Chris C. :: Moore, Alan & McManus, Shawn

Saga of the Swamp Thing #28 page #21 Alan Moore (W) & Shawn McManus (A)

10 Comments - 2,940 Views - 2 Likes

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Artwork Details

Title:	Saga of the Swamp Thing #28 page #21 Alan Moore (W) & Shawn McManus (A)
Artist:	Shawn McManus (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	2,940
Likes on CAF:	2 3
Favorited on CAF:	1
Comments:	10
Added to Site:	5/10/2009
Comic Art Archive:

Description

This is a very special page of art for me. I will try not to get too philosophical but this single page might be the most perfect combination of images, words, emotions, and overall storytelling.

Everyone knows how legendary Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing was and how perfectly those stories hold up to this day. There is a timelss quality to the writing and an esoteric yet grounded feel to the artwork. Normally people associate this run with the issues that had Bisette/Totleben artwork. For me, however, in the entire Moore run on this book THIS is the page that tells you everything you need to know.

If you have not read the story, or can't remember it, do yourself a favor and read it. On its surface It's the story of Swamp Thing , who has realized he is not Alec Holland but the recipient of his emotions and memories, being haunted by a spectral figure. He eventually discovers this is Alec Holland's spirit, unable to rest, as his body lies at the bottom of the Swamp awaiting a proper burial, a proper farewell.

In the climax of the story, and specifically on this page, Swamp Thing has found the remains of Alec Holland and is giving him a proper final resting place.

The page represents so much more than what is on the surface however. In Moore's own way he has encapsulated something we have all felt. Something primal, and shared, and torturous. Who hasn't felt the gnawing pain of regret? Who hasn't been able to move forward until they have put to rest the ghosts of their past? To learn from them, to make our peace with them, to say goodbye to them and finally have the closure it takes to move on and live again.

I didn't want to get philosophical but I can't help it. This page, to me, is an example of everything this artform can be but usually isn't. At its very best this medium can transcend the capes and tights and speak to something within all of us that is uniquely human. The trials of life, and the pain that usually follows in one form or another can haunt us forever, if we don't find a way to come to grips with it, and let it rest.

A special thanks goes to Felix for this one. Without his help, understanding, and courtesy I would never have had a chance to get this page and that's a fact.

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About the Owner

	Chris C Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	April 2004
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Chris's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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MIKE SHARPE
Member Since 2008

Posted on 5/11/2009

Congrats! I've always wanted an Alan Moore penned page, congrats on a truly great find!

C F
Member Since 2007

Posted on 5/11/2009

Awesome that you got a piece that means so much to you!

Felix Lu
Member Since 2005

Posted on 5/11/2009

If only you were a typical collector...:P Beautiful write-up, btw. You perfectly articulate why this issue (and this page) is so special.

Jonathan H
Member Since 2005

Posted on 5/11/2009

Congrats -- finding a page this meaningful to you is what this hobby should always be about!! It is a great page!

Brian Jones
Member Since 2005

Posted on 5/12/2009

Amazing page from an amazing run..Moore at his best! Congrats...

Shawn F.
Member Since 2005

Posted on 5/21/2009

I agree with everything you wrote in your description. Congrats (and your description was appreciated!)

Doc Conners
Member Since 2006

Posted on 1/28/2014

wow! gorgeous!

Tom Coker
Member Since 2005

Posted on 8/24/2016

Beautiful page, Chris. I have such intense fondness for Moore's Swamp Thing. Moore's adroit transition of ST from a spectre of Alec Holland to an Earth elemental was so clever and well written. Never had i seen such great writing in comics prior to this! Your page is truly the point where the character's past is buried and Moore now completely owns the character.

Satya Chetri
Member Since 2006

Posted on 5/12/2020

11 years and 2 days after you put this up, I feel like it's an excellent time to say - a beauty of a page, and a masterful description to go with it.

Tom McDonald
Member Since 2019

Posted on 9/23/2023

Wonderfully articulated, Chris. Re-read the comic this morning.

While I always appreciated Bissette and Totleben's work, I often found it too unstructured for my taste (although I have grown to appreciate more over the years).

But Shawn's work in this issue takes on a more Wrightson-like look, which seems appropriate to the nature of the story, which flashes back to Holland's death.

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