Swamp Thing: Love and Death by Moore, Alan; McManus, Shawn (Contributor); Bissette, Steve (Contributor) - 1990

New York: Warner Books - DC Comics. Near Fine 1990. First Edition. Softcover Graphic No. Marfree, glorious color true 1stEd Thus collectors 1st prtg; not written-in, underlined, club, remainder or ex-library. Minor yellowing + rubbing to color glossy cover. Usually mails within 12 hours, full buyer protection, refund -- our business is founded on your satisfaction. Shush Your Cyanicisms, April 18, 2003 Reviewer: doomsdayer520 from State College, PA USA ...That's a line uttered by the incongruously adorable guest character Pog in this volume of the Swamp Thing series. This is the 2nd collection of the brilliant run by Alan Moore. This ed is a little bigger than the others in the series, as it contains 7 original Swamp Thing issues (28-34) but also the double-sized 1985 Annual. ; Graphic Novel; 6.6 x 10.2 in.; 206 pages; Due to the very high quality of the Swamp Thing series, especially in terms of art, the plotlines got a little jumbled during this period. As described in the very cool introduction by Neil Gaiman, regular artists Stephen Bissette &John Totleben were unable to complete all the intricate artwork for each issue on time, especially with the addition of the Annual. So "fill-in" stories had to be used to relieve the deadline pressure, & guest artists were utilized. Much credit goes to Shawn McManus for contributing 2 issues during this period, including the bizarre & whimsical "Pog, " which is Moore's very unusual tribute to Walt Kelly's original swamp denizen Pogo. In this run of installments we are still learning more about Swamp Thing's origins & abilities (as he is himself) , &getting much closer to the Abby character, who is surely one of the most intriguing & bewitching women in comics history. Moore even brilliantly incorporates a reprint of Swamp Thing's first appearance in the House of Secrets series from back in 1972, deftly clearing up some kinks in the character's continuity. The most amazing story here appears as the last installment, "Rites of Spring" from issue 34, a tremendous poetic composition made all the more incredible by the art of Bissette & Totleben, in which Swampy & Abby find true earthly love. And impossible as it might be to believe, the series got even better after this. Flawed Collection of an Excellent Story, Jan 14, 2002 Reviewer: dear_screwtape from APO, AE USA First, let me just say that, along with its companion piece (Saga of the Swamp Thing) , this is one of the best horror stories ever written in any medium & it's also a definitive work in the history of comics. Saga is the setup; Love and Death is the payoff, so be sure to read the one before the other. That said, a few minor issues need to be addressed - first, this is part of the patented Irritating Collection Scheme that DC does so well. This book does not contain an entire story; it has the end of the Saga of the Swamp Thing story & the beginning of American Gothic (which is very long and comprises the next two trades) . Another bizarre choice on DC's part is the fact that there is a page missing. That's right, in the middle of the chapter called "The Brimstone Ballet, " Moore segues into a scene with the Monitor with the words, "No celestial force that watches over us. " For those of us that read Moore, this is an obvious transition, but the entire scene is inexplicably cut, which feels more than a little jarring. All this aside, this is one of the most beautifully illustrated, tightly plotted, & simply elegant stories in the medium. Buy it, but if you want it complete, you'll have to have the originals. #Internet review: What Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, & John Totleben accomplished during their time on the comic book series shouldn't be underestimated in the history of comics The modern comics landscape has been changed by the Vertigo line of books--an imprint that traces its r .