausible love story and a truly creepy villain. Philosophically, this book pits The Green (the life force of plants, from what I can tell) against The Black (The Rot, the force of decay and death), as the forces groom their champions and set up their minor soldiers (which is particularly gruesome for The Rot, which recruits by twisting people's heads 180 degrees in a way that seems logistically inefficient but visually striking). Volume two promises a lot of action, as this volume has developed some big characters who are ready for conflict.

My concern as a new reader, though, is that I am completely unclear about the backstory. I have a vague knowledge that Swamp Thing was a groundbreaking series for roughly the entire span of my life, and my brother gave me a quick briefing on the character before loaning me this book (also, the back cover is an efficient review). So I would get this as part of the larger DC Universe, I think, ignorant as I generally am of that world. This book is here as part of the New 52 relaunch, though, in which all of DC continuity was reset to give new readers a point to jump on. And I don't get what I'm supposed to know already. Superman drops in for a quick conversation in the first issue, and our protagonist has memories of a romance with Abigail Arcane, so there is definitely a backstory influencing what I'm reading, but I am bewildered at what it is. Snyder's story clearly wants the reader to know something of the character's history, but he seems to deliberately withhold specific details. I guess that's fine in a horror comic designed to keep the reader uncomfortable, but it feels unfair as a way to relate between a creator and a reader. The story is certainly good enough, with exceptional artwork, for me to want to read the next chapter, but I think Snyder should have done a better job establishing his foundations (either starting this story as a fresh first chapter or delineating what stories it follows).(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Vincent rated it 4 of 5 stars

[spoiler alert] For those unaware this volume of Swamp Thing was written by Scott Snyder who wrote the Batman storyline Court of the Owls (if you are not familiar with this it is highly recommended that you read the new DC 52 Batman), so immediately it becomes apparent that the plot of the volume is going to be good.
The story starts off interestingly enough with all manner of animals dropping dead in large groups (flights of birds dropping out the sky, and schools of fish just dead). Then is in...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Julio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

I've been a fan and reader of Swamp Thing since Alan Moore stormed onto the scene back in the 80s. I've enjoyed the various incarnations and interpretations of the character and I'm always sad when any particular iteration gets cut short. Although the character exists within the DC universe, he was always kept on the periphery and in his pocket of storied existence. (As it was, all the Vertigo characters stayed in their own sandboxes, whether or not they were connected to the larger DC universe....more

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Oct 07, 2012 Alan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Unknown to to the casual comics fan the Swamp Thing title has been fortunate to have a series of excellent writers over the years. Most people think, "Oh, its was just Alan Moore." That is because DC wisely has learned they can milk both soft and hardcover editions of Moore's work for profit by keeping them in print (and any publisher, be it Harper Collins etc. would do the same). Before Moore there was the excellent Lew Wein/Bernie Wrightson run, and after Moore Rick Veitch (with the ufortunate...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Sam Quixote rated it 4 of 5 stars

Of all the “New 52” titles announced, “Swamp Thing” was the one I was looking forward to the most so having finished the first book I’m glad it’s as good as I’d hoped. Despite a somewhat convoluted explanation of how Alec Holland was and wasn’t Swamp Thing, things get moving pretty quickly as a deathly primeval force called “The Rot” threatens all plant-life on Earth. “The Green” and the Parliament of Trees reach out to Alec to become their champion, Swamp Thing, and help defeat the enemy. But A...more Of all the “New 52” titles announced, “Swamp Thing” was the one I was looking forward to the most so having finished the first book I’m glad it’s as good as I’d hoped. Despite a somewhat convoluted explanation of how Alec Holland was and wasn’t Swamp Thing, things get moving pretty quickly as a deathly primeval force called “The Rot” threatens all plant-life on Earth. “The Green” and the Parliament of Trees reach out to Alec to become their champion, Swamp Thing, and help defeat the enemy. But Alec is finished with all things botanical... until Abby Arcane appears and suddenly the two are on the run from Abby’s evil half-brother William and the Black King Sethe.

Scott Snyder does a great job of setting up the series with a fantastic first book introducing the main characters well and explaining the strange but wonderful world of Swamp Thing to a new audience. The whole “Green” and “Rot” worlds are kind of abstract but interesting nonetheless and it seems like Swamp Thing has a formidable villain to battle against - always a big plus. I also like how we see little of Swamp Thing until the very end where the story builds to a thunderous climax as Alec Holland once more becomes the Monster. Reaching the end made me want to read the next book immediately.

Scott Snyder’s on a roll with 2 outstanding Batman books (“Black Mirror” and “Court of Owls”) under his belt and now Swamp Thing - he’s shaping up to becoming one of the best comics writers of today. The artwork is gorgeous as well with the panels connected with green roots, seeming to grow across the page organically. The excellent Yanick Paquette supplies most of the artwork and his strong artistic vision really drives the book, elevating Snyder’s story to a new level. His Swamp Thing depiction is also fantastic, particularly the final few pages.

Even if you’ve not read Swamp Thing before, this book is worth picking up to discover one of the DC Universe’s most interesting and underrated characters given a new lease of life by one of the finest comics writers around at the moment. For those who remember Alan Moore’s legendary run on the character, I think Snyder will match Moore’s storylines if not surpass them if this solid first book is any indication. “Swamp Thing: Raise Them Bones” is one of the highlights of the “New 52” line-up and definitely worth reading. (less)

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Sep 08, 2012 Yousif Mukhtar rated it 5 of 5 stars

This decade in my opinion is a reflection of the 1980's. During the 80's two breakthrough writers were introduced to the world: Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. Alan Moore for his Swamp Thing run and Morrison for his Animal Man run.

But now we have two new young newcomers: Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire. These two promising writers retained the legacy of Swamp Thing and Animal Man. They turned away from their mentor's direction, and instead refurbished them completely. They made our two heroes' worl...more

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May 27, 2012 Tony Diaz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Anyone who has spent any time in a swamp or other natural setting or even on a farm has had a chance to witness life springing from rot and decay. This was one of the major themes of Alan Moore's legendary 1980s turn as the writer of DC's Swamp Thing. Moore's interpretation of the titular creature was after all a walking, talking mass of roots and vines grown from a dead man's submerged corpse. Aided by an experimental bio-restorative formula and some metaphysical push, the swamp had consumed Al...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Hayden rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-graphic-novels

I had never read any Swamp Thing before, but picked up issue 1 of this comic just because of Scott Snyder's name on the front (who's quickly becoming one of my favorite writers). This book is absolutely amazing. The seven issues in this volume sets up an expansive fantasy/horror epic, one that will be increased tenfold in size with the highly anticipated Animal Man crossover coming in a few months.

This opens with a recently resurrected Alec Holland, who, from what I understand, has never been fe...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-graphic-novels, fantasy, sci-fi, horror

Alec Holland was once a biologist working on a formula to render even the barrenest of places a green wonderland. Then he died. There was an explosion while he was working in his lab, and what was left of Alec Holland stumbled out of the flames and collapsed, dying in the swamp that surrounded the building. Out of the muck rose the Swamp Thing, a shambling colossus of plant matter animated by Holland's conciousness. (Not actually Holland, his body was too badly damaged, but believing itself to b...more Alec Holland was once a biologist working on a formula to render even the barrenest of places a green wonderland. Then he died. There was an explosion while he was working in his lab, and what was left of Alec Holland stumbled out of the flames and collapsed, dying in the swamp that surrounded the building. Out of the muck rose the Swamp Thing, a shambling colossus of plant matter animated by Holland's conciousness. (Not actually Holland, his body was too badly damaged, but believing itself to be him.) He lived on, and fought to protect The Green, before apparently being destroyed some time in the recent and unpublished past as a result of the reality reset triggered by DC's New 52.

And then, about a month prior to the onset of our story, Alec Holland awoke gasping from the bed of the swamp and broke out into the sunlight. Memories of a life not lived, of an elemental avatar, swum through his brain. The Green still calls to him, as it always has, but he is determined to ignore it. He soon manages to recreate his formula, even completing a batch, but is disheartened by the violence of the plant world he has seen through the eyes of the Swamp Thing. He plans to destroy his formula, this time forever, but he is never given the chance. Agents of the Rot are sent to destroy him before he can become the Swamp Thing once and for all, whether he wants to or not. He is rescued by Swamp Thing's old love, Abigail Arcane, who herself has a troubled connection to the Rot. Can they stop the eventual triumph of The Rot? Can they resist the respective calls of the forces that wish to make them their champions? Or is all creation destined to become a twisted mockery of itself under the dominion of The Rot? Well, you'll have to read this to find out! And probably the next two volumes as well....

I've never been a Swamp Thing fan before. I plan to read the Alan Moore run one day, but have never gotten the opportunity. I actually started this because I was coerced into reading the Animal Man relaunch, and there's a crossover in the near future of the books. Nevertheless, I plan to continue reading this as I get the opportunity.(less)

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Apr 06, 2013 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

Swamp Thing's introduction into the New 52 is problematic. After coming back to life, Alec Holland, who was never actually Swamp Thing, tried to avoid the calling of the Green. He remembers being Swamp Thing, even though he was actually dead, and herein lies the problem:

He seems to remember the pre-New 52 continuity. Does this mean that John Constantine was around in the 80s, leading him around? Did he help Jack Knight enter Solomon Grundy's consciousness?

It's weird because New 52 is a hard rebo...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Swamp Thing. He's one of my favorite characters: a not quite human hero and monster that just wants to be left alone in the peace of the swamp, but occasionally has to go around kicking butt. This isn't that story. This is about Alec Holland, and it picks up after the old Swamp Thing story rather than being a full reboot. Even though Alec is not the Swamp Thing character I imagine, a great many of the core aspects are there, and most of this volume follows his reluctance to become the Swa...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Richard Guion rated it 4 of 5 stars

Scott Snyder has done the impossible: he's revived Swamp Thing without desecrating the earlier work of Alan Moore and he's put a new spin into the character at the same time. Non regular DC readers may be a bit confused opening up this volume: Alec Holland has been restored as a human due to events in the Brightest Day mini-series. The Parliament of Trees want him to change back into Swamp Thing to protect them from dire events about to unfold. While Holland is reluctant to change, he meets Abby...more

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May 02, 2013 Alec rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic

Swamp thing. Is he a man. Is he some various leaves and shrubs. Or is he something more. Created by legendary Alan Moore who wrote works like Watchman and V for Vendetta, but now revamped in the historical new 52 by Scott Snyder. The story of Alec Holland starts as an average man with an average life but after an encounter with superman he realizes himself with the mystical force as known as "the green." But he realizes new dark powers and an earthly balance that must be kept to stop a life endi...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Maureen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, dc-comics, superhero

4.5, but I'm rounding up.

Animal Man's Green counterpart, facing the same enemy which is more of a force than a supervillain. Unlike Buddy Baker, Alec Holland is reluctant to embrace his powers, and in this volume that internal conflict is as important as the external one. The reluctant hero trope has been done before, but Alec has some points of contention particular to his situation, which makes his struggle compelling rather than cliche. The art is disturbing when it needs to be, but often bea...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've never read Swamp Thing before but since it was one of the first of the new DC titles released I figured I'd give it a try. I was actually blown away, Scott Snyder makes the character of Alec Holland very likable, his conflict with his powers seems real and it's nice to get away from tights and capes of the other DC characters. The new menace he must fight is interesting and a similar menace can be seen in Animal Man which hints at a possible collaboration in the future. Yanick Paquette does...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Boots rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

the opening salvo of this reboot was extraordinary: throw batman, superman, constantine, and swamp thing in a comic book together and you have my attention. and i hate "teams" in comic books. but scott snyder knows the material ~ he's not just reinventing and scrapping moore's astonishing origin or disrespecting wein, which is not an easy undertaking.

paquette's visuals are astonishing as well: evoking the best of wrightson and totleben with lush detail and creative page layouts (one of the thing...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Jessie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-compilations

I was told the reviews on this title were very positive and now I know why. It was really good. If I were a previous Swamp Thing fan, I'd probably give it 5 stars. Not having that background, it's hard to know if there were changes made to the story. However, I would say that this and Animal Man both did a great job of adjusting their character's old stories into this new universe. I liked the art in this title better. The love story is a little weird, but at least we're learning as he is. The o...more

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Oct 27, 2012 The_Mad_Swede rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to The_Mad_Swede by: Houman Sadri

Shelves: comics, dc-comics, fantasy, superheroes, new-52, 2012

Having been won over by Scott Snyder's Batman , I decided to look into more of his comics work, and set my eyes on his Swamp Thing (also part of DC's New 52).

Now, I am a huge fan of the character — enjoying Wein and Wrightson's original run along-side other great runs like Moore's classic, Collins fluently mythical, the Morrison (a little bit) and Millar one with all its weirdness, as well as stuff in-between – so, I was open for reinterpretations of the character, but with some expectations of...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Nitasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

The only reason I'm giving this a four is because I haven't found myself relating to any of the characters yet. I feel like volume one of Swamp Thing just brushed the tip of the iceberg. Like Animal Man, I love how dark and scary the plot promises to be. I can't wait for the confrontations to come. However, the characters seemed a little rushed and I felt like I just had a load of information dumped on me without any real exploration of the characters themselves. But it seems like the characters...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Snyder is killing it with his New 52 stuff. Batman is fantastic, and Swamp Thing is a close 2nd, clipping along at a quick pace and building the horror a little at a time. It's still a superhero book at its core, but a much different one than a lot of other stuff on the shelves. It relies a little bit too heavily on previous universe Swamp Thing lore, which I was a little annoyed by since this is supposed to be an accessible reboot, and I bet a lot of people are not super fresh on Alan Moore's 1...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Daryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

First Scott Snyder book I've read. Bringing the Swamp Thing back into the DCU might be a good idea; I'll reserve judgement on that for now. This first collection is a bit gross - lots of creepy creatures, inside-out body parts, etc. This book ties in closely with Animal Man, with Alec Holland (and Abby Arcane) fighting the rot alongside the Green. The art is appropriately fluid, on almost every page the panels are oddly shaped and bordered with vines, muscle, bones, or some type of gross materia...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Thom Foolery rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, superheroes, horror, fiction, library-public

Yet another reinvention of the Swamp Thing. I thought the writing and ideas were not as impressive as those of Alan Moore, but I really liked the artwork (obviously inspired by the psychedelic elements of the Moore Swamp Thing saga). Whereas the original Swamp Thing was imagined as a transmogrified Dr. Alec Holland, and Moore's version inverted this conceit, taking Holland almost completely out of the picture, Snyder's take on the Swamp Thing returns Holland to center stage, and inverts in turn...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Laurel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dc-comics

This first volume of the new Swamp Thing has it's good points, and is by no means a bad adult comic, but it does have some problems. While there are thoughtful moments, as well as many icky ones, it falls a bit short on character depth and suffers from some plot holes. The creativity of the art panel construction is impressive but can cause confusion when trying to determine if the art a two-page spread or just two pages facing each other. While I enjoyed the book, I found these problems distrac...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Read Ng rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This was a Goodreads giveaway and am I happy!

I never did read these comics when they first came out, so I can't compare the stories. I did like how this came together. I am a little puzzled by the early tie in to Superman and Batman. I just did not find it necessary (although I did like the detailing on Sperman's outfit). I like the premise of the story. It is a comic book so I should also mention the artwork was great. It's very creepy to have the villian army running around with their heads o...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

Swamp Thing has protected the earth's green life for years by the time we see Dr. Holland show up here. In fact, he is another in a long line of Swamp Thing protectors - just one of the more unwilling ones. It's a little weird tho, getting dropped into the narrative *after* he's had all these horrific experiences as the monster - it's like getting introduced to someone and hearing about all the wild sex & drugs they *used* I have, but "I outgrew that stuff and I'm over it now.". NOW you deci...more Swamp Thing has protected the earth's green life for years by the time we see Dr. Holland show up here. In fact, he is another in a long line of Swamp Thing protectors - just one of the more unwilling ones. It's a little weird tho, getting dropped into the narrative *after* he's had all these horrific experiences as the monster - it's like getting introduced to someone and hearing about all the wild sex & drugs they *used* I have, but "I outgrew that stuff and I'm over it now.". NOW you decide to become a boring jackass? Why couldn't I meet you five years ago?

Snyder sets up a quest of Joseph Campbell proportions, and a supernatural villain that reminds me of some recent Boom Studios' Cthulhu tales, he's so primordial and insurmountable.

The art by Paquette though, sets the real tone of the book, with both immediate cues (how the other superheroes have no action to take in the first few pages) and subtle (like the panel borders using different types of organic materials to represent the mood and threat level). That's some damn fine creative work, far more than you'd be expected to throw down, and it puts this book well above the workaday DC dreck that's being shovelled out monthly. This is stuff I'd be proud to show on my bookshelf.

One scene in the middle disturbed me more than anything though - where the white-haired chick is kissing Swamp Thing, putting her mouth on and in a living bog of rotten plants. Really? Have you ever got your foot stuck in a big and pulled up some of that ancient festering brown shit? No thank you.

Snyder builds the story to a crescendo of excellent pacing, dread and pathos. The ending was honestly a surprise to me, no matter how obvious it might've been to the rest of you - and I credit that to a set of convincing characters (fantastic as they also are). This ends so strongly I want to invent a time machine just so I can jump ahead to when the second trade is already available and read the shit out of it now.

Thanks to the creative team for such a cool, thoughtful, rich conceptual world. This is a book that should *not* have been as good as this (Alan Moore be damned).(less)

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Oct 07, 2012 Shannon Appelcline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-dc, comics

I found this a little slow and disorienting at the start, but grew to like it more as the book went on. I really appreciate the sense of horror, was has too often been missing from Swamp Thing post-Moore and I also liked the characters and the evolution of Swamp Thing’s plot. With that, I did have a couple of qualms: I’m not entirely sure about some of the retcons regarding Alec and Abby’s nature; and I also feel like the Rot is a bit of a retread of the Grey. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the volume a...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Jeff Raymond rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, read-graphic-novels-trades

After reading Snyder's first Batman trade for New 52, The Court of Owls, I ran to grab his run on Swamp Thing. I have no real history with Swamp Thing on a whole outside of consistently confusing him with the Toxic Avenger, but I didn't know Animal Man, either, and that worked out well.

Raise Them Bones is pretty much a disheveled mess, all things considered. While I'm not sure that having more knowledge of Swamp Thing would have necessarily helped, it actually (maybe somewhat ironically) reminde...more

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About Scott Snyder

Scott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.

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BBCode	[url=http://hhce.ed0.biz/book/show/13227866-swamp-thing-vol-1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345664331l/13227866.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://hhce.ed0.biz/book/show/13227866-swamp-thing-vol-1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Swamp Thing, Vol. 1: Raise Them Bones by Scott Snyder[/url]

Swamp Thing, Vol. 1: Raise Them Bones (Swamp Thing Vol. V #1)

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