Review: Swamp Thing- The Dead Don’t Sleep

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume features a pleasant return to classic horror. The story is exciting and brings in a lot of fun elements. The artwork is a wonderful complement to everything going on here and nearly makes the volume worthwhile on its own.

Cons: The volume feels a bit weird as a standalone story.

Overall: This is a compelling Swamp Thing story with a satisfying approach to horror. The majority of the volume details exciting stories that blend traditional horror, fun action, and beautiful artwork together in a way that just works. Though the volume feels weird on its own and in connection to previous works, the story is still enjoyable if you ignore the character’s complex history. Fans looking for a “classic” feeling Swamp Thing story with gorgeous artwork may want to consider this volume.

Story

Swamp Thing: The Dead Don’t Sleep sees Swamp Thing’s co-creator, Len Wein, bring the character back to basics. This volume places a significant focus on traditional approaches to horror, centered around Swamp Thing’s unique abilities. The result is a satisfying combination between high and low-stakes action, with a bit of magic thrown in for good measure. The only problem is that the volume feels like it is part of a greater storyline, yet is a completely standalone series. In the end, this collection plays well with its own strengths and can easily be enjoyed by anyone who apricates those strengths.

(spoilers start here)

One of the most notable features in The Dead Don’t Sleep is how different it is from every volume in the most recent Swamp Thing series. This collection doesn’t place too much focus on Swamp Thing’s connection to the Green and only contains a brief appearance from the Parliament of Trees. Instead, DC’s magically inclined characters play a more prominent role in what is going on. This makes for a Swamp Thing story that feels more akin to some of the work done in the character’s early days. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the work done to Swamp Thing over the course of the New 52, I will admit I found the change of pace to be somewhat refreshing.

In a similar way, the action taking place in this story feels like a bit of a throwback as well. There are scenes where Swamp Thing fights simple creatures, like snakes and alligators, and one of the story arcs simply involves him dealing with a single zombie. When compared to the high-stakes nature of Swamp Thing’s recent history, these happenings might seem a bit mundane. However, Len Wein writes them in a way that still manages to capture excitement and inject drama. This is further helped along by the fact that the artwork, from Kelley Jones, makes all of this look incredible. In general, the resulting combination makes for a story ripe with “classic” horror.

However, The Dead Don’t Sleep isn’t without modern, high-stakes drama. The final story arc contains a wicked twist and deals with Anton Arcane posing a world-threatening problem. It is a great way to end this volume and a solid story overall.

The problem with this volume is that it feels like the opening volume to a new series or the closing volume to an old series but doesn’t quite fit into either category. It makes many references to elements from Swamp Thing’s pre-New 52 history but also ignores other elements of this history. For example, Matthew Cable’s time with Swamp Thing stays around but his death does not. Meanwhile, the cameo appearances from DC’s magical community make it feel like this collection is setting them up to have a more significant role in Swamp Thing’s future. However, with the benefit of hindsight, we know this does not happen. All of this prevents this standalone volume from feeling like it should be a standalone volume, which somewhat undermines its appeal.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in The Dead Don’t Sleep is incredible and is, in my opinion, the volume’s most significant draw. Kelley Jones is an expert when it comes to horror comics and this volume is no exception. Imposing figures, frightening background scenery, and a masterful approach to light and shadow allow every page to convey all of the creepy energy it needs to convey. This makes scenes of occult magic or scenes of intense action look appealing. Jones is even able to make something mundane, like the ultra-powerful Swamp Thing’s wrestling match with a normal crocodile, feel like a pull-pounding escapade. Plus, the layouts here are well done and are a definite benefit for the storytelling. I ended up enjoying the artwork so much that I would say the collection is nearly worthwhile simply for the visuals on their own. 

Continuity

Swamp Thing: The Dead Don’t Sleep is technically set in the same universe as the previous seven Swamp Thing volumes (see the New 52 Swamp Thing reviews here). However, it makes extremely limited references to these volumes and generally feels divorced from the rest of Swamp Thing’s adventures.

The story here does not continue in any specific comic. Len Wein and Kelley Jones were in the process of creating more Swamp Thing stories when Len Wein passed away. One chapter of this final, unfinished story came out as “Spring Awakening”, collected in Swamp Thing: Roots of Terror. 

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Matthew Cable was a prominent character in the original Swamp Thing series, which began with Swamp Thing #1, collected in Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Vol. 1. However, it is unclear how much of his history has carried over into this comic.
• Swamp Thing and Abby have mostly been separate since the events of Swamp Thing #18, collected in Swamp Thing Vol. 3: Rotworld- The Green Kingdom (Review).
• Anton Arcane was previously defeated back in Swamp Thing #40, collected in Swamp Thing Vol. 7: Season’s End (Review).