Reviews

Swamp Thing, Vol. 4: A Murder of Crows by Alfredo Alcalá, Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, John Totleben, Stan Woch, Ron Randall

bae0fpigs's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

mcyewfly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

If the first three volumes’ focus was primarily interpersonal and internal struggles driven, then this fourth volume departs  itself with broader, impossible philosophy. There are no grand conclusions; the battles are not epic in description or depiction. Yet, the stakes feel extraordinarily sturdy. Every story beat pumped me up with more adrenaline. My favorite ongoing element of this collection has been the exploration of Swamp Thing proper. This section’s profound shift away from him was disappointing in a selfish way. The story does not suffer, thankfully. 

has3000's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The culmination of the plot with Constantine that was building up throughout the last book, and the Crisis crossover!

This was actually an interesting way to do the Crisis event, without having Swamp Thing just be another punchy guy with Batman and Superman. It was much more of a  psychological battle, which is just what I want from Swamp Thing.

Overall, it didn’t have the same depths as the previous books, but it was an interesting continuation nonetheless.

tjmassaro's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

flowsthead's review against another edition

3.0

Note: 3 stars for six volume series, not individual volumes

inferiorwit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

stewreads's review against another edition

5.0

This series never fails. I appreciated the ambition of the storyline this time around, but my favorite parts may have been just back at the swamp. It's such a great little world and I can't wait to go back in the next volume.

themattacaster's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

shirohige's review against another edition

3.0

Por fin leí American Gothic y no fue tan espectacular como pensé, mis arcos argumentales favoritos de esta etapa siguen siendo: 'Lecciones de Anatomía', 'Amor y Muerte' y la bonita 'Ritos de Primavera'. No obstante es genial ver como se ocupan todos esos héroes (y no tanto) de segunda linea de DC que tienen más cercanía a la magia como a cosas místicas digamos Dr. Fate, Deadman, 'Constantine' o 'The Spectre'.

Mención aparte para La Brujería, y el uso - con visión anglosajona- de los mitos de Chiloé para plantear al adversario del arco. Le daría 3,5 pero no se puede.

crowyhead's review against another edition

5.0

Re-read June 2015.

Seriously epic happenings, plus Moore completes laying the groundwork for the John Constantine we know and love. Great stuff.