If there was ever a series that EVERYBODY gets excited about, it's Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman's Miracleman. The first 10 issues are a very entertaining spy story, reworking the title character's origins in classic Moore fashion. The art is a little spotty, unfortunately, and the story suffers for a couple of issues in Book 2: The Red King Syndrome. Olympus is the payoff. Moore and Totleben were made to make comics together, as evidenced by their acclaimed run with Steve Bissette on Swamp Thing, and this is the best work either of them has ever done, and perhaps ever will do, with the super-hero genre. This book is abou 150 pages of the most heartbreakingly beautiful comic art you will ever see in your life; Totleben's baroque line art impressively manages to save Moore's purple prose from caving under its own weight, and Moore has Totleben draw some of the most compelling characters and moving scenes in any medium, all while decorating it with beautifully poetic language. There's a reason that everyone gushes about this series, and Olympus is that reason.

The Miracleman (Marvelman in the UK) collections are quit interesting, and what's more, offer a terrific deconstruction of the "superhero ideal". This ideal was later explored in his SUPREME series (the first volume) though MIRACLEMAN nonetheless offered a serious approach and proved quite groundbreaking in gaining intellectual readership and redefining literature that was once, long ago, referred to "funny books". The several collections are all worth a read though the later books (when Moore handed the reins to Neil Gaiman; this was Gaiman's first comic work) as well BOOK 3: OLYMPUS have the best and most picturesque, expressive artwork.

I discovered Alan Moore in my college days, and since then I have been overwhelmed at wealth and back calogue of his work; the man is quite simply very prolific -- with the exception of a couple creations or what are simply uninteresting series, we are lucky to have his work. Moore's writing has been compared to the works of others and yet I feel that Moore is often the most solid of any comics writer, hands down. His style is mysterious, magical, and at times disturbing, though always intelligent.

Alan Moore is probably the best writer to work in the comics medium, and this is his greatest story. If you enjoyed Kingdom Come, this is a must read, the paralells (not that Kingdom come is a rip-off) are striking. These comics are so amazing, there's really no excuse for them being out of print. Even if you have to pay several hundred dollars to collect this series, it's worth it.

In "MiracleMan" (UK vt. "MarvelMan") Alan Moore places a classic superhero type in the "real" world - a world very much like this one, in which people who see a man in tights are not going to think "super".

During a terrorist hijacking at a nuclear plant news photographer Michael Moran suffers a debilitating headache and mutters a word he sees from the wrong side of a glass door. And is transformed.

But people don't know what to make of a man who is invulnerable and can fly, and that includes Moran's wife. She asks why she'd never heard of MiracleMan and his now-remembered superfriends, and he has no answer. And the truth of the matter is world-shaking, literally.

This is just an outstanding book. The series hit a very dark spot in a later volume, one which I found personally distasteful, and it seemed to lose its focus by the time Neil Gaiman took it over; unfortunately it was never finished. Nonetheless, an excellent and enduring deconstruction of the idea of the superhero.

I'd recommend Moore's "V for Vendetta" to those who like this book.

One point: the graphic novel edition (the one that I have anyway), is missing several pages which were included at the beginning of the original comic. The comic began with a deliberately cheesy Captain Marvel-style story about time travel, but suddenly froze at the end of the story and zoomed in on MiracleMan's face, panel by panel. "Behold I teach you the superman: he is this lightning, he is this madness!" -Nietzsche, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". The next page was the beginning of the graphic novel, with a far more realistic art and writing style. A very effective demonstration of what Moore planned to do to the cliches of the superhero genre. I don't know why it was eliminated.

There is a weird feeling you get, reading Alan Moore's Miracleman stories-the feeling that you're not reading a comic book. The story takes place in the real world-not the comic book universe. As the story opens, we find middle-aged Mike Moran being haunted by dreams of flying. During a terrorist raid, he is taken hostage and suddenly remembers his magic word and becomes a super-hero again. Having forgotten his past for twenty years, it all comes flooding back to him: which presents him with his biggest problem-how to explain things to the misses! As he does, she (famously) begins to laugh at him! The inconsistencies of his super-hero past begin to become apparent to him. Of course something is wrong here. Just what that something is, and how Alan Moore explains it are left for you to be seen.

Of course Miracleman (Marvelman in England) is the British version of Captain Marvel. In reincarnating him, Alan Moore (as is his want) completely reinvents him for a new age. Miracleman is 'aufgehobened' for a new era. For me, the best superhero comics like this, The Watchmen, and Marvels, try to portray their larger-than-life heroes as realistically as possible and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, put them in the real world, populated by real people, with real consequences for their actions. In Mike Moran's universe, Superman is well-known...as a comic book character. When Miracleman bursts onto the scene (literally) we imagine what it would be like if a super-hero really appeared in our world. But then, the adventure begins...

There's a hint of disdain in Moore's Marvelman (renamed Miracleman for distribution in the US, for obvious reasons) for virtually every aspect of the comic "super hero". His response? Laugh a bit, have his fun, and then go on to analyze what a super hero would REALLY mean to our world.

His hero isn't some rock-jawed alien or identity disassociative with a predilection for flying rodents. He's a normal person, and Moore doesn't forget this for a second; when Moran, or Miracleman, is being laughed at by his wife (obviously the voice of Moore in this instance) as he describes his absurd past as a superhero, he shatters a table in frustration.

This book, along with it successive volumes The Red King Syndrome and Olympus, are Moore's legacy to the world of the super hero. Neil Gaiman ties up the package nicely with The Golden Age. In the end, you're left with a lot more questions than answers...but then, that's the point, now isn't it?

Editor Alan Wilkinson was a close friend of Henry Moore, and it shows in the care he put into editing this book. Other than the introduction, entitled "Perfect Symmetry is Death", Wilkinson allowed Moore to speak for himself by drawing from the man's own words, through interviews, articles, letters, and even scribblings in his notebooks.

The chapters are arranged under the following headings: "Ch. 1: Life and Influences", "Ch. 2: Friends and Colleagues", "Ch. 3: Art and Artists", "Ch. 4: On Sculpture", and "Ch. 5: Works by Henry Moore". Bibliographical sources, list of Moore's most well known work, and a general keyword index can be found in the back.

Because interviews Moore gave in 1973 might refer to events from his childhood, Wilkinson took care to put as much of the artist's words into context by surrounding it with other relevant quotations. For example, on page 35, the passage that begins with "In Castleford, where I was born, there are what called sand holes. They're caves where the sand has been excavated" (1973) is followed by "What is a cave? A cave is a shape. It's not the lump of mountain over it" (1962).

With a foreword by Alan Bowness. Overall, a very compelling read.

The best book available for all Moore fans and those who want to be...

Miracleman, who is this you might ask. Well, he was Marvelamn, until Marvel Comics sued and put the fear of the copyright into a bunch of innocent British comic artists and publishers. So they figured, keep everything but the name, and then suddenly, no lawsuit. Then suddenly we had one of the greatest Comic Book series ever. Full of scintilating action, an emotional depth uncommon in comics, and absolutely amazing art. But there is a caveat, it is that these are not comics for kids. There is an incredible amount of violence in several of the issues, and the images presented are disturbing enough to even impact adult sensabilities. There is a certain simple quality to the books that belies the depth of the storytelling. We don't meet super villain after super villain. Instead we meet human and superhuman both trying to co-exist in the same world. In fact, it is the human side of the tales that provides some of the most riveting moments in the comics. If you are an avid reader of the comic book , then this is one series you must know in order to understand so many of the trends that are finally sweeping the industry today. The question of Superhero or God? The tension of man and superman living alongside one another. And the deconstruction of the archetypical superhero myth. All elements of today's most succesful comic book endeavors. This is one series, whether you find them in the original comics, or the TPB reprints, or hold on, the early summer arrival of all new reissues of the first series, that you must read. Alan Moore is irrefutably the finest writer in the business today. Read these books and you will find out why.

these books are very hard to get.

They are comics by the master of comics, Alan Moore.

Get them, read them, save them.

They are about a new look at the entire superhero genre,
don't let the plot through you, stick with it, it turns
and twists like no other superhero.

If you've read the prior collections in this series and you thought things couldn't get any better, well you ain't seen nothing yet. This installment of the Swamp Thing graphic novel series contains just six issues from Alan Moore's run (#51-56), but that does include the double-sized blockbuster issue #53. In any case, quantity is meaningless here because Moore and his artistic team have reached the dizzying heights of their powers, unleashing the most mindboggling and gutwrenching stories in comic history. The basic subplot running through the series at this point is Abby's arrest for immoral conduct while Swamp Thing was off saving the universe, and her escape to Gotham City. As Swampy is searching for his true love, she is being held by the authorities in Gotham. In the overwhelming "Garden of Earthly Delights" (issue #53) Swamp Thing unleashes his full elemental powers on the uncaring city that imprisons his lover, and even temporarily defeats Batman in the process. Sadly, Swampy is supposedly assassinated by government agents, and finds his spirit floating in outer space. This is where Moore's imagination really goes into overdrive, giving us the highly unique and moving story "My Blue Heaven" (issue #56), a tremendous tale of loneliness and soul-searching, where Swamp Thing is blue in more ways than one. This episode is also another pinnacle for the artistic team, and much credit must go to colorist Tatjana Wood for her moody and unconventional work. By this point regular artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben had mostly moved on - Bissette was only doing the covers and Totleben's only major contribution is "Garden of Earthly Delights." The artistic torch had been passed to the outstanding team of Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala, who barely miss a beat in keeping the series' haunting and lovely artwork rolling. The only sad thing about this edition of the Swamp Thing series is that fact that Moore's run would soon come to a close.

Ever since the Alan Moore's Swamp Thing Graphic Novels have been coming out I've been making sure to get every one. I like the EC horror feeling to them. Most of the time though something bad happens to ordinary mortels and Swamp Thing shows up and is the means to an end. This time things are different.

Abby Cable, after being accused of "hugging vegstibles" flees to Gotham City. There she is picked up again and put on trial. Swamp things returns from the "American Gothic" tour and looks everywhere for his beloved. When he finds out she's in jail in Gotham needless to say he's [angry] and rips Gotham a new one. Now Swamp Thing is the agressor terrorizing all those innocent mortals untill he gets his love back and not even Batman can stop him (Yeah, Batman can kick anyone ..., but swampy is now on a God level. He turns Gotham into a jungle on a whim)
Trying not to give too much away my favorite Swamp thing story in the book (Perhaps the whole series) is "My Blue Heaven". It's a beautiful, exotic, weird and engrossing tale. It's about the human condition set in a weird alien world. Jonathan Lethem would be impressed. He's the writer of "Girl in Landscape" and "Amnisia Moon". Check him out too.

Well written and a lot of fun! Features a nice intro about Moore; nice overviews of his work; and a pretty mean bibliography with details of the contents. Very surprised that this little book would be so informative. Not bad at all.

First, let me just say that, along with its companion piece (Saga of the Swamp Thing), this is one of the best horror stories ever written in any medium and it's also a definitive work in the history of comics. Saga is the setup, and Love and Death is the payoff, so be sure to read the ond before the other. That said, a few minor issues need to be addressed - first, this is part of the patented Irritating Collection Scheme that DC does so well. This book does not contain an entire story; it has the end of the Saga of the Swamp Thing story and the beginning of American Gothic (which is very long and comprises the next two trades). Another bizarre choice (or perhaps a mistake) on DC's part is the fact that there is a page missing. That's right, in the middle of the chapter called "The Brimstone Ballet," Moore segues into a scene with the Monitor with the words, "No celestial force that watches over us..." For those of us that read Moore, this is an obvious transition, but the entire scene is inexplicably cut, which feels more than a little jarring. All this aside, this is one of the most beautifully illustrated, tightly plotted, and simply elegant stories in the medium. Buy it, but if you want it complete, you'll have to have the originals.

I can't take credit for the title of this review. That's a line uttered by the incongruously adorable guest character Pog in this volume of the Swamp Thing series. This is the second collection of the brilliant run by Alan Moore. This edition is a little bigger than the others in the series, as it contains seven original Swamp Thing issues (#28-34) but also the double-sized 1985 Annual issue. Due to the very high quality of the Swamp Thing series, especially in terms of art, the plotlines got a little jumbled during this period. As described in the very cool introduction by Neil Gaiman, regular artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben were unable to complete all the intricate artwork for each issue on time, especially with the addition of the Annual. So "fill-in" stories had to be used to relieve the deadline pressure, and guest artists were utilized. Much credit goes to Shawn McManus for contributing two issues during this period, including the bizarre and whimsical "Pog," which is Moore's very unusual tribute to Walt Kelly's original swamp denizen Pogo. In this run of Swamp Thing installments we are still learning more about Swamp Thing's origins and abilities (as he is himself), and getting much closer to the Abby character, who is surely one of the most intriguing and bewitching women in comics history. Moore even brilliantly incorporates a reprint of Swamp Thing's first appearance in the House of Secrets series from back in 1972, deftly clearing up some kinks in the character's continuity. The most amazing story here appears as the last installment, "Rites of Spring" from issue #34, a tremendous poetic composition made all the more incredible by the art of Bissette and Totleben, in which Swampy and Abby find true earthly love. And impossible as it might be to believe, the series got even better after this.

A great storyline, beautiful art, surprise cameos. The section where the girl trips on Swamp Thing's "fruit" is strange and delightful. BUY IT!!!!

In this round of Swamp Thing installments from Alan Moore (original issues #43-50, which includes the double-size anniversary issue), plot elements that had been developing for a year or more finally come to fruition. That would be a battle even bigger than good vs. evil in the final story of this collection, fittingly titled "The End." Here we see the full apotheosis of Alan Moore's groundbreaking work with comic horror writing, a defunct style that he courageously made hip again at the time. And although the Swamp Thing series was thematically unlike anything else DC was doing at the time, Moore still ties Swampy's saga into the greater DC universe. John Constantine and a collection of minor and obscure characters associated with magic and sorcery help in the great battle for the universe. Meanwhile Swamp Thing allies himself with the heaviest hitters in DC's stable of occult characters, including Spectre, Etrigan (The Demon), Phantom Stranger, Dr. Fate, and the very suave Deadman. There is also a flawless crossover with the then-current Crisis on Infinite Earths epic, surely one of the great endeavors ever undertaken by a comics company.

One very interesting aspect of Moore's plotlines during this period is how Swamp Thing himself often falls into the background of the stories, as the focus is on the horrors around him, and he makes dramatic Lone Ranger-like appearances to save the day. Even in "The End" Swampy is a minor presence, action-wise, then defeats the force of darkness simply by reasoning with it rather than fighting. In this collection's first tale, "Windfall," Swamp Thing only appears on one page, and the focus of the story is a psychedelic fruit that grew on his back. During this period of the series, things were changing artistically, as regular artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben were often overworked or unavailable. Here Stan Woch and Ron Randall really make their presence felt, especially in the most tremendous story of this stretch, "The Parliament of Trees." This concept is surely inspired by Tolkein, and in turn I bet that Woch and Randall's visual creations were an influence on the producers of the recent "Two Towers" film. By the end of this collection Moore and his great team of artistic collaborators continue to teach us about the deep roots of the Swamp Thing character, and he's not yet done learning himself.

Lets face it, Alan Moore is God's gift to the comic book reader. His stories are so intense, so cerebral, so completely real that I guarantee if you give any of his books to a non-comic fan they will never look at you like you're a childish freak again.
Swamp Thing was his first real American hit and its easy to see why: the tales age like a fine wine and you can use any issue as a jumping on point without becoming the least bit confused.

A Murder of Crows lures you in gently with three stand-alone stories that are reminiscent of Tales From the Crypt, but scarier because they are the quiet kind of horror that gradually build to frightening heights. From there you're launched headfirst into the muck of the massive 'Crisis' crossover DC used in the '80s to clean out its proverbial junk room of convoluted plots and multiple Supermans (There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 at the time), only your mind is not in the least bit boggled. Moore keeps things tidy (Plotwise anyway, some of this stuff is not for the squeamish) and the characters to a minimum so you always know what's going on with who and where. The depth he is able to go into as he bounces you from South American cults to British seances to Under-World War III will amaze you. For those Hellblazer fans out there, John Constantine's presence provides some serious magic of the non-Harry Potter variety as well as some wonderfully snarky commentary to lift the gloom a little.

You'll smirk, you'll cringe, you'll shudder and squirm.

You won't have a read you'll have an experience.

In "Murder of Crows", the Swamp Thing graduates from one dimensional 'monster that was once a man' to a world-saving elemental with Alan Moore's signature mix of horror and mysticism. This is the climax to the Swamp Thing's quest for truth and who and what he really is. Along the way he crosses tormented ghosts, a serial killer, a crossover from 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' and most of the magical heavyweights in the DC Universe. I would recommend starting earlier in the run (beginning w/ 'Saga of the Swamp Thing'), but if you want only one peak, this is the one to get. Even if horror is not your bag, if you enjoyed 'Crisis' this is a must have. The ending may leave you wondering if you crossed over into 'Crisis', but the journey is vintage Moore. Outstanding!

This is a collection of Alan Moore's first Swamp Thing stories, and are amongst the first comics to be published for adult readers by a major comics publisher. The stories do lack the sophistication and literary merit of Moore's best works. And, of course, Moore's ingenious reinterpretation of the character's history will mean nothing to those who had not been fans of Swamp Thing before Moore took over, but unlike most collections of comics about a popular character, this is irrelevant. These stories work well on their own as brilliant entries into the horror genre and can be enjoyed by readers of such authors as Clive Barker.

The illustrations by such artists as Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch are still masterpieces and remain superior to most of the artists who are popular today. Unfortunately, the art in this collection suffers from changes in printing techniques since the stories' original publication, leaving the colours a bit too bright and garish in contrast to the moody story and artwork. However, it is difficult and expensive to get the originals so this is something one can live with.

This is where it all begins. When the first story in this collection ("The Anatomy Lesson") was published, the industry and fandom was completely blown away. Alan Moore took a throw-away character (the Swamp Thing) and a forgotten villain (Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man) and founded an entire genre of comics that had been long forgotten (or at least neglected) since the 50s or so.

DC's Vertigo line, the Sandman series, and very likely, Watchmen all would have likely never happened without the series of comics reprinted here. There is some truly frightening material in here that is unlike most comic fare aimed at younger readers (or at least sanitized for younger minds), but the writing was revolutionary for its time and holds up well today. The artwork maintains the high standards of excellence Moore establishes. The partnership of Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette is one of those magical pairings that occurs so infrequently in comic history (I compare it to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on the Fantastic Four, Chris Claremont and John Byrne on X-Men, and Marv Wolfman and George Perez on Teen Titans). This is truly a treasure to add to your collection.

When Alan Moore came to DC to write SWAMP THING, he had already made a name for himself in England with 2000 AD and his early works, including "V For Vendetta," "The Ballad of Halo Jones," "Marvelman" (later renamed "Miracleman" when published here in the States), and more. But it was his legendary work on the SWAMP THING series that broke him into the big time and made the name "Alan Moore" synonymous with "genius" amongst conic book fans.

SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING is a reprint of Moore's first story arc of the series (issues #20 through 27), the groundbreaking series that shook the entire comics industry. This was the first mainstream series to defy the archaic, outdated Comics Code (Marvel had done it earlier with Spider-man's drug issues, but this was the first series to abandon the Code completely); it was the first step towards "serious" mainstream comic books that catered more towards adults (and gave birth to DC's "Vertigo" line); it took an old has-been DC character that no one knew what to do with and breathed new life into him; and it also gave us a pair of wicked stories that are a sheer delight to read. Swamp Thing discovers his "true" origin in the saga of "The Anatomy Lesson," and he meets a horror from beyond death in "The Monkey King," while encountering several "minor" DC characters who had never been cast in the way they appeared in this series. (Moore's virtual re-writing of Etrigan the Demon sparked a new interest in the character, leading him to several spin-off books of his own.) And we mustn't forget the fantastic, haunting, beautiful, terrifying artowork of Steve Bissette and John Totleben, who made the pages fairly glow with life, as they turned the "swamp" world of the Swamp Thing into an eerie, beautiful, mysterious realm where life and death hide in every pool, waiting to spring out at you.

This book comprises the first half of an unforgettale comic book saga, laying the groundwork for a horrific tale that would cliax with a journey into Hell itself. When paired with the second reprint volume of the saga, "Love and Death," SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING shines as an early example of the genius of Alan Moore, the man who nearly single-handledly took the genre of mainstream comic books and turned it into a "serious" literary art form.

Alan Moore, one of the legends of comics writers, made his mark on mainstream comics during his long run in the 1980s on the "Swamp Thing" title. His work on the title transformed it from a more-or-less straightforward superhero title into a mythic saga, unafraid to tackle adult topics and themes.

Originally, the Swamp Thing was a man killed in a lab accident in the Louisiana Swamps, somehow resurrected as a living plant, who battled the usual assortment of villains. Moore's Swamp Thing became a plant elemental, an aspect of a worldwide, Gaian web of plant life called The Green. Moore emphasized Swamp Thing's continued connection to humanity by giving him a human lover, Abigail, and a quest for self-knowledge that Joseph Campbell would have recognized instantly.

DC Comics is republishing Moore's work on Swamp Thing under their Vertigo imprint, as a series of collected graphic novels. This is the third in the series, and probably won't make much sense without having read the first two. It continues the changes in Swamp Thing's character and brings new complexity to the plot and themes of the Swamp Thing's story.

It says a great deal for Moore that even his minor characters can take on a life of their own. In one of the issues reprinted here, Moore and the artists created legendary Vertigo character John Constantine, as a mysterious young Englishman (revealed later as a magician, although that's not explicitly stated in this book) who travels the world, knows a great deal about the Swamp Thing, and is willing to share that knowledge for a price. Constantine proved so popular that DC Comics later made him the star of his own long-running comic book, called "Hellblazer."

Fans of "Hellblazer" will find Constantine's introduction most amusing in retrospect, both for his appearance and his attitude. As originally drawn, Constantine looks a great deal like Sting in the "Synchronicity" days, and his character lacks the blood-bought wisdom and ghosts of his failures that are the hallmark of the later series.

Constantine's appearance signals the start of one of Moore's longest and most mythic sagas, as a Lovecraftian evil arises to challenge all Creation. Only hints of the tale to come appear here, but the introduction itself is worth the price of admission.

If you've never read Moore's work before, start with "V For Vendetta" or "Watchmen," which are self-contained stories (and masterpieces.) If you know Moore's work, but not on the "Swamp Thing" title, start with "Saga of the Swamp Thing" and buy all three collected editions currently in print, including this one. These are classics, and worth the price.

Note: As of the time I wrote this review, Amazon.com listed Moore, Rick Veitch, and Ron Randall as "creators" of this book. Moore was sole writer of these comics when they were first published, but he worked with many artists, some of whom aren't properly credited here.

In this third collection of Alan Moore's important and groundbreaking run on the Swamp Thing series, both character development and sheer gothic American horror become the keys. During this period (original issues #35-42), Swamp Thing learns that he is an elemental spirit in true communion with the plant kingdom. This would become monumentally important to the further development of the character. Moore was tackling both social issues and horror devices at this point, and he was delivering tremendous plotlines in all areas. There are werewolves, vampires, and zombies appearing in the series during this stretch, but this is not cheap slasher fare but strong and innovative literary horror writing. On the social commentary side, the first two installments here, "The Nukeface Papers Parts I and II" tackle chemical and nuclear dumping. Moore dives into women's issues quite believably in "The Curse" (an extreme rarity in comics even today), while "Southern Change" and "Strange Fruit" are very disturbing examinations of slavery and racism in the Deep South. This edition of the Swamp Thing series does not contain any written introductions, but there is a gallery of individual covers featuring the always amazing art of Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. For some reason only four of the eight relevant covers are included, and the withholding of cover art is an overall disappointment in this series of graphic novels. However, that is ultimately a minor concern as the incredible work of Moore, Bissette, Totleben, and their other important colleagues has the power to blow the minds of readers of any kind of fiction.

This collection reprints the best issues of Swamp Thing. For those not at all familier with the character, it is an excellently written and drawn comic about a good swamp monster battling evil (and is much better than that description makes it sound).

Notable in this third volume of the series, which reprints the beginning of the "American Gothic" story arc, is Moore's greater use of social critique, elevating these stories above mere entertaining, well-written horror stories. By combining fantastic horrors to such real-life horrors as racism and sexism, these stories are far more effective than any in the earlier collections at terrifying the reader.

In "American Gothic", Swamp Thing is sent scurrying to different parts of the U.S. by a manipulative figure (Jon Constantine) to battle all of the classic horror figures (vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.), but each are handled in an absolutely brilliantly unique and new manner. For example, there is a whole town of vampires living underwater, completely shielded from the sun, in the process of, for the first time, living communally and cooperating to breed a second generation of vampires that are more powerful and horrific (the dedication of the vampires to family is contrasted by the dysfunctional families of the normal humans). The title story, "The Curse", is a unique Werewolf story, tying in the monthly transformation according to the phases of the moon to the menstrual cycle. The Curse was controversial due to its misinterpretation by illiterate readers as being a sexist comment on PMS when in reality it is an extremely feminist story condemning society for its male-driven fear and shunning of the feminine, and the subjugation of women into sexual objects or housewives.

The American Gothic story arc does not conclude in this issue (although the individual stories can be enjoyed on their own) so hopefully a volume 4 will follow.

By this point, Moore was also using word games in his text more frequently (read carefully) adding an extra level of enjoyment. This collection also contains the first appearance of Jon Constantine, and it is a period I miss. Here Constantine is a totally mysterious, manipulative character whose only real power is his mysteriously obtained knowledge and who always adds an element of dark humour (he is still a great character, but far less mysterious, and he now has magical skills, the extent of which appear to change from appearance to appearance).

This collection represents, if not Moore's best, then the best of Swamp Thing.