Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Swamp Thing: A Murder of Crows (Book 4)

By Leroy Douresseaux
February 15, 2004 - 13:32

Reprinting SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #43-45 and SWAMP THING (1986) #46-50, the trade paperback SWAMP THING: A MURDER OF CROWS is the culmination of just about everything (story and plot wise) towards which Alan Moore had been working since he started writing Swamp Thing comics for DC back in the early 80’s, and the book also concluded Moore’s long-running Swamp Thing story arc, “American Gothic.”

It’s probably Moore’s best and most groundbreaking work for DC. This trade certainly contains some of the best fantasy fiction ever written for comic books. Although much of book can be considered horror, Moore showed that horror is really a kind of fantasy fiction. With this story arc, Moore also re-ignited interest in the magic corner of the DC Universe.

Mixing the design style of Neal Adams, the influence of etchings and woodblock art, pen and ink illustration, and super hero art, the artists of these stories did a wonderful job illustrating Moore’s fanciful and whimsical horror/fantasy yarns, making them stand out from the rest of mainstream comics of the mid-80’s. A Murder of Crows is an essential comic book collection. [DRECK, DULL, READABLE, VERY GOOD, EXCELLENT]

Leroy Douresseaux is a comic book writer and critic based in Louisiana.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12