The DCU Swamp Thing Reboot Has To Adapt The Classic Alan Moore Comics Run, Right?

Certain elements of Moore’s run featured in the 2019 show, which introduced a versions of Jason “The Floronic Man” Woodrue — whom Moore introduced as Swamp Thing’s villainous counterpart — and explored the true nature of the titular character, as well as his-slash-its relationship with Abby Arcane. The series also uses Moore’s groundbreaking version of Swamp Thing’s origin story — that he isn’t Alec Holland, but a genuinely inhuman elemental being that merely retains some of Holland’s memories, and shapes itself as a rough approximation of a humanoid. 

However, Moore’s run is much more than the Floronic Man storyline. His “The Saga of the Swamp Thing” era is a treasure trove of gloomy storylines, pockmarked with appearances by both Batman-level superstars and ultra-obscure, reimagined characters. The comic also introduced us to a certain trenchcoat-rocking trickster magician called John Constantine, and to key elements of Swamp Thing lore like the Parliament of Trees. In other word, it’s a perfect way to establish the most interesting version of Swamp Thing in the DCU, while still retaining the potential to bring in just as many other comics characters as necessary.  

Moore’s Swamp Thing is less about traditional superhero stuff and more about psychological eco-horror, so it’s not the easiest batch of comic book stories to draw inspiration from. Still, after things like Netflix’s “Sandman,” the discussion about some comics being unfilmable is definitely losing steam, so Moore’s take on Swamp Thing is definitely doable in live-action format — and since no other creator has been more instrumental to the character’s modern-day interpretation, it’s hard to see the DCU movie drawing inspiration from his work. 

Expect Moore himself to like the end result just as much as he’s enjoyed all the previous adaptations of his work, though. After all, he even had harsh words for HBO’s Emmy-winning “Watchmen.”

Certain elements of Moore’s run featured in the 2019 show, which introduced a versions of Jason “The Floronic Man” Woodrue — whom Moore introduced as Swamp Thing’s villainous counterpart — and explored the true nature of the titular character, as well as his-slash-its relationship with Abby Arcane. The series also uses Moore’s groundbreaking version of Swamp Thing’s origin story — that he isn’t Alec Holland, but a genuinely inhuman elemental being that merely retains some of Holland’s memories, and shapes itself as a rough approximation of a humanoid. 

However, Moore’s run is much more than the Floronic Man storyline. His “The Saga of the Swamp Thing” era is a treasure trove of gloomy storylines, pockmarked with appearances by both Batman-level superstars and ultra-obscure, reimagined characters. The comic also introduced us to a certain trenchcoat-rocking trickster magician called John Constantine, and to key elements of Swamp Thing lore like the Parliament of Trees. In other word, it’s a perfect way to establish the most interesting version of Swamp Thing in the DCU, while still retaining the potential to bring in just as many other comics characters as necessary.  

Moore’s Swamp Thing is less about traditional superhero stuff and more about psychological eco-horror, so it’s not the easiest batch of comic book stories to draw inspiration from. Still, after things like Netflix’s “Sandman,” the discussion about some comics being unfilmable is definitely losing steam, so Moore’s take on Swamp Thing is definitely doable in live-action format — and since no other creator has been more instrumental to the character’s modern-day interpretation, it’s hard to see the DCU movie drawing inspiration from his work. 

Expect Moore himself to like the end result just as much as he’s enjoyed all the previous adaptations of his work, though. After all, he even had harsh words for HBO’s Emmy-winning “Watchmen.”