swamp thing

This giant stack of unread comics is killing Mike.

filed under Categories swamp thing 8 Comments

So Something Is Killing the Children, the Boom! Studios comic series by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera, is one of those things I stock in the store that always gets a mixed response from “the mundanes.” Perusing the shop for Spider-Man and Batman, or perhaps simply just looking in a comic shop because they know comic book movies are/were big in popular culture, or maybe they just recall enjoying Big Bang Theory, they aren’t necessarily familiar with the depth and breadth of the medium and can be surprised by what they find therein.

I am reminded of an incident very early in my comics retailing sentence, and perhaps in fact just as I was starting given the book’s Fall 1988 release, involving Steve Bissette’s Taboo horror anthology.


That’s bit of a cover, right? Old guy waitin’ to eat a baby? Not something you see every day yet, so you can imagine it would get a reaction out of folks not as steeped in the comic book culture as your average comic shop denizen. And reaction it did indeed get, as I recall one day when we had an entire family of folks (ma, pa, sis, brother, granny, an uncle maybe) all standing around poking fingers at the cover, just appalled by the horrid image they are witnessing on our shelves. One of them even dared to look inside, resulting in more cries of outrage.

Now, nothing really became of that, beyond the family probably never entering a comic shop again, but I couldn’t help but keep thinking “…the book is called Taboo, what were you expecting? Care Bears?” Anyway, that remains a foundational occurrence for my nearly four decades of funnybook slinging.


Today, as I slowly creep towards dotage, I get reactions towards Something Is Killing the Children that are of a piece with The Taboo Incident. Not in terms of intensity, as that family way back when were really puttin’ on a show. It’s more a case of, perhaps, bemusement, or very mild…revulsion is too strong a word, but there’s a definite pulling back from the books on the shelf once they realize what that title said. A brave soul or two would peek within, out of brief curiosity, before moving on to asking where my Pokemon cards are stashed or whatever. I do try to give the “it’s a horror comic” defense, but for the basically uncommitted customers, I’m not sure of how much of an impact that has.

Don’t get me wrong, the comic sells great, both in single issue form and in the trade paperback format, having found that industry-desired balance between a monthly book and “waiting for the trade.” I don’t read it myself, which is not a knock on the comic but simply a reality of only having so much time to read so many things. My knowledge of the book doesn’t go much further than my previously-stated “it’s a horror comic” description. I do occasionally wonder “haven’t they figured out who is killing all those children, after 50 issues, after nearly ten trade paperbacks (Volume Ten coming December 29th), but haven’t sampled the contents my own self.

Well, that’s gonna change, because look at what’s coming in February of 2027:


Yes, it’s Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children, a comic’s name so great it practically willed itself into existence. And while said title seems to give away the game, I am presuming it actually hasn’t been Swamp Thing killing all those kids, but rather just some misunderstanding that results in this crossover. But it is by the same regular creative team of Something… so who knows, maybe that’s the big reveal they’ve been leading up to all this time. (Reminder, again: I haven’t actually read that series.)

Here’s a peek at a page from Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children:


Despite my unfamiliarity with the parent series, will I, an unrepentant Swamp Thing fan, be reading this comic? Well, of course I am. And will I be picking up as many of the wide variety of variant covers being offered in the usual Mighty Boom! Manner? Of course I am, you all know I’m a sucker.

More importantly, if I end up really enjoying this mini-series, will I find myself deciding I need to catch up on the original Something… series? Honestly, I hope not, I’m so far behind on my reading as it is, and at my advanced age I am too worried about being judged by The Almighty for just how much I leave behind, purchased but unread. Despite this, I imagine there’s still a non-zero chance of tossing ten trades onto the already-teetering pile in my “in” box. We’ll see.

The most difficult decision in all of history, human or otherwise.

filed under Categories swamp thing 16 Comments

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).

“Weeds,” get it?

filed under Categories swamp thing, this week's comics 9 Comments


At long last, it’s here. Decades after Rick Veitch’s 1980s run on Swamp Thing was cut short by editorial disagreements, we’ve finally seen the intended ending, completed and in full.

I’m going to try to remain SPOILER free discussing this, though I may dance around specific bits. It may be best if you read your comic first.

…

Finished? Good.

I’ve noted before that, when this whole hoohar came to pass in the late ’80s and Veitch departed the book, he offered up brief synopses of the final four issues that were printed in the Comic Buyer’s Guide trade paper. I had owned a copy of this at one time, but discarded it long ago for reasons I can’t comprehend now (given the piles of ‘zines and mags I still have) but I did read that article at the time. As such, I have vague memories of how things were supposed to have played out, at least in the final issue.

Specifically, that Veitch had a specific name in mind for Swamp Thing and Abby’s child, but did not reveal it in that article. Also, that Swamp Thing’s encounter with Jesus would have given him an advantage in his final conflict with Arcane.

As such, it was…very weird to see things finally play out on a printed page, panel by panel, witnessing for myself what was meant by those brief descriptions I read so long ago. As I’m trying to remain spoiler-free here, I won’t detail specifically what I am possibly misremembering about that conflict with Arcane and how it plays out, which I may be conflating with Arcane’s treatment in the latter part of the Mark Millar run.

Also, as to the child…I’m so used to the character of Tefe being the Official Kid of Swampy and Abby, that it’s strange to get an entirely different character here. And Veitch did not disappoint with the name, giving us the perfect, and perfectly ambiguous, sobriquet.

Given how deep into the DC Universe weeds Veitch got with his stories, especially in this final run of issues, it’s not surprising that it all plays into the resolution of the series. It does leave me with more questions, that I’ll be bringing up in a later post about this mini-series that isn’t coming out the day of the last issue’s release. In particular, if this was the original intended ending of the story back in 1989, how exactly was any new creative team supposed to follow up on that? I mean, yes, on one hand Veitch was a polite host and left the toys intact for the next folks to play with. But on the other hand, the memory (at least for the reader, if not the characters in-universe) would always float over the new works.

But that’s all a moot point, I suppose, since DC Continuity went in one direction, and as a Black Label book, this Swamp Thing 1989 series is essentially one of Marvel’s What If stories, but with 100% less “and the Fantastic Four never came to be” within. To be fair, I’m not completely certain what Swamp Thing’s current backstory is in the DC Universe…revisions in the New 52 relaunch were confusing, to say the least, and I’m not sure if the “Rebirth” initiative forced everything back into place. Look, if we need a Swamp Thing: Year One story to straighten things out, I volunteer. Well, “volunteer” in a way that I get a paycheck.

In an odd way, the Veitch conclusion to the story could, if you squint here and apply some paint there, still allow for how things did play out in the Swamp Thing title after Veitch left. I suppose I coould try to explain how that would work, but I need to save something for my Swamp Thing: Year Eleven series, sure to come after the success of the first ten.

But overall…I’m glad this all saw the light of day, and that I was still around to read it. Veitch is a master Swamper, it goes without saying, and the art from the late Michael Zulli, Vince Locke, and Tom Mandrake was all beautiful and ideal for the project. Todd Klein’s spot-on mimicry of John Constanza’s lettering was vastly appreciated, as was the expert and appropriately-applied coloring of Trish Mulvihill. The backmatter from Veitch, Klein, and that real barnburner from Steve Bissette gave us wonderful insight into what this series was and what went into making it happen (and almost not happen). And of course, I can’t forget close personal friend Rich Handley, and his delightful text pieces inside each front cover, giving us the proper context for what we’re reading.

Seems like only yesterday we were wondering about these weird unknown comics showing up in a listing for an upcoming Swamp Thing trade paperback. Still wondering about New Titans #0‘s inclusion, though. Any answers for me there, Rich?

Twenty-year-old me is happy to finally read this.

filed under Categories swamp thing, this week's comics 4 Comments


Just a quick note to remind you that Swamp Thing 1989 #3 (aka #90) is out this week, and the mini-series speeds along to its long-delayed conclusion.

Things are very clearly building to a head, and given the number of plotlines all converging, it does leave one wondering how they’ll be able to squeeze the conclusion into the final issue of this series. I mean, I know (well, sorta remember) how it ends, given, as I’ve mentioned before, writer Rick Veitch published his synopses for his final four then-unpublished issues in the Comic Buyer’s Guide shortly after he left the book back in ’89. I’m looking forward to seeing a particular scene in illustrated form that had been related back then.

The period ads and the (mostly) period editorial material still successfully adds context to the time in which these stories were intended to be released. The “Bill & Ted” ad on the back cover is certainly a welcome call-back. More importably is the “comics this week” item on the inside front cover, reminding you just where in the DC Universe this series sit. In particular, a plot point hinges on events in Sandman, and if you were to look at that comics release list, you’d see just exactly where Sandman was at this point.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the “Meanwhile” column by pal Rich Handley, which, despite some folks believing otherwise, is all brand new! And if you’re new to Swamp Thing funnybooks, it’s essential reading giving you background on just what’s goin’ on. And the back matter features letterer Todd Klein and what he had to do to duplicate original letter John Costanza’s work, which is something I really wondered about so it was a welcome expainer.

All in all, this third issue of Swamp Thing 1989 succeeds in making one feel like he’s thirty-something years younger. Alas, the cover price is very much of today, but we can’t have everything!

In which I speak of Swamp Thing a lot.

filed under Categories swamp thing, this week's comics 15 Comments


Hard to believe, but here we are, with issue #2 of the long-delayed ending to Rick Veitch’s 1980s run of Swamp Thing. It was the previous issue what got all the attention of course, with Special Guest Star Jesus, and the inciting incident as to why the whole thing got canned in the first place.

But there’s still a story to be told beyond that big event, and it’s continued in fine style with new artwork by Tom Mandrake, colored by Trish Mulvihill, and lettered by Todd Klein in original letterer John Constanza’s style. And yes, pal Rich Handley still knocks it out of the park with his 1980s-style editorial page inside the front cover! (Rich has pointed out at least one online commentator was sufficiently convinced his column was in fact from the 1980s and not newly written for this comic. That’s how good a job he’s doing!)

Again, our mossy hero bumps into more DC Universe characters, this time more time travelers, as one of them attempts to rescue Swamp Thing from his uncontrolled journey into the past. Plus, we check in with Abby and her pregnancy in the present day, as further groundwork is laid for the eventual conclusion of this story.

Which has me wondering…way back when, as things went down and Veitch quit the book, he relayed his plans for the final four issues to Comics Buyer’s Guide, which I mostly remember (since I don’t have that copy of the paper anymore, shockingly). Without going into spoilers, I do know that what Veitch had worked out is contrary to what passes for DC’s continuity now in regards to the Swampiverse. I mean, things have been rebooted and retooled enough at DC in recent years that one could easily just say “well, Veitch’s Swamp Thing conclusion is now canon,” though one could point to the Black Label imprint on the cover there and just declare all this “not official.”

One particular point (and this is a slight spoiler, but c’mon, Abby’s pregnant, there’s gonna be a baby) is that Veitch had something specific planned for the child (name and presumably powers) that he kept to himself once DC put the kibosh on his story. In official DC continuity, Abby had a daughter that was named Tefé, who bridged the plant and animal worlds with her own elemental powers and had her own adventures (and even her own series). She is still around as of the recent Swamp Thing series with the new Levi Kamei version of the character.

So I suspect Tefé will remain the default child of Swampy, with whatever Veitch has cookin’ with this “1989” series remaining an alternate version. Ah well. Once it’s all said and done, maybe I can do a side by side comparison of Veitch’s intended ending to this storyline with the one by Doug Wheeler, Tom Yeates, and Pat Broderick that DC published in its stead.

• • •

Speaking of Swamp Thing, and when aren’t I, DC also released this week a facsimile edition of Saga of the Swamp Thing #21, the issue in which Swampy learns his true origin, and (spoiler) does away with the previously mostly off-panel menace of General Sunderland. (He does pop up once or twice in earlier issues, but not nearly as craggly and menacing as he does in this comic, drawn by Steve Bissette and John Totleben).

Anyway, if you rememnber this post from, oh, only eight years ago, I griped a bit about how the digital version of this issue left out the “color hold” imagery, where it looked like this:


Instead of like this, how it appeared in the original comic:


Well, I’m pleased to report that the color-hold drawings are back in this new facsimile, appearing as such:


…even if the texture looks a little odd, since the new color printing is flat, not “dotted” like the original and interacting with the linework in the color held bits.

That gives me hope for future reproductions. I’d been told that the person currently in charge of the Swamp Thing restorations for coming reprints is trying to do right by the work, and this is a good start!

• • •

Continuing to speak of Swamp Thing, old pal Ben (whom you’ve seen pop up in the comments here on occasion) informed me that he was on Facebook at just the right time, which is how he was able to purchase this illustrated sketch cover direct from Roarin’ Rick Veitch his own self:


Pretty cool. Anyway, if that disappears out of Ben’s house one night, I assure you I have an alibi for the evening.

• • •

And speaking of Swamp Thing just one more time, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this variant cover by Bruno Redondo for Justice League Unlimited #19, also out this week:


Nicely done. Bruno can add himself to the list of Redondos who draw a good Swamp Thing. Now Swamp Thing himself isn’t featured in this issue’s story (unless he’s in the background somewhere that I missed), but it’s enough to know that he’s a card-carrying member of the Justice League now. Just as Wein and Wrightson intended.

Swampy, take the wheel.

filed under Categories obituary, swamp thing, this week's comics 11 Comments

Hey hey hey, they’re finally here:


After very nearly 40 years, the cancelled-for-various-reasons segment in Rick Veitch’s Swamp Thing in which our favorite swamp monster runs into Jesus. Illustrated by the late Michael Zulli, with finishes by Vince Locke, and featuring a nice long afterword by Steve Bissette giving the surprisingly warts-and-all telling of what happened with this comic way back when.

The book is designed to look like how it would have in 1989, including subscription forms and period house ads (Truman’s Hawkworld, anyone?). Inside the front cover is a “Johnny DC’ text piece, written in the voice of those old promotional pages, that gives the story context of this current issue for anyone new to the book. And it’s written by close, personal friend Rich Handley, the one person in this fallen world that I’ll admit has more Swamp Thing knowledge than I do.

But the comic itself…yes, it’s great. I know a lot of folks who’d been waiting for this book since 1989 went back and reread the issues leading up to this story, but I’ve reread those enough that I’ve practically got them memorized, so I’m good, but if you’re coming in fresh, don’t sweat it. Like I said, Rich’s “Johnny DC” column tees you up just fine, and the story itself does enough to give you the idea what’s goin’ on.

I don’t think the rest of the mini-series will be too difficult for new readers, either. A long time ago, the Comic Buyer’s Guide ran plot outlines for Veitch’s then-cancelled final issues for his run. As I recall, the events in those issues should be easy enough to follow on their own, given what you’re told in this first issue.

But how’s the comic? It’s great. It’s nice to read the full, completed thing after I may or may not have seen photocopies of the art many years ago, I admit nothing. But it’s as weird and magical and knowingly irreverent as Veitch usually is, while remaining respectful to Jesus Himself. We get the Vertigo-style twist of an old DC character, we get yet another origin for a certain demonic fella, and all this madness is mixed up and presented in an almost weirdly dreamlike progression. It’s a wonderful return to this era of Swamp Thing…I’m not going to say “it was worth the wait,” because should never have had to wait this long, but I’m glad it’s here.

• • •

So long to the nigh-legendary comics writer Gerry Conway, who passed away this week. While best known for his Spider-Man work, as well as being the co-creator of the Punisher and Firestorm, he of course has also written certain swamp creatures at both companies. He was the co-creator of Man-Thing at Marvel, and at DC, he wrote the inaugural issue of Swamp Thing’s short-term New Look, issue #23 (1976):


I talked about this issue way back in 2004, and it’s an interesting example of serving two masters: attempting to retain the character’s horror roots (so to speak) while transitioning toward a more superheroic tone, a balance I thought Conway pulled off. He would of course return to Swamp Thing in short order, during his stint on Challengers of the Unknown where he would actually reverse the changes made to the character at the end of his own series.

I know it’s weird I focus on this over all of his other work, both in comics and in television — I remember seeing his name on an episode of Law and Order and thinking “wait, the same Gerry Conway?” — but I always appreciated the fact that he wrote competing swamp monsters in comics. In fact, I once got the opportunity to ask him who’d win in a fight, Swamp Thing or Man-Thing, and you can hear his answer at 1:11:36 in this 2016 episode of War Rocket Ajax. I was happy that I got a chance to make him laugh.

Another loss I learned about just as I sat down to write this post was comics writer Len Strazewski, who was primarily active in the ’80s and ’90s. I remember him most for two things: writing this swell and far-too-short Justice Society series, drawn by the also-departed-too-soon Mike Parobeck:


…and for also popping briefly into the former place of employment and saying “hello.” He was a nice man, who spotted our backstock of Ultraverse titles (an endeavor he also worked for, having co-created Prime) and commiserating with us that we would probably never sell all those. Well, I wish I could tell him we did sell them all, eventually…for a nickel apiece in a bulk sale, which isn’t much but it still counts as a sale!

It’s sad to see two more pieces of my comics fandom pass from this world, but we can always remember them through their work. So long, Gerry and Len.

The “reprinted at last” is me being funny.

filed under Categories swamp thing 10 Comments


Okay, due to popular demand, given the number of emails, DMs, and “@s” on Bluesky I’ve received, I should mention this forthcoming Swamp Thing Dark Genesis” Omnibus set, shipping in…egads, November? Well, that’ll give everyone time to save their pennies for it, since it retails for a mighty $150.

Oh, what does it include, you may ask. I may answer, by telling you that it includes

  • House of Secrets #92, reprinted at last
  • all 24 issues of the original 1970s Swamp Thing run
  • the first 15 issues of the early 1980s Saga of the Swamp Thing
  • the annual for that series — that’s the adaptation of the first movie, son, with an early Mark Texeira art job!
  • the two Brave and the Bold team-ups with Batman (#122 and #176)
  • DC Comics Presents #8 with Superman
  • Challengers of the Unknown #81-#87 (Swampy himself doesn’t pop up ’til #82, but #81 kicks off the story, and includes an old adversary of his)
  • House of Secrets #140, with the beginning of the aborted “Patchwork Man” serial, featuring the character from early in the Swamp Thing run
  • Phantom Stranger #14, another swamp monster (or…is it?) story by Swampy’s co-creator Len Wein, which came out around the same time as House of Secrets #92 — not actually Swamp Thing, but does have a cool Neal Adams cover

And that’s not all, friends! Included is the restored unpublished issue #25 from the original series, most of the pages of which were unearthed a while back. It’ll be nice to see this issue properly finished (and with the missing page replaced with new art). Finally, the Swamp Thing vs. Hawkman battle we’ve been waiting for! (I mean, aside from the one we got later during Alan Moore’s run.)

We’re also getting a translated version of the Patchwork Man story that would have been in House of Secrets #141, but for some reason was bumped, and only appeared in a foreign edition. Boy, it’s going to be nice to have all this stuff in one place.

I do notice they don’t include Super Friends #28, which technically is a Swamp Thing cameo, but really it’s just a guy in a Swamp Thing costume magically turned into the muck-encrusted mockery, so I guess it doesn’t count.

Oh, and there’s “extensive essays and never-before-seen scripts, art, and more!” so all right already, stop twisting my arm.

This is going to be one of the “new-style” omnibuses, like we saw with the Mike Grell’s Warlord volume we saw recently. Printed on what DC is calling “period-appropriate paper,” so it won’t be the slick fancy stuff. It’ll likely be the nice, white paper from the Warlord book, which means these new omnibuses will be shockingly light, since this paper isn’t nearly as heavy. We’re supposed to be getting the “original coloring,” too, which will likely look better, or more “authentic,” on this paper than the glossy stuff.

We’ll know for sure in about eight months once we have these in our hands. But it’s my understanding that the folks in charge of this, and the future Alan Moore Swamp Thing omnibuses are taking great care in producing these, and I’m hoping these will look as nice as realistically possible. I’ve also had some…assurances that some of the printing problems with previous reprints of the Moore run (like the missing caption, or the missing art) will be addressed.

Am I getting it? Yes, of course I am, at the very least I need what has got to be reprint #25 of House of Secrets #92.

I’m wondering if the forthcoming facsimile edition of Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 (an issue with problems in the reprinting, as linked above), will function as a preview of what the omnibuses will look like? Or is it just a rushed out reprint to take adavtage of the current facsimile trend?

I mean, any Mike, doesn’t have to be me.

filed under Categories how the sausage is made, pal plugging, podcast, swamp thing 6 Comments

I apologize for missing my usual Monday update, and even not managing to get one available a day late for Tuesday. Most of you know my primary blogging time is late at night, after the day’s duties are done, and before go into my beauty sleep that still isn’t working. Unfortunately, the last few days I’ve been just too tired to Generate The Content™ that you’ve come to depend on here, the Internet’s Only Comic Book Website.

So now that I’m back, first let me tell you that I’m sorry that I keep identifying the artist of this proposed original cover for Swamp Thing #88:


…as the late Michael Zulli, but it is in fact by Rick Veitch, which I promise I knew, once, but somehow Zulli’s name got into my head, and there you go. Thanks to BobH for giving me a virtual punch in the arm to straighten me out.

And more Swamp Thing news out of the New York Comic Con from last weekend…DC Comics is teaming up with Boom! Studios for a comic pairing up our favorite muck-encrusted mockery of a man with the still-ongoing suspense/horror series Something Is Killing the Children, in a comic that could only be titled


Well, sure, why not. Also, Something Is Killing the Children has been going on for, like, 50 issues now, shouldn’t they have figured out what that “something” is by now? Sorry, haven’t read the series, no idea what’s going on in there.

But sure, I’ll read this new series, due out next year sometime, and who knows, maybe I’ll find myself hooked on the original SIKTC story. Yes, that’s how it’s abbreviated, that’s not a misspelling of the sound effect you get when Wolverine pops his claws.

What the Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children title reminds me of is that “If you see Swamp Thing, say Swamp Thing” faux poster that seemed like it was all over the internet a couple or four years back, and now all I can find is this Pinterest link.

Oh, and there’s also this fun announcement video for the Swamp Thing Is Killing… comic that you can see on the Instagrams.

• • •

Oh, hey, I’m still helping out the Longbox Heroes podcast boys with their monthly Previewing the Past show, in which they scour the 30 year old Previews (and other distributor) catalogs and deliver informative and funny commentary. I’m not on the podcast, but I write out my own notes and observations that they read out on the show.

Anyway, a new episode of Previewing the Past just came out, but its behind the Patreon paywall…pay $5 a month and get it right away, or pay just $1 and get it two weeks later. They’ve got plenty of podcasts to listen to, some free, some Patreon only, all worth listening to. Let ’em know Mike sent you.

If anything, the Zulli cover they’re using is even more upsetting.

filed under Categories swamp thing 13 Comments

Okay, gang, the announcement has finally been…um, announced, so I can tell you all that the original conclusion for Rick Veitch’s Swamp Thing run, originally slated for release in 1989, is now going to be unleashed upon the world early next year!

It will continue the original numbering (issues #88 through #91), and will feature the original trade dress (i.e. the classic Swamp Thing logo).

However, unless there’s, like, a 1 in 25 ratio, or 1 in 100 ratio, variant that they’re hiding, it appears they may not be using Michael Zulli’s Veitch’s original cover for #88, the issue in which Swamp Thing encounters Jesus:


Based on the promotional material shown at the New York Comic Con on Thursday (which is why these pics are a bit askew, as I trimmed the covers from the whole slides), the main cover will be this also-symbolic Veitch image of Swamp Thing holding a lamb:


And the variant (or one of the variants, we know how this goes) by Zulli features a close-up of Swamp Thing’s face, chest and shoulders, adorned with a crown of thorns, the crucified bits all tastefully off-panel:


I am disappointed that the “cross” cover doesn’t appear to be the primary one, if it’s a cover at all, but I guess DC is trying to play it at least a little safe given, you know, [waves hands about at everything].

At any rate, I was reading Swamp Thing at the time and was aware of all this going down, and how disappointed I was that DC put Veitch in a position where he felt he had to leave the title. You know, folks wondered, when Alan Moore left the book, who could possibly replace him? And, amazingly, by getting Veitch, they stuck the landing. He was absolutely the right person. And even though it’s taken quite a while, it’s nice that he finally gets to put the proper end onto his story.

What if GIganta wins, and all this results in a bunch of Giganta-fronted stuff?

filed under Categories dc comics, swamp thing 14 Comments

Continuing your Swamp Thing updates this week, is our mossy pal’s appearance in DC K.O., DC Comics answer to “what if you could read a console fighting game?” I know they’ve tried that before, what with Injustice and various Mortal Kombat books, but this sounds closer to the core idea that those other titles.

DC describes the comic as a “bracket tournament [that] pits heroes against one another in escalating battles—each round unlocking new power, new consequences, and new revelations,” so, sure, what the heck.

There will be 32 characters battling it out here, and if you go to that previous link you’ll see the character select screen for this story, but I’ve excerpted a bit here:


And yeah, there’s Swampy. Now, there’s zero chance that Swamp Thing is coming out on top here, but the Easy, Obvious Answers (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) seem like they’d be too obvious. Thus, I’m putting my Giant Batcave Penny down on either Lex Luthor (for the “edgy, surprising” result) or Supergirl (for the “let’s get yet another trade paperback ready to tie into a forthcoming movie” result).

Anyway, just having a book where a bunch of your characters are just whaling on each other for a short-run series is perfectly fine. It’s all part of the War Against Darkseid or Apokolips or whatever. Much as I’d like to see Swamp Thing be at the forefront of that, and even with former Swamp Thing writer Scott Snyder doing this series, I don’t expect that to happen. Maybe if we were closer to that supposed Swamp Thing movie James Gunn said is coming. Ah well.

• • •

By the by, this month marks my 37th year in comics retail. Some folks would say that’s a long time. Almost…too long.