43 Years Later, Alan Moore's Best Comic Is This Underrated Gem Even Diehard Fans Missed

Published Oct 11, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

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43 years later, Alan Moore’s best comic just might be this underrated gem that fans have overlooked. Regarded as one of the best comic book writers of all time, Alan Moore almost single-handedly revolutionized the genre in the 1980s, thanks to titles such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell.

Alan Moore came to American comics in the early 1980s, after having worked in the British scene for a few years. Moore’s earliest mainstream work appeared in publications such as Warrior and the seminal British magazine 2000 AD. Moore also did extensive work for Marvel UK, and his tenure writing Captain Britain is especially notable. Moore jumped to America in 1983, taking over the writing reins on DC’s floundering Saga of the Swamp Thing title. Moore was handpicked for the assignment by Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein.

Saga of the Swamp Thing had been created to capitalize on Wes Craven’s live-action film starring the character. However, the film flopped with critics and at the box office, leaving the book drifting with no real direction. A revolving team of creators took turns chronicling Swamp Thing’s adventures, but nothing resonated. When Moore took over, he was essentially given license to do whatever he wished with the character. And while issue 21, the infamous “The Anatomy Lesson,” is regarded as the true “kick-off” point for Moore’s run, the issue before it, also written by Moore, is in fact just as important.

"Loose Ends" Is An Underrated Alan Moore Story

The aptly-titled “Loose Ends,” appearing in Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, was written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dan Day. The story opens in the aftermath of Doctor Anton Arcane’s death. The demented scientist seemingly perishes in a plane crash, and Swamp Thing surveys the wreckage, confirming that his persistent nemesis is indeed dead. Arcane’s demise forces Swamp Thing to reflect on his relationship with Arcane. Moore uses the occasion to wax poetic on the role of characters like Swamp Thing in the modern world, foreshadowing issues that would play out later in his run.

Moore uses the occasion to wax poetic on the role of characters like Swamp Thing in the modern world, foreshadowing issues that would play out later in his run.

Meanwhile, a newer adversary, General Sunderland, is making his moves. He has been on the trail of Swamp Thing, desiring to capture the creature to dissect it. Sunderland tries to strike at Swamp Thing through his friends Dennis Barclay and Liz Tremayne, planting a bomb in the couple’s hotel room. They narrowly avoid being killed, and go into hiding afterward. Tremayne had been an important character in Saga of the Swamp Thing up to that point, but Moore took her off the table in a dignified way. Tremayne would return in later Swamp Thing runs.

The issue ends by setting the stage for “The Anatomy Lesson.” Sunderland sends in his troops to attack Swamp Thing, who makes a valiant stand, but is quickly overwhelmed. The defeated Swamp Thing is then taken by Sunderland back to his lab, where he is eager to crack the creature’s code. The issue’s final panel shows Swamp Thing lying on a slab, seemingly comatose.

Alan Moore's First Swamp Thing Story Is Grand in Ambition

While “The Anatomy Lesson” is regarded as a modern classic, “Loose Ends” is important as well. Alan Moore had his own ideas for how he was to write Swamp Thing, but inherited someone else’s characters and storylines. Moore needed a way to bring two years worth of stories to an end, as well as lay the foundation for his own run. Moore manages to do both of these things with skill and ease, while respecting the work of his predecessors.

Anton Arcane was one such loose end. Arcane had been Swamp Thing’s primary foe since the character appeared in the early 1970s, and their destinies seemed warp and woof, but Moore showed this is not the case. Moore wanted to push Swamp Thing into new territory when it came to villains, so it was imperative he found something to do with Arcane. Swamp Thing’s reflections on Arcane only fill up the first few pages of “Loose Ends” before moving on, as if the villain is no longer important.

Furthermore, there was clearly no place for Liz Tremayne in Moore’s Swamp Thing plans. Tremayne was an investigative journalist on Swamp Thing’s trail, eventually becoming his friend. Previous Saga of the Swamp Thing creators crafted a large supporting cast, but Moore paired it down, shifting the focus almost exclusively to Swamp Thing and Abby. He would introduce new characters to the DC Universe during this run, most famously John Constantine. However, Liz and the rest had to go.

"Loose Ends" Also Foreshadows What Was To Come For Swamp Thing

“Loose Ends” is notable because not only does it tie up previous plot points, but also looks ahead to the greatness on the horizon. Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing was deeply philosophical, with ruminations on the nature of God, evil and the environment. “Loose Ends” features a sequence where Swamp Thing reflects on the modern world, believing that there is no place for monsters like him and Arcane in it.

Swamp Thing’s musings on monsters are ironic in light of the fact that, in just a few years, he will be instrumental in saving the universe. In Moore’s epic “American Gothic” story, Swamp Thing prevented the Great Darkness from destroying creation. While it is impossible to speculate if The Great Darkness was Moore’s long-term plan or not, the writer was still seeing potential in Swamp Thing, even if the character himself did not.

The Great Darkness would return in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.

And while “Loose Ends” disposes of most of the book’s supporting cast, a few make it to the end, namely Abby Arcane and her husband Matthew Cable. Within a few years, the duo would be divorced, and Abby in Swamp Thing’s arms. Cable, giving into dark visions as well as alcoholism, eventually died but was reborn as Matthew the Raven. “Loose Ends” hints at Matthew’s dark fate, and while once again it is hard to know what Moore had intended for the character, he was nevertheless planting the seeds for something to happen. Abby in particular was important to Moore’s run on Swamp Thing.

DC Has Had A Cagey Relationship With "Loose Ends"

"Loose Ends" Needs a Re-evaluation

All of this adds up to make “Loose Ends” one of the most important issues of Swamp Thing, as well as an underrated gem in Alan Moore’s bibliography. Much of the critical analysis of Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing begins with “The Anatomy Lesson.” For many years, DC did not reprint “Loose Ends” in its collections of Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing work, only bringing it back into circulation a little over a decade ago.

Today, fans can read “Loose Ends” as easily as “The Anatomy Lesson,” and it is time the former gets a reevaluation. While “The Anatomy Lesson” is flawless, brimming with tension before giving way to one of the most talked-about endings in comic book history, “Loose Ends” is the calm before the storm. “Loose Ends” gave American audiences a taste of what was to come under Alan Moore, and its impact is still being felt today.