Swamp Thing: Twin Branches follows twin brothers, Alec and Walker Holland while they go away to their cousin’s house for the summer. While they are in town Walker spends his time hanging out with his cousins going to parties and trying to get Alec to join them. Alec on the other hand, spends his summer trying to restore his ruined plant experiment and with that come many issues.
There is not much I can say without giving spoilers, but I will say that I loved the relationship between Alec and Walker. With them being so different from each other and still caring for the other as much as they did it made them real and relatable to anyone who has siblings or close friends who they view as family. The story itself is science heavy but in a fascinating way with it being about plants and what Alec was trying to do with them.
Overall I found this book to be really enjoyable. I do not know the original stories or characters but I did love this graphic novel. Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is amazing and she made these characters relatable and a joy to read. Morgan Beem’s art was AMAZING. The color scheme throughout the book gave it an eerie yet beautiful vibe which I truly believe makes this book perfect to read during summer, spring, or fall. I believe that this is a great book for any graphic novel fan or for anyone who is a fan of Maggie Stiefvater and wants to give graphic novels a try! Lastly, the ending was so good and is definitely making me want more of these characters!

Thank you NetGalley and Edelweiss for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was okay. I was drawn more to the story and the relationship between the twin brothers more than the folklore behind Swamp Thing. Maybe because that superhero character never appealed to me, even when I was younger. But I feel like a lot of younger readers would enjoy this more. The artwork was the story's stongest aspect.

I loved the art! I can't imagine how long it took to draw all those plants, but they were beautifully done. The story was straightforward and yet not simple, and was filled (as Maggie Stiefvater is so good at doing) with complex emotions and motives. While I wish I knew more about what happened after the end of the story, I think that it was satisfying still. I hope that there are more volumes of this!

Fascinating take on the Swamp Thing mythos. Interesting characters who engage the reader from the start. I really enjoyed this.

Eccentric characters dealing with deep emotions and complex relationships—in other words, this is definitely a Maggie Stiefvater story.

I struggled to get into the first half of the comic, but the second half more than made up for it by punching me in the chest with a heavy dose of empathy for Alec. This is a story about teenagers who struggle finding their place and twin brothers who are separated by their differences. It is also a story about pursuing a passion in life, and there are multiple characters who show positive examples of this. The ending was a bit sudden and has disturbing implications, but Stiefvater is known for open endings that allow the reader to imagine the outcome. I will be thinking about the ending to this story for a while.

I have read quite a few of the other DC teen graphic novels And I love Stiefvater, so even though I don’t know much about Swamp Thing I Felt like I knew what to expect. Unfortunately, I suppose my expectations were a bit high. It had decent character development, but the ending came so quickly that the it was somewhat anticlimactic. The artwork was good and the monochromatic color palette connected with the flora storyline. There were some more mature themes And language that would bump this title up to HS in my opinion more so than some of the DC graphic novels.

Rating 4

I have to start off by saying I love Maggie Stiefvater's books. With that being said the graphic novel "Swamp Thing: Twin Branches" by Maggie Stiefvater was no different. While this book was not my favorite it did not disappoint. The book is a spin on/retelling of DC's character Swamp Thing. You do not need to know anything about that character before reading this because this is her own interpretation. Her story follows twins who are complete opposites, Walker is extremely outgoing while Alec is more reserved. Alec enjoys being left alone to work on his plant research while Walker wants to be surrounded by people at parties. Both characters are relatable, have depth and leave me wanting to know more. I found myself rooting for Alec and hoping his situation would improve. I understand what its like to be so passionate about something and to not be understood by others. But instead to be judged for having a passion. I enjoyed the random facts about plants and felt they mixed in with the story in a clever way. She used plant facts to explain certain emotions and situations without being so direct which I liked. I thought Alec's friend Abby was interesting and I would love to know more about her backstory and what happens to her in the future. The illustrations were unique but took me a little getting used to. I loved the drawings of the creatures but not the characters but that is just my personal opinion.

Should you read "Swamp Thing: Twin Branches"?
Yes! This is a great graphic novel with relatable characters. The ending will leave you wanting more.


**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

A great take on the Swamp Thing origin, the mix of teen angst and science experiments gone awry are perfect. As always with Stiefvater's books, the characters are people you want to spend more time with, I hope there's more to come.

This isn't Maggie Stiefvater's usual lyrical writing style, but this also isn't Maggie's usual book. Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel (and I know nothing about Swamp Thing!). My biggest issue here was the ending. It happened really quickly, and you're left wondering about the fate of the characters. Maybe I'm just confused because I don't have any Swamp Thing lore knowledge, but it really felt like maybe a few more pages might have sufficed in this case. However, I did love the colors and illustrations in this graphic novel! They were so green and on theme, and I enjoyed the plant/educational bits. There are some heavy themes that are fairly depressing in here, so reader be warned.

Once again, Maggie Stiefvater makes the case for herself as one of the most dynamic, atmospheric storyteller around. She takes abstract concepts and roots them firmly in palpable, believable worlds and in the actions of those that inhabit them. In this graphic novel, she takes the idea of Swamp Thing - and not the expected story - and imagines his story retold as a neurodivergent twin whose understanding of plants dwarfs his ability to understand people. Abby Arcane is reimagined as a young, African-American girl whose presence will no doubt show more girls the joy of STEAM and the sciences in general. Alec Holland's reimagining as a teenager is a vastly different take on the character who, originally, was an adult scientist. And yet somehow it's very familiarly "Swamp Thing" in how it treats nature with care and as a living system.

The artwork is dynamic, supporting the narrative threads with equally stunning, organic renderings of people, plants, animals, and the otherworldly fusions one expects of Swamp Thing. The color choices punch through the page, at once grounded in the real world and existing in the realms of the imaginary. Somehow, Morgan Beam is able to blend the fantastical with the (comic book) real seamlessly.

This book is appropriate for middle and high school students. Unlike other Swamp Thing entries that sit firmly in the horror genre (as far as the images are concerned), this one is more comfortable in the science fiction realm. The only pseudo-scary image is that of skeleton dogs fused with plant matter and the ultimate Swamp Thing reveal. Still, thanks in large part to whimsical color choices, they rest more firmly in the realm of dreams than nightmares.

I HIGHLY recommend this for all libraries, especially as an example of how graphic novels can be literary and worthy of academic scrutiny, while also being able to be enjoyed for fun.

Fans of the other DC YA graphic novels will likely appreciate this one as well. Various shades of green dominate the art and that works really well for this Swamp Thing origin story. Although this is a Swamp Thing origin story, it's also a story of family and identity. It doesn't feel like a superhero story, it's much more character-driven than action-driven.

Gorgeous illustrations, compelling story! I love Maggie Stiefvater's books, and this did not disappoint. I am always excited for more great graphic novels to offer my students.

Going into reading this book, I didn't know a lot about Swamp Thing. I have read most of the other DC teen graphic novels, so I had an open mind about this. Overall, it fell a little flat for me. Like all of the other DC graphic novels, it had great character development and served as a good superhero origin story. I didn't really connect with the story or the art style. I also didn't like the rather abrupt ending. There was also language and mature themes that made this skew a little older than some of the DC graphic novels. I think this will appeal to fans of DC comics, but it wasn't my favorite.

Ugh, this was so good. It’s fully colorized, but the pages are overwhelmingly dark, cool greens. Beem’s jagged illustrations fit Stiefvater’s “misunderstood teenage dirtbag” characters (a la Ronan Lynch from the Raven Boys) so well. Swamp Thing is one of the DC properties I know the least about, but this seems to be a pretty solid teen-centric origin story. No, it’s not exactly the same—for one thing they’re in Virginia rather than Louisiana—but it hits all the right notes. Now that I have an origin story I’m ready for adventures! More please!

Have you ever wondered how Swamp Thing came to be? Maggie Stiefvater gives us her version of twin brothers, one a science minded shy nerd, the other a super popular heartthrob. The science minded brother (who is in highschool by the way) has been trying to prove that plants have a memory and feelings, and that he can reincarnate those memories through the generations. But after the brothers catch their father with a woman who is NOT their mom, they are shipped off to cousins for the summer. And that is where things get interesting. Unfortunately there were some accidents with the science experiments, and eventually a swamp thing is born. This title is a little slow. The dynamic between the brothers is interesting because Swamp Thing is normally seen as a scary being, but he starts out so mild mannered. There have been so many one off GN of comic characters lately it will be interesting to see if this book gets a sequel. It stands on its own, but I would like to see where the story was taken next. BTW the illustrations are fantastic.

Twin brothers Alec and Walker take center stage in this reboot of Swamp Thing.
Alec is quiet, introverted, and would rather spend his time around plants. They are easier to figure out and understand, where as words seem to get him into trouble. His brother Walker is the exact opposite of him, the life of the party and all around fun guy. Both boys are sent to spend the summer with family when they catch their father cheating on their mother. Alec, a burgeoning scientist, brings some of his work along for the ride with him and things start to get out of control.
The art is beautifully paired with Stiefvater’s writing. She is skilled at magical realism and it’s worked into the story beautifully and the artwork further enhances the slow horror that is overtaking the story, and the expected dread that creeps into this small sleepy town after Alec’s experiment gets loose.
A really bizarre, beautiful read.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Maybe the biggest difference between humans and plants isn't whether plants think, but what they think about."

This reboot of Swamp Thing follows twins Alec and Walker, one reserved and one outgoing. After a shakeup in their family, they go to stay with country cousins for the remainder of the summer. Alec, a burgeoning scientist, brings along his experiments with a plant he calls Boris, but it is damage in transit and he finds that he must start all over again. While Walker wants to get into the local scene (parties and mailbox smashing) Alec, a socially anxious guy, finds friends with some other science buffs using the lab he moves into.

Breem's psychadelic colors, and original and diverse characters give life to Stiefvater's trademarked magical realism, human relationship, and light horror story telling.

Thanks NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Didn't have the lyricism that usually carries me through Stiefvater books, and I couldn't get involved in the storyline. It was good--I can see it appealing to people--just not my style.

This graphic novel was interesting. I found the artwork to be entrancing and the characters were compelling. I hope there is a sequel!

A fresh take on the swamp thing story. The illustrations were amazing and the plot connected with the reader in showing it’s ok to stand out and be different.