Category: Appearances

Scooby-Doo Team-Up 40 (2018)
How’s Bayou?

It’s a team-up and reunion of epic proportions for Swamp Thing and his friends. Swampy fans will enjoy revisiting some old friends…

Sholly Fisch kicks the book off with a tip of the hat to Alan Moore and it is wonderful. The elaborate, poetic description works as a fun flashback for Swamp Thing fans, as if revisiting the era of issue 34. I was truly elated opening to the first page to see the writing style.

Fisch provides a number of glorious Swamp Thing moments in this book. He makes my year by creating a fun connection between the Swamp Thing and Scooby-Doo Universes. Below, Shaggy mentions that Chester Williams is his uncle. I nearly fell out of my chair in excitement; such a fun pairing between the two hippies. For those not familiar, Chester is an old friend of Swamp Thing and Abby, since he first appeared in Swamp Thing 43 (1985). He’s one of my favorite characters and am so happy to see him back, sharing pages with Swamp Thing.

Scooby and the crew are down in Louisiana looking to solve the mystery of rumored zombies within the swamp. They’re quickly alerted to a group of brainwashed workers held captive by a Voodoo Queen. It’s a typical, entertaining Scooby-Doo plot filled with numerous special guests. The Swamp Thing themed scenario is a walk down memory lane for fans of Alan Moore era Swampy.

The book has more twists than a pig’s tail. Eluding the zombies, Scooby and crew look for help from an old swamp friend but Solomon Grundy is on the scene as well. Continue reading “An All-time Swamp Thing Reunion via Scooby-Doo” →

Hellblazer 22 (2018)

I was pleasantly surprised to see a Swamp Thing appearance in Hellblazer earlier this month. Although it was a flashback panel, Swamp Thing is seen in all his glory fighting against the Brujería. It’s quite an Indiana Jones moment for all involved.
See ST 48 cover for similar imagery.

This flashback comes by way of Negral the demon, who is-yet again-seeking revenge on John Constantine. He explains John’s past influence on demon related encounters.

John works in the dirtiest and most divisive scenarios he can find and a clean, cartoonish Hellblazer book doesn’t quite feel at home, or right by  the characters involved. It’s like the aesthetic downplays the dire situation of John and the cast of hellish characters. It’s only one of the various reasons why I’ve stopped reading the current Hellblazer series. It’s had its lumps and plot twists, but not for the better. I hope the title will once again hold the weight it used to. I’ve been pondering the current Hellblazer series in relation to Swamp Thing not having an on-going series. I’m entertained in thinking that Swamp Thing is more relevant and gaining more momentum in not having his own series. When we see Swamp Thing pop-up in books he’s the saving grace to such characters as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman (ref. New 52–current day). Swamp Thing is acting as a guiding force and go-to for catastrophic as well as internal/personal struggles. You can’t beat that. And I understand that Hellblazer/Constantine was never intended to be that kind of a book/character but he would perhaps have a more poignant existence if not in an on-going series.

The plot threads that seemed exciting within this series have fallen away, unresolved and the plot that remains leaves Constantine sidestepping antagonists (like demonic mob-families), one after another. It’s as if Constantine is in a fight simulator, and rather than the character being developed, he’s just rolling with the punches. I really hope for more for the character. He’s extremely fun, versatile and a strength to the DCU.

Ricansruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico (2018)

Not having an on-going series isn’t slowing Swamp Thing down. This week, Greg Capullo announced he has been working on Justice League Dark variant covers and he hopes to start working on a Swamp Thing book as soon as he and Scott Snyder wrap up their work on Batman. A slew of appearances are headed our way in the coming months as well! Swamp Thing will make an appearance in Justice League, Justice League Dark, Scooby-Doo Team-up, and many others! Be sure to reference the Swamp Thing Pull List for all the latest releases.
Now, on to Ricanstruction!

This beautiful comic anthology is filled with heart warming stories of team-work and perseverance, from Puerto Rico’s past and toward its future in recovery. Comic book author Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez spearheaded the anthology to help the ongoing recovery and humanitarian efforts. All proceeds benefit Puerto Rico’s rebuilding process.

Throughout the book, La Borinqueña (the featured character from Miranda-Rodriguez) teams-up with a ton of DC Superheroes to save the island of Puerto Rico after being devastated by hurricane Maria. Miranda-Rodriquez has said, “La Borinqueña was created to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and how it would affect Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.”
This thick anthology is filled with beautiful artwork and stories and includes stars such as comic author Gabby Rivera, actress Rosario Dawson, novelist Esmerelda Santiago, and MANY more. You won’t want to miss getting a copy of this!
And another little perk… Swamp Thing appears in two stories! Let’s dig in.

“Metamorphosis”
The Puerto Rican rainforest has been through a lot since hurricane Maria devastated the island’s landscape. The last thing the forest needs now is Solomon Grundy trouncing around.

That’s where Metamorpho and La Borinqueña step in! La Borinqueña reminds Metamorpho that in battling Grundy, the fragile eco-system needs to be protected. The frogs-indigenous to only the Puerto Rican rainforest-are the source of vital medicine. Grundy must be contained while keeping the surrounding environment protected. This calls for a little ingenuity.

Metamorpho calls on a friend to help detain Grundy… and it’s Swamp Thing!

Continue reading “Ricansruction: Rebuilding Puerto Rico” →