Swamp Thing 32
“Pog”
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| Sure, I'd ride in a turtles colon as well. |
After the chilling horror of Swamp
Thing's last adventure, the series takes a break from the
depths and instead goes science fiction parable and tries its best to
make the reader feel bad for being human.
The story is a simple one, and
beautifully illustrated in a manner directly contrary to the normal,
more detailed, realistic artwork. Swamp Thing is barely a character
in this story, speaking little and acting in a more passive manner
than, say, attacking a yellow rhyming demon in the midst of an
attack by a white fear monkey.
The protagonist of this tale is the
titular Pog, a member of an alien species who is leading the last
survivors of his (hers or its?) planet on a journey to find a new
home world, a home world without the dangers and peril that led to
them being so few and adrift. Pog and his group, which includes the
front-mate Bartle who is cautiously optimistic, the pessimistic Dr.
Strigiform, the three young 'junior umbrella-birds' (who remind me of
Huey, Dewey and Louie) and finally, The Hystricide, the crazy old
coot of the group. In the tradition of many adorable animated
features, each of these characters are color-coded: Pog wears all
red, Bartle all green, and so on. Pog and his group make their
journeys in a living ship called “Find the Lady,” which
resembles a giant turtle, tucked in its shell during interstellar
travel.
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| Seriously, the blue guys are Huey, Dewey, and Louie. |
Pog and his group land on Earth, in the
middle of the swamp, of course, and seem timid at first, afraid to
leave their ship even. Eventually they encounter some of the more
cuddly swamp denizens, possums and the like and begin to believe
they've found 'The Lady,' a euphemism for their home planet. After an
initial encounter with the Swamp Thing, the group begins to trust him
as well. In a clever bit of story-telling, we're not privy to what
Swamp Thing thinks or speaks, as Pog and his group speak a different
language than English. Pog, using pictogram attempts to communicate
with Swamp Thing, detailing the story of the downfall of his planet
and their own journey for a new home.
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| Soylent Green is little animals! |
Originally an idyllic paradise, Pog
paints the picture of a planet were all different species live in
harmony before the arrival of another species, drawn curiously like
apes, who refused to play nice and took everything from the other
people of this world. This new species introduced murder and began
feasting on the lower species until no one was left but for those
that fled. While this is going on, Bartle sets about exploring this
new 'Lady' finding a small pond in which to bathe.
Understanding all too well Pog's tale,
Swamp Thing pulls back the curtain, leading the small explorers to a
campground where many humans are playing, drinking and eating meat.
Feasting on burgers, steaks and hamburgers. Pog recoils in horror,
realizing that the behavior that destroyed his world is a part of
this world as well. He has not found his 'Lady.' At this moment,
Bartle lets out a shriek; the pond he'd been bathing in is the
territory of an alligator who's none to happy to share what's his.
Swamp Thing intervenes but it's too late: Bartle is dead.
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| All Swamp Thing contributes to the story is some punching. |
After a funeral, Pog and his group say
their good-byes to the Swamp Thing and depart Earth to continue their
search for the 'Lady.'
I love this issue. This is probably my
favorite issue of Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing and of Swamp Thing
in general. It's fairly obvious, with Pog's story of the primate-like
beings who destroyed his world that Moore is telling the story of the
planet Earth where humans take more then their share of natural
resources, including land and food, but not just making it a cry for
vegetarianism. By having Bartle killed in a similar manner by a
non-human creature, Moore points out the more grim truth that
territory and consumption is a natural order. Life feeds on life. The
search for the 'Lady' is a foolish quest and Pog and his group are
the more tragic for it, members of their exiled crew dying to gain
what doesn't exist.
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| ...and then there were six. |
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