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A review by unladylike
Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater
4.0
So far the ongoing new YA-targeted DC graphic novels I've read have been really good, but I was nervous about how an author I'd never heard of would handle one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. Maggie Stiefvater gives us a fresh origin story of Alec Holland and Abby Arcane before Swamp Thing came to exist, and with a very major twist (to my knowledge) that some readers will likely debate: that Alec has a twin brother. (Oh, and Abby is black and brilliant, so that will likely also upset comic fanboys that should go sit on a cactus.)
The thing that stood out to me the most while reading this was the fact that, in all the dozens (probably well over a hundred) of issues of Swamp Thing I've read over the years, I don't recall it ever making me really believe or notice anything actually related to plant biology! Twin Branches shows Holland, Arcane, and a couple other local teens all being seriously interested in various kinds of real science! Yet for some reason, I only recall Swampy stories ever just dripping with nebulous planty growth things at every turn. This YA GN doesn't go *that* in depth into microbiology or anything, but it's present in a way that might inspire real-world education. The art is lovely and I consider this another win in DC's YA single-character GNs.
The thing that stood out to me the most while reading this was the fact that, in all the dozens (probably well over a hundred) of issues of Swamp Thing I've read over the years, I don't recall it ever making me really believe or notice anything actually related to plant biology! Twin Branches shows Holland, Arcane, and a couple other local teens all being seriously interested in various kinds of real science! Yet for some reason, I only recall Swampy stories ever just dripping with nebulous planty growth things at every turn. This YA GN doesn't go *that* in depth into microbiology or anything, but it's present in a way that might inspire real-world education. The art is lovely and I consider this another win in DC's YA single-character GNs.