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.

I wanted to enjoy this, but it just did not appeal to me. The story seemed to drag and the art style used was somewhat off putting. It may appeal to fans of the author and the artist, so I’m going to go with a neutral three stars.

I really wanted to like SWAMP THING: TWIN BRANCHES because I'm a die-hard Maggie Stiefvater fan but this just didn't click for me. It felt like there were a lot of elements that didn't quite come together into one cohesive story: sibling tension, not fitting in with your extended family, trying to figure out how to be true to yourself, and lots and lots of scientific descriptions about Alec's science experiments. Maybe the heavy focus on science would have made more sense if I was familiar with the Swamp Thing character in the context of the larger DC universe, rather than encountering it for the first time in SWAMP THING: TWIN BRANCHES.

Though there were a lot of things that left me confused, I found the graphic novel entertaining and still read it in a single sitting. I think readers who have more experience with the Swamp Thing character may enjoy this a bit more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and DC Comics for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Plants have long been underestimated. Their intelligence put down to instinct. Downplayed to enforce a human-centric world. But plants have lives of secret drama and insight.”

Walker and Alec may look the same, but underneath, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Walker is a social butterfly, while Alec prefers the solitude of the laboratory and has major mad-scientist vibes. The twins are spending their last summer before college in a rural town with their cousins, and it’ll transform them in ways they could've never imagined.

I’m already a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater and Twin Branches brought her work to life in the best way. The twins are vibrant characters and the evolution of their relationship had a very bittersweet, coming-of-age quality. Some of my favorite parts of this book were the breaks in the story when Stiefvater gives us these eerie descriptions of how plants work. It set this spooky tone and built suspense—she’s clearly drawing parallels between the invisible processes in plants and the relationship between the twins, but we don’t quite know where we’re being led yet. There also seems to be a secondary message about nature—the earth is a living, breathing, feeling thing and dangerous when trifled with.

On the downside, at times the story was a bit difficult to follow and I felt like it jumped around. I had trouble interpreting the ending and I’m not 100 percent clear on what happened—I think Stiefvater could’ve spelled it out a little more and still kept that closing mystery intact. I don’t read a lot of graphic novels, but that said, these illustrations weren’t my favorite (I think something darker and sharper and less funny/cartoony would’ve matched the vibe better). Some of the page layouts were also very busy—this was overload on my eyes at times and made it difficult to read (especially since I was reading on a screen vs. in print). Overall this was a fun read and I loved seeing one of my favorite author's work come alive in a graphic novel.

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did!! I'm not that well versed in all the knowledge about Swamp Thing, but this was really good.

Things I loved:
- the romance/relationship between Alec and Abby
- the growth between Alec and Walker
- all the PLANTS

Not so sure about:
- it felt like it skipped around a bit
- I wish there was more explanation on the plant stuff because I was very interested
- the ending was a little confusing and I feel like it could've been a couple more pages

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Maggie Stiefvater has struck again! I loved the concept of sentient plants, it’s always a theory that had intrigued me and this graphic novel does a good job of expanding on it. The artwork was delightful and blue/green hues added to the overall plant theme of the story. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one!

I don't usually read graphic novels but this one peaked my interest. Twins, plants, everything you could possibly want and this one didn't disappoint.

Another wonderful, creative story from Maggie Steifavter! I really loved that this one was a graphic novel. It fit perfectly with the story. All of the illustrations were extremely well done as well. I read Twin Branches in one sitting and got completely lost in the story. I didn’t even realize a couple of hours had passed and it was nighttime! A really great story!

I really liked Alec and the other research “geeks” in the comic. They felt fun and I wanted to experience more from them. Walker was intolerable from the get go, and even his explanation for his actions fell short for me. The cousins felt realistic, like every redneck in the middle of a small town nowhere I’ve ever experienced. Their toxic aggression and violent hobbies all seemed par the course. I know it’s a comic, and I assume it’s a standalone, but the wrap up was pretty quick. It felt like a lot of world building and character creation, only to quickly wrap everything up when one realizes they’re out of time. The ending didn’t surprise me, but that doesn’t mean I loved it either.

For Maggie’s breakout into the comic book realm, I think she did a really good job. I know story telling in the short form that is comics can be tricky, and I would imagine coming from writing novels would be even harder. Maggie did a great job with this, and I would be interested in reading more comics from her- and maybe from Swamp Thing in general!

Full Review: 10/12/2020

thanks NetGalley for the eARC
I don't read a lot of graphic novels or comics or know a lot about Swamp Thing but I enjoyed this.
I really enjoyed the "boris" illustration versions of things, they were spooky beautiful. I'm interested to see whats next!!

2.5
These weren't my favorite illustrations for a graphic novel.
Story-wise...I felt it was missing something. I didn't really connect with the character, some parts didn't seem to flow well. The ending seemed very abrupt. Overall, this left me wishing for more...of a backstory, of a connection, of something.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this an exchange for a review. I walked into this story and not knowing really what to expect. I loved the artwork. I also enjoyed the relationship of the brothers. I almost felt there could have been a little more story.

Rating: 4/5 thoughtful plants

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank DC Comics, Maggie Stiefvater, Morgan Beem, and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To sum up:
This story centers around two twin boys. Walker is the life of the party, but Alec is withdrawn and would rather be alone with his plants. When they go to stay with their rural cousins for the summer before college, their paths start to diverge in new ways. They have always been inseparable, but what they find in the wilds of the swamp will change them both forever.

What I enjoyed:
Full disclosure, I haven’t read a Swamp Thing comic before! That being said, I really loved this comic. First off, it very much feels like a story Maggie Stiefvater wrote. This story is really about two adolescent brothers who are growing and happen to be growing apart for the first time. Their diverging personalities are written with such beautiful detail, they felt very real and vivid to me!

Second, I loved how Stiefvater incorporated scientific topics into this story. As a scientist, I dislike when authors use hand-wavy explanations for why their sci-fi thing works the way it does. I really appreciate that Stiefvater must have a basic understanding of plant biology and genetics (and the microbiome!) to write this story the way she did. That being said, the story didn’t in any way feel bogged down with scientific details. I think she handled the balance of science-ish and supernatural really well.

Lastly, I love what the story had to say about both plants and people. Alec very clearly relates to plants better than people for many reasons, so seeing this story unfold through his eyes was really beautiful. Being very introverted myself, I couldn’t help but relate to Alec’s obsession. My brother is much more of a Walker so I also felt for him and his efforts to continue to connect with his brother as they started to drift apart.

What was meh:
The only minor issue I had with this story was that the art was a little jarring. I like the coloring used, but for some reason, I found the face shapes really odd, which made it hard for me to connect to the story until about halfway through.

Overall, I really enjoyed this comic! I have a feeling that I won’t like the original Swamp Thing as much because it’s not about two moody teenage boys just trying to love each other and grow (classic Stiefvater lolll), but I will definitely give them a shot! I also really want to know what happens next because this one leaves us at somewhat of a cliffhanger!

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for a chance at reviewing this graphic novel. I have to say that the art work and use of different green tones was absolutely beautiful and striking to look at. The graphics were incredibly enjoyable. I also really liked reading about the twins and learning about their relationship. I am a huge fan of botanical and science related stories. This one was creepy and quiet cool. I wish it had been slightly darker but really I enjoyed what Maggie did with this story.

Thank you to DC for sending me a pdf of Swamp Thing for review. #inpartnershipwithdc

I don't think I've read anything by Maggie Stiefvater, but I've really been enjoying the new DC YA graphic novels. This wasn't my favorite, but I did end up liking it a lot and I'm curious to see what will happen in book two.

Walker and Alec are twins getting ready for college. They walk in on their dad cheating on their mom and decide to go spend the summer with their cousins. Walker is outgoing and popular. Alec isn't good with people and prefers to spend his time with his plant research. Alec also has diabetes and his blood sugar has been acting odd. A box of Alec's research fell out of the truck and his cousins's dogs got into the rest of it in the garage. They destroyed his plant, Boris. Alec is devastated. But now the dogs are starting to change. Alec is able to recover some of Boris's solution from them.

Alec meets one person that he seems to connect with, Abby. They hang out a bit and she has a local tree she loves. They're able to talk about plants and science even when it's still awkward. When something happens to the tree, Alec tries to help. Abby uses some of his solution and can see memories from the tree. The dogs have almost completely turned into plants.

We don't actually meet "swamp thing" until the end of the book. There's a lot of science and facts about plants throughout the book. I really enjoyed the art, too.

I gave this 4 stars. Thank you to DC for providing me with a review copy.

Warnings for needles, bullying, cheating. There is quite a bit of swearing in the book (which doesn't bother me, but I know it might bother others).

Only read this if you are okay with watching people be irresponsible with their research. I get that it's a catalyst of the story, but it still irked me to see dangerous solutions spilled everywhere and students testing things on themselves without knowing the full properties of what they were testing.
Overall, I did enjoy this though! Alec is smart, conducting research on plants, but he remains aloof from his socialite brother and the friends that he keeps. I loved the allusions to plants and the way that different plant facts are attributed to the different characters, and how plants and their thoughts are explained in a very believable way.
However, maybe it's just me and my inability to fully process graphic novels, but I felt like there were a lot of holes in the plot (like why are these people kissing now? is this the same party?) and kept on forgetting who the different characters were.
The artwork is chilling and beautiful though, and Maggie Stiefvater is a great writer, and I'm glad to have read this!

This exciting introductory book in the Swamp Thing series will keep readers wanting more! Stievater's modern adaptation of the Swamp Thing lore really connects it to present-day, making it relatable for new readers and old fans alike.

Thank you NetGalley and DC for the e-arc.

As much as I love Maggie Steifvater and DC's recent YA graphic novels, I have to say that I did not vibe with this one. The art was spectacular, but the plot felt convenient and somewhat jumbled at times. I'm an avid comic reader (not as avid as many, I'm aware) but some of the panels did not make a lot of sense to me as far as pacing. I think this comic would have made a better novel than a comic as there is so much going on that it's hard to grasp in such a short amount of time.

I liked the idea of sibling love, but it wasn't coming across that way until the very end. Neither seemed to care much about the other and were just immersed in their own lives. The romance was sweet. I liked that a lot.

Overall, I wasn't fully hooked. I wished I loved this more. It's not a terrible entrance into the comic world by Stiefvater, but it's not her best by far.

This Swamp Thing origin story focuses on Alec Holland (and to a lesser extent his twin brother Walker Holland). Alec feels much more comfortable among plants than he does around humans. When his botany experiment begins to cause strange reactions to anything it touches-- such as turning his cousins' dogs into dog-shaped plant creatures or abruptly changing Alec's blood sugar level (which he monitors due to his T1 Diabetes)-- Alec begins to detach himself more and more from humanity in favor of the plants he loves.

Twin Branches is lovely and creepy and weird. The story mostly feels like a typical YA drama about an anti-social teen with a popular brother, with just touches of speculative weirdness leading up to the fantastical finale. I do wish the story had touched a little more on the relationship between the brothers; though the synopsis and title make it seem like both Alec and Walker are MC's, it's really Alec's story. The character artwork wasn't my style, but the nature art was beautiful and haunting. I don't know anything about Swamp Thing, so I can't speak to that aspect, but Twin Branches seems a perfectly adequate origin story, if a bit constrained by page count.

TW: mild body horror (humans and other animals); parent adultery, bullying and assault

Please note: I was provided a copy of this book as an earc by the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m not that into DC comics and admittedly have never heard of Swamp Thing, but as soon as I saw Maggie was to write a graphic novel, I knew I had to have it. Full disclosure Maggie is one of my all-time favorite authors, I was bound to enjoy this book.

I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I thoroughly enjoyed this! Not only was the story fun but the illustrations done by Morgan Beem were phenomenal. The lifelikeness of the plants and even just the characters were extremely well done.

This is definitely an origin story for Swamp Thing and I really hope we’ll get more books from Maggie and Morgan! By the end of the book I was fascinated with where it was headed and want more of this strange plant-based character!