Walking Corpses & Conscious Plants: Possibilist Ecologies in ...

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Bingham 108 Undeniably, the success of the revamped work is directly related to its development from a previously established project. Continuing the discussion of issues posed by the first version of the series which relate to the formation and restriction of communities, Saga of the Swamp Thing expands the discourse surrounding these topics through content detailing violent transformations of the body which results in physical and conscious change among characters. Unlike the earlier version, this tale would not be of an unattainable quest to regain humanity. Instead, the premise of the story shifts to an interrogation of the appearance of consciousness in forms outside of embodied human subjectivity when Alec Holland's identity is severed from Swamp Thing's. According to Moore, “The main thing I wanted to understand was the character himself. I wanted a credible scientific explanation for the Swamp Thing. There were some things in the origin that bothered me. His being a plant hadn't been explored in depth” (Lawley & Whitaker 35). Attempting to build a more believable background and develop the character's potential with greater social relevance, Moore suggested a narrative where the Swamp Thing was never human but rather a completely different type of existential being. To understand how this work can reveal patterns of imbalance within community structure and begin to unsettle public acceptance of such matters, we can again turn to Moore's vision of comics presenting an opportunity for communal ownership. He poses a general question regarding the purpose and potential of artistic expression during an interview with Bookforum's Steve Erickson: As a culture we've reached a point where it's possible to think of history, time, and existence in a different way, and if literature has a function, it may lie in the assimilation of difficult new worldviews and their implications, brought on
Bingham 109 by the inexorable progression of technologies. If art isn't here to help us comprehend the strange, unprecedented thing we're becoming, what is it here for? (Alan Moore, Bookforum Summer 2001, pg. 29) According to Moore, art and literature, specifically, propose a new manner of perception which helps deconstruct the unfamiliar into terms which can be interpreted and may ultimately alter previously held views. Notice that the goal is not a total replacement or substitution of the old perspective with the view presented by the work, but rather “assimilation” or incorporation. The early views an individual has regarding a particular topic before encountering a work which comments upon that issue is still valuable, even when new points of view are revealed. Likewise, the knowledge which can be obtained by looking to the themes expressed by art is additive and facilitates inclusion and identification. This process does not merely conserve previously held beliefs or eliminate the differences made apparent through interaction with new material. Rather, works of art represent information in a way which demands interpretation. Through engagement, a viewer or reader must actively attempt to deconstruct meaning through the finished piece beyond simple acceptance or rejection. While performing this analytical process, he or she modifies old methods of order and gauges personal conclusions against the expression of other individuals. In this respect, art can be seen as a process of building dependent upon the input of multiple individuals. This further illustrates how this series can be read as an example which highlights the interconnected nature of human existence. Equally as important as Moore's vision to the project's unprecedented success were the artists who had taken over the title before he had arrived: penciler Steven Bissette and inker John Totleben. Before working together on Saga of the Swamp Thing, the two had met years prior while they
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Bingham 3 I owe an extreme debt of
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Bingham 5 Introduction My project e
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Bingham 7 personal growth through t
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Bingham 9 beliefs. Seeing a possibl
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Bingham 11 zombie exceeds death as
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Bingham 13 the validity of singular
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Bingham 15 Chapter I: The History o
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Bingham 17 Swamp Thing. According t
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Bingham 19 instructional profession
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Bingham 21 Another artist who worke
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Bingham 23 action into panels (Cohn
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Bingham 25 sponsorship. He designed
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Bingham 27 Charles Moulton. Marston
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Bingham 29 Frederick Wertham prompt
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Bingham 31 “graphic novel” was
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Bingham 33 what is or isn't a graph
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Bingham 35 Works Cited Benton, Mike
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Bingham 37 Chapter II: Transfusion
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Bingham 39 conflict or war. This ex
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Bingham 41 and dismember other bodi
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Bingham 43 bodies to pieces. (Cavar
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Bingham 45 thus creating an affecti
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Bingham 47 margins. Unlike the four
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Bingham 53 Amy (Figure 10 & 11). Th
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Bingham 55 being who has done nothi
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