Written and Illustrated by Kirk Scroggs
Published by DC Zoom
Pages: 160
Retail: $9.99
Earlier this year, when DC Comics announced the inaugural line-up of it’s DC Ink and DC Zoom imprint, I had mixed feelings about this book. For one thing, I wasn’t very sure if I liked the idea behind the Swamp Kid or not. For one thing, the character of Swamp Thing has never been a G-rated property. Plus, to have such a gothic character rebooted as a Diary of a Wimpy Kid arch-type just seemed wrong to me. So, when this book debuted in October for sale, I waited.
That wait came to an end when I found a copy of The Secret Spiral of the Swamp Kid at my local library. I must say- I was pleasantly surprised. The character of Russell Weinwright, AKA Swamp Kid, is NOT the Alec Holland Swamp Thing! But I don’t think that Russell is entirely a new character either.
On more than one occasion, Russell is referred to as ‘Little Sprout.’ That’s a term referred to the character of Tefe Holland; the daughter of Swamp Thing. So, is there some sort of reverse gender bias here? If there is, this all went under the radar of an otherwise hyper-sensitive cache of modern comic book fans who fall into fervor over such recastings...
I was very pleased with all of the Easter eggs peppered throughout this book. First, there is the name of the Swamp Kid: Russell Weinwright. It’s a portmanteau of Swamp Thing creators Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Then you’ve got several Swamp Thing baddies here. Plus, references to other DC heroes and maybe a cameo or two!
Designing this book to be like a kid’s private journal has been done to death. But with the doodles and clever side bars, it really worked this time. While I wouldn’t mind seeing further adventures of the Swamp Kid, I hope DC limits themselves to utilizing this sort of format in it’s future all-ages works. Because like I said, this writing method is getting a little stale in my opinion.
As I mentioned earlier, I would like to see more of Russel Weinwright. But honestly, I’d like to see him pop up in the pages of a mature Swamp Thing title. I think he’d make a great addition to the Swamp Thing family tree. If DC Comics follows suit with this idea, this graphic novel might actually shoot up in value as it would be the first appearance of the character!
This was a fun read that doesn’t seek to reboot the Swamp Thing franchise. Instead, it adds a somewhat fresh take on a fan favorite character! Good job DC! Keep it up!
The Secret Spiral of the Swamp Kid debuted in print and digital formats on October 1st, 2019.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars
This review was originally published on Outrightgeekery.com.
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