Comics Collector 7
September 27, 2016 § Leave a comment
Comics Collector 7 (Spring 1985)
The great, John Nordstrom down at Rainbow Comics amassed a giant stack of comics magazines from the 70s and 80s for me to look through. I thumbed through every issue searching for Swamp Thing ads, articles and comic strip appearances. Out of the 40+ magazines, I found only one instance of Swampy.
Finding the needle in a haystack is always an exciting moment. Stumbling upon oddball illustrations and unfamiliar info, buried within an article, makes Swamp Thing research feel an Indiana Jones adventure.
The comicstrip, buried deep within the book, features Swamp Thing and Man-Thing mucking up the pages of Comics Collector. A great, obscure find for sure!
Fandom Feature 1
September 25, 2016 § Leave a comment
Fandom Feature 1 (1982)
I’ve been keeping an eye out for this book for a little while now and it arrived in the mail yesterday from mycomicshop.com. Those are some mighty fine folks selling mighty fine books.
The debut issue of Fandom Feature features a little Swamp Thing article related to the launch of series two. It also contains a whole lot of Superman, including an interview with Curt Swan. I love these kinds of fanzines and the art that typically comes with them.
The zine kicks off with a Silver Surfer illustration by George Perez. I was recently contacted by his website, George-Perez.net, for a copy of the image to use on his site. I’ll be sure to let everyone know when it’s online.
“Swamp Thing is Back!”
The article mentions Swamp Thing being Yeates’ “first big assignment” in comics. Yeates goes in depth on his experience on Saga in the most recent issue of Back Issue #92, out this month.
The previews section features the cover of Swamp Thing 1.
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More Macabre Stickers
September 22, 2016 § Leave a comment
In 1994, A trading card series called, More Macabre was released celebrating Bernie Wrightson’s masterful illustrations of dark and grim monsters. The set was a follow-up to a similar set from 1993 called, Master of the Macabre. More Macabre trading cards feature a number of characters that appear to be influenced by Swamp Thing. Due to copyright laws, I’d imagine, Swamp Thing is never actually mentioned but is alluded to on the back of some of the cards and through the title of the cards. I’ve held off on writing about the More Macabre trading cards but received a surprise in the mail today and could no longer wait. I present to you, More Macabre stickers! …the actual trading cards will have to wait for a future post, BUT, I’ve never seen these before and the artwork is identical to their corresponding trading cards.
These stickers were produced in 1996 by FPG, inc. two years after the trading cards. Differing from the trading cards, the strikers have a white border, production info at the base of the front and a numbering system. This sticker featuring the character, “Woody” is listed as #8 of 50. It’s corresponding trading card is #19 within the set.
This sticker featuring the arework of the card titled, “Familiar Faces” is listed as #45 of 50. It’s corresponding trading card is #20 within the set.
I’m extremely thrilled to add these to my collection and hope to learn more about the set of stickers. If you know anything about them please feel free to contact me.
Constantine’s Swampy Tattoo
September 21, 2016 § Leave a comment
The Tattoo that Swamp Thing had put on Constantine in Swamp Thing 76 L’Adoration de la Terre was permanently commemorated on my keister today. After Swamp Thing used Constantine’s body to consumate his relationship with Abby, he made sure to leave his mark on John. While in DC, Swamp Thing visited a tattoo shop to get this tattoo.
Although the tattoo never appeared in the Swamp Thing book, it has popped up in a few Hellblzer books. Below is a panel from Hellblzer 232
In Hellblazer 14, The Fear Machine, Part I: Touching the Earth, Constantine learns of the tattoo for the first time from Mercury.
Muck-encrusted Marbles
September 13, 2016 § Leave a comment
Swamp Thing Marbles (2012)
I lost my marbles when I started collecting Swamp Thing children’s apparel so this new addition to the collection comes as no surprise. I’ve had my eye on the marble set for a few years now but wanted to find it at a price as close to free as possible. It’s an off-brand/non-DC licensed item and I always stay away from those types of collectibles. Well, I ended up finding it for a steal and was pleasantly surprised to find that it has more to do with DC’s Swamp Thing than I thought!
Fun Swamp Thing facts!? yep…
Who would’ve thought some knockoff Swamp Thing merchandise would have such great Swampy facts hidden inside the tag? This really made my day.
Saga of the Swamp Thing 23
September 12, 2016 § 1 Comment
The Saga of the Swamp Thing 23 (1984)
Another Green World
Swamp Thing’s still in a deep sleep, his consciousness traveling the currents of the green exploring and questioning the depths of his being. Moore establishes Swamp Thing in the world of the green, redefining it as well as the red; plants vs animals.
This issue ushered in the era of Bissette and Tottleben’s gorgeous splash pages. Their dramatic title pages and splash pages have been repurposed/used on trades, shirts, posters, ads, etc. The amazing artwork certainly helped to draw me in as a fan when I first discovered Swampy.
“somewhere quiet… somewhere green and timeless…”
Meanwhile: Woodrue, insane with power is misappropriating his recently obtained power and knowledge of the green for evil; very dark, dark stuff…
The soap opera like scenario playing out for the key cast is perfectly woven together. Abbigail is handicapped physically and emotionally by Matt Cable, reels from the loss of her friend, Alec and at risk from the treacherous/diabolical ways of the Floronic Man. It’s a long road filled with torment for Abby and it doesn’t get better for a long time. When Moore takes over the title, he establishes Abbigail Arcane as an extremely resilient character. She has not been portrayed as such in the past. Moore puts her through hell of course, but he also reveals a powerful woman that fights for those she loves; for their lives. She keeps seeing the worst, she keeps pushing forward.
I love how Moore writes the grim scene unraveling in Lacroix, LA. The narrator recalls the events, addressing the timeline as a documentarian world. It has always come off as detached and emotionless making the read of this sorry so enjoyable and creepy.
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Swamp Thing’s in the record books!
September 9, 2016 § Leave a comment
Guinness World Records 2017
The 2017 Guinness book is out and I’m ecstatic to say that Swamp Thing is in the record books. Early this morning, Zac, of Seeds and Leaves notified me that my Swampy collection was featured in the Recordology section.
The hardcover features “over 4,000 records and photos” with a super cool reflective/hologram cover.
Like all Guinness books this thing is PACKED with awesome and weird records of all kinds. I’m thrilled to see Swamp Thing listed amongst records involving Buzz Aldren, the Harlem Globetrotters and the fellow with the longest eyebrow hair.
I used to love thumbing through the Guinness book when I was a kid. My favorite records were the goofy and strange ones, like this skateboarding fur ball.
Gotta love space related records!
The guy with the longest eyebrow hair appears quite normal compared to the gentleman with the long hair and bangs, laying atop a mountain of big macs. I’d sure like to see the world’s longest ear hair.
I love the Death Star collection count infographic. Since my collection was assessed in 2015, it’s grown to well over 1,000 pieces. « Read the rest of this entry »
