By Comix
Every comic company has one: some strange creature forever creeping in the back issues of long forgotten comics, popping up occasionally in an obscure reference only to sink back down into the depths of imagination. A creation that demands unflinching dedication to its story, a reflection not only of the worlds ills, but of the sickness of the human mind. Swamp Thing, from DC comics, has fulfilled just that role for decades. He has managed to sludge his way into the fevered brains of some of the comic industry’s greatest writers, and was one of the first ‘monsters’ to inspire the wave of Gothic tales of the macabre and dark fantasy in the late 80’s to early 90’s. With his tangled vines and tangled lives, Swamp Thing is as much of an enigma now as he was when he was first introduced in 1971, but that’s why I’m here. Come with me, my fellow ghouls, as I lead you through the creature’s dark history.
Swamp Thing has generally been accepted as more of an entity than the persona of a human, which explains why there have been about five people to take up his mantle. He also has a plethora of powers, most notably the power to control plants and plaster himself with them like a shield, and super strength. Most recently he has also gotten the power to fly, but more on that later. When Swamp Thing first appeared in the July 1971 issue of House of Secrets (a horror comic anthology), there were no real indications of super-powers at the time. The story mostly focused on scientist Alex Olsen, who, after an attempt on his life, finds himself altered by the chemicals of a nearby swamp. After the change, he lumbers his way back to his lab and kills the man responsible for his near death, but unfortunately, cannot communicate to his wife who he is. Dejected, he sinks back down into the swamps in shame.
The character and story were created by long time DC employees, Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. Interestingly enough, at the time of Swamp Thing’s debut there was some controversy about the similarity between the character and Marvel’s Man-Thing, especially seeing as how Wein, just a month earlier, wrote the second ever Man-Thing story. The two character’s looks and origins were so similar that Marvel was considering suing over the rights, but during a mediation, both companies decided against it when it was realized that both the creatures were a bit too similar to a 1930s character known as The Heap. After the success of the House of Secrets one-shot, Wein and Wrightson went on to do Swamp Thing’s first on-going series from 1972 to 1976 (with one of Man-Thing’s creators penning some of the later issues). They revised the story, this time using a new character, Alec Holland (who became a more or less the permanent Swamp Thing,) as the receptacle for the mushy entity. A few more characters were tossed in, such as Anton Arcane, Swamp Thing’s arch-nemesis, and his niece Abby Arcane, Swamp Things hot lady friend, both whom became staples of the franchise. They also introduced the super creepy Un-Men, who bounced in and out of the DC universe, and Matthew Cable who, oddly enough, went on to be Dream’s raven in DC/Vertigo’s The Sandman.
That series ran twenty four issues before cancellation, but it wouldn’t be long before Swamp Thing was seen again, this time in a companion comic to Wes Craven’s 1982 Swamp Thing movie. While the film itself proved to pretty well received, it was the comic re-launch that really changed the landscape of the character. First written by Martin Pasco, the aptly titled The Saga of Swamp Thing also focused on Alec Holland and his treks through the wild unknown. After Pasco left the series in 1983, the great and famous Alan Moore picked up the title of author and immediately re-worked the direction of the comic. It was thanks to his creativity that Swamp Thing became the first horror comic to work from a more literary standpoint than a pure horror one. Swamp Thing began to focus not just on scaring readers, but on the environment, spiritualism, and human connection. It was here that Moore also introduced The Green, a world-spanning natural presence that tied all plant/animal life together, with Swamp Thing as its unwavering protector. Praised as being one of the finest examples of illustrated work, it was also the first comic to completely toss aside the Comic Code and be aimed specifically at a mature audience. Also, Moore introduced some idiot named John Constantine, but it’s like, whatever.
Moore was responsible for issues #20-64, and after a very successful three year run left the series in September 1987, leaving the story to be written by a series of changing authors. Most notable of these are Rick Veitch and Nancy A. Collin, the former continuing on the Alan Moore version while the latter revised the story back to the pre-Moore days (and took a lot of abuse for it). It was also during Collin’s run that the Swamp Thing moved over to the new, adult-themed Vertigo imprint with issue #129 so it could continue uninhibited. After a revolving door of writers and the dropping of “Saga” from the title, the series eventually ended up in the lap of Grant Morrison who wrote another twenty five issues and finally ended with Mark Millar on issue #171.
The following two series never quite managed to live up to the epic that the second series was, but they did manage to flesh out more of Swamp Thing’s side characters, mainly Tefe Holland, Alec Holland’s daughter from the Moore run. She also became the third recipient of Swamp Thing’s powers, but instead of just controlling plants she also controlled flesh as well, thanks to John Constantine’s sexy intervention with her parents. Also, while Moore’s Swamp Thing was a separate creature from Holland, this version had melded them back together, giving Swamp Thing a more human side. The third series, written by Brian K. Vaughn, ran for twenty issues in 2000-2001 and the fourth series, written by various writers, ran for twenty nine issues starting in ’04. That particular run stripped Tefe of her powers and Swamp Thing found himself back in the swamps just pretty much chilling.
Though the fourth series was cancelled due to low sales, we all know no character ever fully disappears from the pages of DC. This now brings us to the present, the new DC 52, and re-launch of everyone’s favorite bog crawler. The current series, which began in September 2011, just recently dropped issue #17 and follows the life of the newly resurrected Alec Holland as he adjusts back to life in The Green. Following in the steps of Search for the Swamp Thing (where John Constantine searches for the remains of Swamp Thing after the Brightest Day story arc), the comic not only brings back both Abigail and Arthur Arcane, but also introduces a new villain known only as The Rot, and gives Swamp Thing wings for some reason. Also, now that the series is part of the broader DC universe (as opposed to just Vertigo), a number of high profile characters are seen tromping through its pages such as Superman, Animal Man, and of course Constantine. The current run is receiving fantastic praise and seems to be here to stay.
After all that, what’s my opinion on the man, you say? Well I’m glad you asked! I love Swamp Thing, and not just because Alan Moore did a breath-taking run on it or that the New 52 is pretty sweet, but that he’s so classic. He’s such a vintage monster who, in a world of revivals and revisions, has never strayed far from his basic look and personality. Instead of changing him to fit the times, writers have molded the times to fit him. He’s also got such a fantastically deep history that not only can horror fans appreciate him, but fans of good comics can as well. Swamp Thing is an easy recommendation for even the finickiest of readers and really appeals to new and older fans alike. Personally I would throw this series straight at a person’s face and demand that they read it (and I hope you got that from reading this article). Yes, it’s that good; yes, you should go out and get it right now.
As always, there are many different ways to get your Swamp Thing fix. There’s a collected hard-cover of the older works called Roots of the Swamp Thing, and a six volume collection of The Saga of Swamp Thing that was written by Alan Moore. There are a few loose graphic novels that collect the post-Moore Swamp Thing by Rick Veitch and a few more collected works from the third and fourth series as well. There’s also a version called Swamp Thing: Roots which is about a different Swamp Thing avatar from the 1940’s. The current run has two graphic novels out collecting up to issue #11, with the current issue being #17. Now, if you don’t like to read, but to watch (like a pervert), a Swamp Thing TV show came out back in 1990 and ran until 1993 and is now out on a three box-set collection from Shout! Factory. Of course, there’s also the DVD for the Wes Craven movie, and he’s appeared in a bunch of cartoons as well, including a five episode mini-series in 1991.
Swamp Thing is a creature that knows no bounds, a spirit of the swamp and the protector of The Green. Next time you find yourself lost in the woods, be wary not to tread too heavily. He is always watching… and waiting.
See you in the swamps.