Review: Swamp Thing Vol. 2: Love and Death

Swamp Thing Vol. 2: Love and Death
Alan Moore
Vertigo (1995), Paperback, 207 pages

‘How deep ...? How deep ... do you ... need ... to bury ... the past ... before it will stay ... dead?’ (p. 15)
‘The mind vanished ... and the flesh vanished ... but the bones ... remained ...’ (p. 29)

This volume starts with an overture: Neil Gaiman introduces the Swamp Thing with his ‘deliciuos’ comments and summary of the stories.
The Bible is the leitmotif of Love and Death: Creation of the world - Hell (or better Inferno), where the Swamp Thing takes a Dante’s journey - Otherworld (also like aliens, with a funny new language: for instance they called the Swamp Thing also The Mudster=the muddy monster).

Human and Inhuman:
‘Dearest Abigail, your grasp of the inhuman is so limited and shallow.’ (p. 63)

Soul and Afterworld:
‘I ripped her soul from her and it pulsed in my hands, milk white and translucent ... and then I hurled it down into the deepest sewers of the afterworld ... just to hear it screams.’ (p. 84)

People and Stories and World (Who is the creator?):
‘There are people. There are stories. The people think they shape the stories, but the reverse is often closer to the truth.
Stories shape the world. They exist independently of people, ...
The glaciers have their legends. The ocean bed entertains its own romance.’ (p. 101)

Understanding:
‘Misteries are wonders that you can ponder and share. Secrets are a burden to carry alone!’ (p. 166)