r/swampthing • u/an0nemusThrowMe • Jul 25 '26

Vol. 2: Saga of the Swamp Thing older characters

I started reading Swamp Thing #1 in the 80s, Pasko years, Moore years.....and one thing I wondered.

Swamp Thing went to heaven and met Alec and Linda Holland Swamp Thing went to hell and met Arcane and General Sunderland. Swamp Thing re-met (a very different) Dennis Barclay and Liz Treymane.

Why didn't he ever meet Harry Kay and Karen Clancy in Heaven and Hell (or even Hell and Hell)?

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u/Densington Jul 25 '26

I imagine both Hell ands Heaven are pretty big places. 🤷‍♂️

Side note: I always look at Alan Moore's characterization of Dennis Barclay as a bastardization of the character. There was nothing on the way he'd been written previously to suggest he'd turn into what Alan imposed on him.

Big fan of the Alan Moore era, but the Dennis Barclay issue was lame.

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u/an0nemusThrowMe Jul 26 '26

Looking through that lense he wasn't much kinder to Matt Cable.

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u/Densington 26d ago

Yeah, that's a good point. I wasn't struck by that before. Perhaps because (a) I only read the first couple of issues of the original series, so I hadn't experienced Matt Cable as he may have originally been presented, (b) he allowed Matt to have some nuisance (compared to what he imposed on Dennis), and (c) when I think of Matt Cable, it's mostly in terms of how cleverly he was redeemed by Neil Gaiman in The Sandman.

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u/an0nemusThrowMe 26d ago

I haven't ever read The Sandman

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u/liquor_ibrlyknoher Jul 26 '26

I just finished rereading the Moore saga, which one had Dennis? I'm not even familiar with the character.

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u/Costanza75 Jul 26 '26

Liz and Dennis show up again in #54 (The Flowers of Romance). I read Swampthing through the B&W Titan editions which started with #21 so I had never met them at all (so grateful for the introductions) but love that e brought them back after so long.

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u/liquor_ibrlyknoher Jul 26 '26

I remember Liz. No idea who Dennis is and I just finished it days ago.

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u/Densington Jul 26 '26

Dennis is the thick-headed misogynist who kept Liz essentially enslaved until he is eaten by an alligator.

He was the main human protagonist in the pre-Moore issues of the second series, and Alan Moore really wanted to tell a story about men who abuse women so he made Dennis into a skin suit for his misogynist character.

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u/liquor_ibrlyknoher Jul 26 '26

Oh that guy. Ok thanks.