So I got an email from the publisher Act 4, who is, in conjunction with Skybound and DC Comics, releasing the Bissette and Totleben’s Swamp Thing Artist’s Edition hardcover next year. Measuring 12 by 17 inches, and “collecting over 170 pieces of art,” this book will be available in either the standard edition cover:
…or the Direct Market straight-to-funnybook-shops edition:
Which leaves your pal Mike with the most difficult of choices: which version do I get for myself? Or do I get both? Do I get two of both, one set to read and another to keep sealed? How far into decadence can I fall?
Anyhoo, if you’re familiar with artist edition hardcovers like these, you know the drill. Full-color, highly detailed scans of original art are featured, blown up to large sizes for easy inspection. Included are pages spanning issues #16 through #64 of the Swamp Thing series, such as, it says in the press release, several samples from “The Anatomy Lesson” (where we learn Swampy’s true origin) and the “American Gothic” storyline (with new takes on classic horror). Also inside is the full ten-page story “Jack in the Green,” Steve and John’s final work together at the company. (Yes, unfortunately that was written by Neil Gaiman, which is too bad, but we’ll be looking at the pretty drawings, not the words.)
Other than that one minor qualm, this looks like an amazing collection of artwork, and I can’t wait to get a good look at whatever squiggling details may have been obscured by the images’ reduction and reproduction over the years.
I hope there are lots of drawings of this guy:
I love that guy, he’s my favorite monster from this series. Well, aside from Swamp Thing himself, of course.
The book is due out next July, so start saving those pennies! At least 15,000 of them (or 30,000 or 60,000, in my case, maybe).
You’d pick the pink guy in the Damien Demento jacket over Cranius?
I’m shocked. ;)
I gotta say, the ugly coloring certainly stands out whenever I read a book from those days.