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 |  | | | Comics - Ongoing - Batman - Issue #522
COVER TAGLINE:
None
TITLE:
Swamp Things
STORY ARC:
None
RELEASE DATE: July, 1995
COVER DATE: September, 1995
WRITER: Doug Moench
ARTIST: Kelley Jones
INKER: John Beatty
COLORS: Gregory Wright
LETTERS: Todd Klein
EDITORS: Jordan B Gorfinkel; Dennis 'Denny' O'Neil
COVER: Kelley Jones
PRICE: $1.95 U.S.
CHARACTERS:
Batman; Killer Croc; Swamp Thing
INTERIOR ART:
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PLOT:
On a lengthy hunt for Killer Croc, Batman finds himself in unfamiliar territory, all the way down in Louisiana. Noting the cluttered mess of a train wreck, he suspects Croc has either taken to his
instinctive side by stalking wildlife or relied on more humane means of finding food and shelter.
Killer Croc's hunger quickly stirs up trouble as he punches through a diner window to steal a slice of pie. Two hillbillies at the counter stand to fend off what they believe is a man wearing a mask, only to be blown away by Croc's
incomparable force. After chomping down a plate of food, Croc demands to know where to find the "wet dark," just before sending the diner employee into a clutter of dishes. As he leaves, the inhabitants call the town
sheriff.
Police arrive on the scene to ask questions. They presume this phenomenon to be a man with "all manner o' roots an' weeds
sproutin' out" but find this is not the case. Batman hangs over the building, dangling an extravagant microphone to overhear the entire account.
Croc navigates the cold waters of the swamp, pleased with his moist and shady environment. Before long, he finds a tunnel to sleep the night away. Easily dethroning a small crocodile from its home, Croc makes the bank's underside shelter his own and quickly nestles in.
The Dark Knight soon makes his way into the swamp by boat. He investigates the shelter Croc was not long before seen resting in and eventually finds Croc feasting on a bird. Using a flash bomb as distraction, Batman swiftly ties Croc up, fixing the rope to a branch. A brutal fight ensues until the sudden appearance of Alec Holland, the Swamp Thing.
As a means of pacifying them, Swamp Thing emerses both combatants in living vines. He soon releases Croc, however, and warns Batman to leave him be. The staggering creature reveals that he summoned his "fellow swamp thing," Killer Croc, the the swamp and precedes to blow hallucinogenic pollen at him as a means of soothing his tempter.
As Batman breaks free of the tightly gripping vines, he throws a powerful fist to the belly of the organic monster, but to no avail. The arm trapped inside him, Swamp Thing explains to Batman that Croc "is a predator, not a killer" and that his concerns are "limited to simply being." Hallucinogenic pollen is then blown into Batman's face as well, as a means of sensing the pain Killer Croc has felt.
The nightmarish effects soon dissolve and Batman attempts to reason by projecting Killer Croc as a murdered and criminal of Gotham. This finds little commonality with Swamp Thing, however, as he sees Croc as a wild animal out of his environment, condemning Batman from making an arrest. Overwhelmed with a re-evaluation of justice, Batman finds no choice but to let them be and return to his city, just after figuring out how to get the Batmobile out of a tree.
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REVIEW:
As soon as I saw the dramatic cover art, I knew I had to read this. The twisted nature of Kelley Jones and Swamp Thing seemed like a match made in, well, a cold, murky swamp. The opening page blooms with dark, organic scenery, a foreshadowing of things to come. Jones definitely likes to immerse himself creatively in his style; with a little imagination, I easily spotted four of what appeared to be human faces over the bark of a crude looking tree.
Jones' unorthodox style also allows for some humorous scenes like Batman curiously staring into the eyes of a dangling snake just before tossing it out of the way. But the atmospheric embellishment can become overwhelming at times. In one particular shot of a fight scene, Croc's head suddenly becomes unbelievably tiny and flattened to, literally, the circumference of a burger pattie while his chest is as wide as a semi truck, and the depiction of common civilians is bearable at best. While I'm all in favor of a strongly organic, even floral, Swamp Thing, in his first appearance, his entire back is so heavily covered with plant life and crawling with animals, you'd swear he had been lying face-down for months. Soon after, however, he's more barren. To sum up, while it offers a highly imaginative and fun atmosphere under the right circumstances, I wouldn't prefer Jones' work on a regular basis.
Dialogue during scenes at the diner - virtually the only dialogue aside from Batman, Killer Croc, and Swamp Thing - feels obscure at times, like when the young boy is first to demand that someone call the sherif. I enjoy the unusual spelling to convey their southern accent, yet, while it adds comedic effect, I can't help but see it almost as overembellished stereotyping.
Batman shows difficulty in predicting Croc's movements, contemplating over whether or not he'll take a civilized approach as Waylon Jones or embrace his ferocious instincts. Perhaps the most interesting and unusual aspect, however, is the final resolution of the story. While both Batman and Swamp Thing believe in peace and justice, they view these ideals through different eyes. Batman struggles to win Swamp Thing's favor, stating that Croc is a murdered and criminal of Gotham and that he must be apprehended by the law. Swamp Thing denies his plea, offering Croc's animalistic nature as an excuse and demanding that Croc be allowed to live in his nature habitat. Clearly overpowered by both and in the foreign territory of a Louisiana swamp, Batman is left with no option but to cease and head back to Gotham.
While disappointed, he begins seeing the truth in Swamp Thing's ethics and finds solace in knowing that his city is free of Killer Croc's terror regardless of apprehension. The shot of Batman gazing up at his Batmobile stuck in a tree also offers a subtle sense of comic relief to top of this intriguing story focused on peace and ethical justice.
- 10/31/06
REVIEWED BY:
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