If I had to use only one word to describe Swamp Thing: Twin Branches, I’d definitely go with ‘stunning’. Superhero origin stories are obviously the best things ever, so of course I had sky high expectations of this book, and I’m very happy to tell you all that it was fantastic!
Now, I’m not someone who’s very familiar with the DC Universe, and I’ll admit I only heard about Swamp Thing for the first time when this book was announced. What initially drew me to this book was the fact that it’s written by Maggie Stiefvater, one of my insta-buy authors; but the first look at the interior artwork immediately made Swamp Thing: Twin Branches one of my most anticipated books for 2020, because holy wow, would you look at that gorgeous art style?
Before I get into the review, here’s something I think you should know before picking this up, especially if you’re unfamiliar with Swamp Thing like I had been: this book is seriously creepy. Illustrator Morgan Beem does a crazy good job of capturing the animal/human to plant transformations, and those illustrations really are the stuff of nightmares. So, if you think seeing deformed animals/humans might be triggering for you, you probably want to avoid this book.
Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is the story of Alec and Walker, twin brothers who are the polar opposites of each other. Alec is the quiet and shy botany nerd, while Walker is the extrovert. The summer before the two begin college, they get sent to live with their cousins in the country. Walker just wants to spend the whole summer partying hard, but Alec would like nothing but to hide away at the summer school laboratory and conduct his experiment on accessing the memory of plants and making it possible for humans to understand their language. Little do they know that Alec’s project does it work a little too well, and their summer is about to get a whole lot weirder and spookier than any of them could possibly have imagined…
I’m very much in awe of the way both creators have managed to pack so much detailed characterisation within only a couple hundred pages. Alec is a character I think most readers would relate to. For those of you who know DC’s Swamp Thing aka Alec Holland as the monstrous, grotesque, supernatural being, this book should come as a surprise to you, because the Alec we see here is just a teenage boy, who prefers the company of plants over humans and is always doing his absolute best to avoid any form of socialisation (which, in all honesty, is #relatable). He has always lived in his charming and charismatic brother’s shadow, desperate to escape people’s judgement, and his constant struggle to fit in deeply resonated with me.
As for Walker, I came to adore him so much more than I had expected to! I loved how supportive he was of Alec even when he couldn’t understand what was going on with his brother, and I do wish we had gotten to see a little more of him. At the heart of the story is, of course, the heartwarming relationship the twins share; I definitely cried a little every time I found them showing up and being there for each other despite having their differences and each of them carrying heavy emotional baggage of his own. There’s also a romance in this book that, while being only a subplot, worked out surprisingly well.
Maggie’s storytelling is, as always, mystical, beautiful, and just a little on the bizarre side. Morgan Beem’s art is alluring and atmospheric, and I loved the colour palettes that went with the story so well; you wouldn’t be able to stop turning the pages. When it comes to the pacing of the story, Swamp Thing: Twin Branches isn’t as swift as most graphic novels; instead it allows you time to soak in the words and savour the illustrations thoroughly, and the relatively slow pace was something that I felt suited Alec’s story perfectly, who himself says at one point: “The world goes too fast. I want time to watch and think about what everything means,…”
With all of that said, I did have one issue with Swamp Thing: Twin Branches: the ending seemed very abrupt; it’s bound to leave you dissatisfied and wanting more. I was wrapped up in the story enough for the ending to seem jarring, and I felt incredibly betrayed when I found out that the book does not, in fact, go on forever. So rude.
Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is a very bittersweet story; it’s dark and heavy and sad, but it’s also hopeful in a really sweet manner. If you are a fan of superhero stories, I’m pretty sure it’s already on your TBR, and if you are someone who loves graphic novels and fantasy stories in general, I’d urge you to pick this up too; because I can assure you the book is wild, arresting and unpredictable in ways you’d never see coming.
Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 13th 2020.
Will you be picking up Swamp Thing: Twin Branches? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Twins Alec and Walker Holland have a reputation around town. One is quiet and the other is the life of any party, but they are inseparable. For their last summer before college, the two leave the city to live with their rural cousins, where they find that the swamp holds far darker depths than they could have imagined.
While Walker carves their names into the new social scene, Alec recedes into a summer school laboratory, because he brought something from home on their trip—it’s an experiment that will soon consume him. This season, both brothers must confront truths, ancient and familial, and as their lives diverge, tensions increase and dormant memories claw to the surface.
