Swamp Thing: Twin Branches: Volume 1

'Swamp Thing: Twin Branches' by author Maggie Stiefvater and artist Morgan Beem is finally here! I'm so excited to review this lovely graphic novel and I want to thank DC Comics for sending me a free copy to read and share with you! This particular incarnation of the story follows twins Alec and Walker Holland as they leave home to stay with cousins in the country for the summer when things blow up between their parents. One is predominantly introverted, preferring to spend his time alone amongst his experiments and the other is the life of every party.. that person who just walks into a room and automatically seems to make friends. Despite their differences, the brothers are inseparable and Walker continues to push Alec to go out and be social in a somewhat misguided attempt at making him more popular and 'happy.' Unfortunately, the things that make Walker happy are not the same things that fulfill his more studious brother. As the summer progresses, the two seem to go farther and farther in the opposite directions. Walker parties it up and Alec settles into a summer school lab with the local science kids to work on something he brought with him from home. I've always loved the underdog Swamp Thing stories. He's everything we tend to be drawn to over and over.. the King Kong of the swamplands. He's heroic and kind, but deeply misunderstood.. judged often by his frightful visage. First appearing in comics back in 1971 as a stand-alone story, the character was given a series later on. It's even had a couple of theatrical films and a few tv series since. The artwork in this graphic novel is actually fairly diverse in style. Most of the people are simply drawn, which allows the supernatural creatures to really stand out, and they are beautifully dark. Stiefvater build a sweet, relatable relationship between the twins. They don't always get along, but deep down they love each other enough to make sacrifices you might not think they would and they are loyal to the core. I was thrilled with the scientific factoids thrown into the story here and there as well. I love science and read about it casually even now, but I still learned a couple of really fascinating things I didn't know.. which started me down the research rabbit hole right after finishing the book. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone looking for a light, page-turner told with lots of heart. (More reviews like this at Betwixt The Sheets.) (I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)

Beautiful graphics, I loved it!