Issue #3

Cover Impressions:

Decent cover, looks like Swamp Thing is fighting vampire hobos on a train?

Swamp Thing #3 (July, 1982)
Title: A Town Has Turned To Blood
Credits:
Writer-Martin Pasko
Art-Tom Yeates
Editor-Len Wein
Colorist-Tatjana Wood
Letterer-John Costanza

Still the same crew as last issue.

Plot:

Swamp Thing and Casey are on a westbound train in Illinois, when they are attacked by a group of vampires [Vampire Hobos, yes! No, they are just punk emo town kid vampires.].  During the struggle Swamp thing is thrown from train without Casey. Later Swamp Thing joins forces with the only four remaining people ( a man named Larry, his son Steven, Larry's sister Hillary and her son Bob) in town to fight the vampires. The group splits up, Larry takes his son to blow the dam which will flood the town killing the vampires by immersing them in running water.  Meanwhile Swamp Thing, Hillary and her son fight the vampires in town and tragically Hillary is turned into a vampire. Swamp Thing later stakes her through the heart to save Bob. Swampy then rescues Bob from the flooding and then continues on his way (without Bob) to find Casey. This issue also introduces Liz Treymane who is an investigative reporter and the author of the book about Swamp Thing (which was shown in issue #1) in Pineboro, Arkansas  investigating a child murder on the loose in the area.

Remarks:

The vampires felt more like scary monster of the week rather than any real usefulness of the overall ongoing plot of the series. However it was a pretty gruesome issue, Larry sacrificing himself and his son to destroy the dam. Bob's mother was turned into a vampire and of course Swamp Thing killed her right in front of her son. Also to add insult to the pain of losing his family, Swamp Thing leaves Bob behind in the now destroyed town. Kind of a jerk move Swampy, leaving a kid all alone to fend for himself. Sure maybe he just assumed the other town folk would come back and take care of Bob. Would you move back to a destroyed town that may be infested with vampires?

Grade: C+