Creepy Comics Cavalcade: Don’t Cross The Green In ‘Legend Of The Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular’

One of the staples of the last three months of every year is DC Comics’ seasonal anthology specials. Most years they’re a mixed bag with new writers and young artists getting tryouts. Recently though, DC published one that was something special, and it’s worth revisiting.

Halloween 2020 was definitely an unusual one for all of us. Because of that, I think a lot of people missed the Legend of Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular (despite the title you can’t miss). This was an absolutely special book, with six stories by some of the biggest talents in comics. I mean, look at this team- Ram V, Mike Perkins, Andy Troy, Aditya Bidikar, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Dominike Stanton, Jeremiah Skipper, Dave Sharpe, VIta Ayala, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire, Ariana Maher, Julian Lytle, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, Clayton Cowles, James Tynion IV, Christian Ward, and Travis Lanham.

Any one of those creative teams would carry a special like this on their own. And yet, we got SIX.

After Alex Holland helps rescue a lost child from a misguided member of the Parliament of the Trees, he takes the time to comfort Mother Willow. To quiet her fears, Alec tells her six tales of Swamp Things past, and their interactions with other humans. Some are comforting, some are terrifying, but all of them tell the power of the Avatar of the Green.

I don’t know how editor Alex Carr got this creative team in one special, but this was an incredible read cover to cover. Normally in an anthology special like this, one story stands out, a few of them are entertaining but forgettable, and there’s always a stinker or two. That’s not even remotely the case in this special, even more notable considering that it’s only 50 pages.

Johnson and Stanton’s Roman Empire-set story is grotesquely frightening. Ayala and Rios shows how you should not cross the Swamp Thing, as well as the power of a family. Tynsion and Ward’s story is one of creeping dread and horror, building up to a peaceful moment of catharsis. Lytle and Timms’ story of a Japanese soldier who is still fighting WWII is perhaps the most tragic.

Ram and Perkins bookend the one shot with two sweet shorts. I don’t remember if their Swamp Thing run had started yet or not, but it showed in just a few pages why their run is so well loved. They really aren’t much more than bookends plot-wise, but both shorts pack in so much emotion that it’s well worth picking up to get a teaser for their well-loved run.

For a 50 page one-shot, it feels like much more. Any DC Universe fan should read it, doubly so as a fan of the darker side of the DCU.

Legends of the Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular can be found on all digital comics platforms, and in the back issue bins of your local comic shop.