Tom Yeates (# 22 & 23) & Stephen Bissette (# 24) |
In the initial pages of “Swamped” (March 1984), we discover that the Swamp Thing is no longer trying to keep his physical body alive, as a result, his consciousness drifts into the ecosystem that surrounds him. He’s a plant now, and even when Abigail Arcane screams at his body -a body that instead of rotting is now brimming with new life forms, insects, flowers and fruits- there’s no reaction at all.
This vegetative state allows Alan Moore to explore the psyche of his character. We see an oneiric sequence that synthetizes the fears and tragedies of Alec Holland, a man who had a violent death. Moore takes us into Holland’s mind, and the author’s wild imagination makes us envision what it would be like to live as a sentient plant. As writers, we can always create or recreate our human experiences, Moore, however, (re)creates the experiences of a creature that isn’t human anymore, and he does it so well that we become enthralled with his narrative.
As we get to see in “Another Green World” (April 1984) the Floronic Man had conducted a series of scientific tests on Alec Holland / Swamp Thing, and now that he sees the creature disintegrating itself, turning into another botanical element from the swamp, he drinks the essence of the Swamp Thing and acquires a power unlike anything he has experienced before. Suddenly, Jason Woodrue, also known as the Floronic Man, can control the vegetation all over the world, and the first thing he does is kill a group of teenagers who were drinking beers out in the bayou.
“They wouldn’t let me be human… and I became a monster... but they wouldn’t let me be a monster… so I became a plant… and now… you won’t let me… be a plant”, Alec Holland’s reasoning is quite assertive. Jason Woodrue has let him no choice, so he must once again reconfigure his consciousness and recover his former figure entirely composed by branches, mud and leaves.
In “Roots” (May 1984) Jason Woodrue realizes that by controlling the world’s vegetation he can create or destroy life, and he decides to take revenge upon humanity allegedly because of the pollution caused by our civilization. So he simply increases the photosynthetic process of every plant in the world, and suddenly, there’s an excess of oxygen in the environment. With more oxygen, even the smallest of flames can set up a very destructive fire. That’s what the people of Lacroix discover too late. Burned alive, the video of the Floronic Man’s actions reaches the Justice League: Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Zatanna, Firestorm, Aquaman, Flash, Hawkman and Wonder Woman are powerless. Even with their amazing powers and abilities there’s nothing they can do, there’s no way of fighting against every plant on Earth.
Alan Moore provides us with one of the most unforgettable descriptions of the Justice League. We get used to superheroes too easily, and we forget that they are supposed to be special. A regular writer might say that they have powers, but Moore proves that they do. Here Superman is as powerful as a god, Flash is faster than the speed of light, but for all their might they’re finally helpless against the forces of nature.
Alec Holland’s reasoning impedes a worldwide catastrophe. Once the animals and the humans are gone, who is going to produce carbon monoxide, the substance the plants need to survive?, he inquires. Plants convert carbon monoxide particles into oxygen, so this balance must not be disrupted. Animals and plants must forever coexist in order to guarantee each other’s subsistence.
Swamped / Empantanado |
Once Woodrue accepts this, his mind crumbles, overwhelmed by the godlike power he has just lost. And Alec lets him go. After all, the Swamp Thing is not a hero that delivers evildoers to the doorstep of justice. Finally, when Superman and Green Lantern arrive to Louisiana, they find a mentally disturbed Jason Woodrue, who is now unable to have coherent thoughts, forever lost into the midst of insanity.
Stephen Bissette and John Totleben are an impressive creative team. We can look at, for instance, their initial sequence for “Swamped”, which is not only a brilliant exercise in composition but also an example of the level of perfectionism that we can find in the representation of every tree, amphibious or insect from the swamp. The double page spread that describes Jason Woodrue’s reaction to the chemical compound derived from the Swamp Thing’s body is beyond gorgeous. The tall and narrow panels give us a sense of vertigo that strengthens the Floronic Man’s intensity and craziness.
The teenagers murdered by the Floronic Man are also presented in a very naturalistic way, but perhaps the page that astonishes me the most is the image of Alec Holland rising from the swamp. There are no words in this page, and indeed no phrase is needed, the expressiveness of the illustration has more drama and beauty than anything we could see on the stands nowadays, if I had to choose a favorite I’d be torn between this one and the last page of issue # 25, a poetic, peaceful and deeply moving depiction of the Swamp Thing.
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"Estás cambiando, ¿no es así? Abandonando la ilusión de la carne y hundiéndote en el suave y acogedor verde. Observarte me deja sin aliento. Cuánto te envidio". Swamp Thing no es ni humano ni bestia, aunque su apariencia monstruosa oculta una naturaleza gentil, es un hijo de la naturaleza.
Stephen Bissette & John Totleben |
Another Green World / Otro mundo verde |
Teenagers getting drunk / adolescentes emborrachándose |
Victims of the Floronic Man / víctimas del Hombre Florónico |
Superman & Green Lantern |
En “Raíces” (mayo de 1984), Jason Woodrue descubre que al controlar la vegetación del mundo puede crear o destruir vidas, y decide vengarse de la humanidad a porque (en teoría) contamina el planeta. Así que incrementa el proceso de fotosíntesis de todas las plantas del mundo y, de pronto, hay un exceso de oxígeno en la atmósfera. Con más oxígeno, incluso la menor de las flamas puede provocar un destructivo incendio. Eso es lo que la gente de Lacroix descubre demasiado tarde. Quemados vivos, el video de las acciones del Hombre Florónico llega hasta la Liga de la Justicia: Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Zatanna, Firestorm, Aquaman, Flash, Hawkman y Wonder Woman conocen la impotencia. Incluso con sus asombrosos poderes y habilidades no hay nada que puedan hacer, no hay forma de combatir contra todas las plantas de la Tierra.
Alan Moore suministra una de las más inolvidables descripciones de la Liga de la Justicia. Nos acostumbramos a los súper-héroes demasiado fácilmente, y olvidamos que se supone que son especiales. Un escritor común y corriente podría decir que tienen poderes, pero Moore nos demuestra que los tienen. Aquí Superman es tan poderoso como un dios, Flash es más rápido que la velocidad de la luz, pero con todo su poder finalmente están indefensos contra las fuerzas de la naturaleza.
El razonamiento de Alec Holland impide una catástrofe mundial. Cuando los humanos y los animales mueran, ¿quién producirá monóxido de carbono, la sustancia que las plantas necesitan para sobrevivir?, es su pregunta. Las plantas convierten las partículas de monóxido de carbono en partículas de oxígeno así que este equilibrio no debe ser alterado. Los animales y las plantas deben coexistir siempre para garantizar la subsistencia de ambos.
Roots / Raíces |
Woodrue acepta esto y su mente se derrumba; queda abrumado por el poder divino que acaba de perder. Y Alec lo deja ir. Después de todo, Swamp Thing no es un héroe que entregue a los malhechores a la ley. Finalmente, cuando Superman y Green Lantern llegan a Louisiana, encuentran a un Jason Woodrue mentalmente perturbado, incapaz de pensamientos coherentes, perdido para siempre en las brumas de la locura.
Stephen Bissette y John Totleben son un equipo creativo impresionante. Podemos ver, por ejemplo, su secuencia inicial para "Empantanado", que no sólo es un brillante ejercicio de composición sino también un ejemplo del nivel de perfeccionismo que podemos encontrar en la representación de cada árbol, anfibio o insecto del pantano. La página doble que describe la reacción de Jason Woodrue al compuesto químico derivado del cuerpo de Swamp Thing se ve extraordinariamente bien. Las viñetas altas y delgadas nos dan una sensación de vértigo que refuerza la intensidad y la locura del Hombre Florónico.
Los adolescentes asesinados por el Hombre Florónico son presentados de manera muy realista, pero tal vez la página que más me entusiasma es la imagen de Alec Holland levantándose del pantano. No hay palabras en esta página y de hecho ninguna frase es necesaria, la expresividad de la ilustración tiene más drama y belleza que cualquier otra que podríamos encontrar en cómics actuales. Si tuviera que elegir mi favorita estaría entre esta y la última página del # 25, un retrato poético, pacífico y profundamente conmovedor de Swamp Thing.