Hosive

in this segment, i’ll detail my amore for the art and medium of comics. the title comes from a comic shop i frequented as a kid and a nod to my boy q and his blog.

i’ve been re-reading my alan moore run of the swamp thing…something that i’ve done every few years…and what surprises me is how powerful, how multi-layered the stories are even after a 5th or 6th reading. each time i read them, each era i’ve read them…from the 80′s when i was a teenager to college to my 20′s and 30′s and now about to reach 40…these are soul searing stories. these are the rare stories that yield more as you age. the stories read you.

on one level, its a reboot of a third rate character. c’mon…swamp thing? but it shreds genres as it functions as a psychotic post modern super hero story, a horror comic, middle age romance, science fiction, environmental philosophical meditation…so many things are going on, it blows my mind. is this even a comic book anymore?

the swamp thing is rated by many as one of the most literary comics ever. written by the same guy who did watchmen. speaking of which, i think this run is even more unfilmable than the watchmen.

it has also been described as one of the true frightening comics of all time. not gore and blood…but terror. gives me real quills/chills!!!

the story starts off with a new beginning with the character discovering that he is more than he thought and at the same time, not who he thought.  it leads him to a journey to hell…literally. after defeating monsters of multiple lineages, he discovers love before exploring the nature of the universe. another comic where you don’t need to do drugs to get trippy…drugs are done for you. probably literally.

an amazing breatheless ride. definitely on my read over and over again list.