Pre-Crisis Primer: How the British Saved American Comics

Swamp Thing 21

'The Anatomy Lesson'

Welcome to a very special episode of 'Post-Crisis PostScript.' Just kidding, mostly. For those who don't know, this issue of Swamp Thing is arguably one of the most important comics DC has ever published. A lot's been written about this issue, so I'm not going to bend over backwards and portray it as the second coming. Although, I will take a paragraph to sing the praises of this issue before moving onto to a basic synopsis/review.

This book is the first mainstream American work from 'Watchmen' writer Alan Moore. The success of Swamp Thing would spur DC to recruit other young, talented British writers like Neil Gaiman, Jaime Delano, and Grant Morrison, among others, whose works will be covered in more detail later over the course of this blog. Most importantly, 'The Anatomy Lesson' happens to be an incredibly excellent, well-written comic book that turns the entire mythos of the Swamp Thing on its head. Essentially a retcon (retroactive continuity) for the best.

Congratulations, it's a zucchini.

Moore opens the story with Swamp Thing in the morgue, having been shot in his fool head. Corrupt businessman (is there any other) Sunderland has hired the Jason Woodrue (the Floronic Man), another man/plant hybrid (whom we met here), to perform an autopsy on Swamp Thing thus learning the secrets of his unique biology (especially his anti-aging techniques). During his investigation, Woodrue discovers something: Swamp Thing is not a man, Alec Holland, mutated by an experimental formula (again, is there any other kind?) and exposure to the swamp, instead he's a plant mutated by the experimental formula to think it's the man!

And as Woodrue points out before disappearing into the night: one can't kill a plant by shooting it in the head.

Good point.

Reminds me of a certain scene with a tree in the original Evil Dead.

Long story short, the no-longer-never-was-dead Swamp Thing wakes up, discovers he can never be human again because he never was human, goes insane, and absolutely tears shit up, including, but not limited to, killing corrupt old men who screw with him. Secrets to not aging: die young.

We first met the Floronic Man when he teamed up with the Ultra-Humanite to screw out with the multiversal continuum to limited success. It seems his ordeal in limbo at the end of that story had a profound effect as the character will be a creepier, much more successful villain in the stories to follow. I'll touch on as this blog continues, but I love when Z-list villains are given the spotlight in great stories. Men made of wood can be just as creepy as hyper-intelligent gorillas. They just can't hit as hard.

So sexy.

I wanted to include Swamp Thing, as well as several other titles like Sandman and Hellblazer, as a balance to the more traditional superhero stuff that defines most of the Post-Crisis DC Universe. Part of what makes the DCU so compelling is the contrast of small-scale, intimate stories tucked within the corners of the gaudy superhero epics. 'The Anatomy Lesson' is the first of many such stories we'll explore.