Articles

Creation Convention ‘82 Program

Published on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

Creation Convention ‘82 Program

This 14 page, 10 3/4″ x 7 1/4″ book features a 4 page interview with Caroline Munro, conducted by Adam Malin and sponsored by Caroline Munro Fan Club (Reading, PA). The program also contains artwork by various artists including Duval Sowers (cover), T. Furry, Thomas Yeates (Swamp Thing!), Dave Simons, Ernie Chan & Rudy Nebres. Below are some images I took of the program.

The 1982 Creation Entertainment Convention Promo Program was produced by Adam Malin & Gary Berman.

The Swamp Thing illustration by Thom Yeates is from Swamp Thing 1 (series 2), it’s also the reason I own this book.

Direct Currents features DC Comics Presents #8

Published on January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 by Roots of the Swamp Thing1 Comment

Direct Currents – What’s News From DC for January ‘79 (Vol. 1, #10 November 1978)

I’ve been lucky enough to find a number of DC’s Direct Currents but never one this old. Apparently DC Currents was a folded mailer in 1978 before growing up into a zine/book, as you can see here. I was thrilled to track down this issue because it features Swamp Thing. It highlights DC Comics Presents #8 (1979) The Sixty Deaths of Solomon Grundy. It’s fun to see Alec is spelled, “Alex” in the write-up. Folded, the piece measures 4 3/4” x 7”. Unfolded, it measures 13 3/4” x 28”.

Back (folded)

Front (folded)

Side 1 (unfolded)

Side 2 (unfolded) Continue reading “Direct Currents features DC Comics Presents #8” →

A Handsome Graph 2010-2020

Published on December 31, 2020January 21, 2021 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

I’m burning the midnight oil editing Holland Files #5. My New Years break started today and what’s more fun than staying up late, editing, and putting together a handsome graph representing every Swamp Thing appearance from 2010 to 2020. I omitted variant covers, non-visual/mention only and trade paperbacks. Seemed like the right thing to do. I’m going to get back to editing but feel free to extrapolate what you wish from the graph. It’s pretty fun looking. I’m going to throw together a graph later this weekend spanning 1971-2020.

Until I get the 1971-2020 graph together, enjoy this other timeline I made.

timeline

Holland Files 5

Published on December 20, 2020January 6, 2021 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again. Holland Files #5 will be shipping a little later than usual but it will help usher in a better, new year. I’m excited and grateful for the talented group of contributors. Yanick Paquette, Phil Hester and Álvaro Martínez are only a few of the talented illustrators featured in Holland Files #5.
Books are expected to ship by the end of January. Email hollandfileszine@gmail.com to order your copy.

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I was thrilled to see Yanick’s post on facebook, screenshot below

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Amazing Heroes 71 – The Alan Moore Interview

Published on December 8, 2020December 28, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

Amazing Heroes #71 (1985)

“Are you quite ready for the Alan Moore Interview?” The cover of Amazing Heroes tries to tantalize readers as so many publications do when featuring Alan Moore, even to this day. Fans are used to reading catchy headlines relating to Moore and his opinions. The headline pairs well with Stephen Bissette’s manic looking portrait of Moore. Unfortunately the hype surrounding his notoriety and his sometimes abrasive demeanor can overshadow his great work. I tend to ignore what I hear about Moore. I appreciate that he has opinions about the industry and his past work, but I enjoy focusing on his efforts related to Swamp Thing. I love reading about his process and understanding what went into the run. The creative team worked their tails off, executing some of Comics most ambitious and well executed books. This Moore interview is full of great content and insightful Swamp Thing information. It’s quite long so I’ll only be featuring the pieces that reference Swamp Thing.

Kim Thompson conducts the interview and is quite thorough. Moore’s career is chronicled and his career highlights are discussed. Below are portions of the introduction that relate to Swamp Thing.

Continue reading “Amazing Heroes 71 – The Alan Moore Interview” →

Swamp Thing Amongst the Snark and Fuss

Published on December 1, 2020December 17, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

Comixscene 6 (September-October 1973)

Traveling back to 1973, this issue of Comixscene is full of John Carter, comics news, snark, strong opinions and a couple fun Swamp Thing mentions. D5B5CFB9-4B42-48BF-AD5A-09E06FA70733
Cover

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Interior Spread

Around this time (September-October of 1973), Swamp Thing was appearing in his first cameo in the form of a carnival statue in, Superboy #198 “The Fatal Five Who Twisted Time”. Within the Swamp Thing series, issue #6 “A Clockwork Horror” was being released. The Comixscene Editorial section was abuzz in response to Joe Brancatelli’s column, “Ten Most Powerful Men in Comics” from Inside Comix #1. Jim Steranko invited Marvel Editor (at the time), Roy Thomas to respond to the column. Below are some of his fun, painfully honest and cringe worthy answers.

Continue reading “Swamp Thing Amongst the Snark and Fuss” →

Life & The New Swamp Thing Room

Published on November 28, 2020December 8, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp Thing11 Comments

It’s been a considerable amount of time since I last posted. Like most of you, I’ve had to adjust my life, future plans and daily routines since the Covid pandemic began. Hobbies and interests that were once a priority have taken a backseat to this new way of life. Over the past 9 months I’ve taken to focusing more on how I can be better prepared for the future—financially and otherwise. Needless to say my new found thriftiness (along with life events) have kept me busy and away from this website. But, I’m thrilled to share that my Swamp Thing collection has a new home! …and I got married! Below is the new Swamp Thing room in progress.

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017C978B-F862-4DA0-BD71-CD548C097C14 Continue reading “Life & The New Swamp Thing Room” →

Fantasy Trader Cover Model of ‘79

Published on September 14, 2020December 2, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

This little UK fanzine proved to be quite the doozy to track down. After looking for a number of years. I was fortunate to find it on eBay for a reasonable price.

The cover was advertised to be illustrated by the notable, Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Rachel Rising, etc) but it turns out, he didn’t do it. Terry told me so. See below.

Even though a different Terry drew the cover, I was fortunate enough to have a Twitter interaction with THE Terry Moore. Pretty cool! Although Swamp Thing is featured on the cover of Fantasy Trader, the fanzine does not reference nor does it mention Swampy within. Below are the interior pages of the zine.

Continue reading “Fantasy Trader Cover Model of ‘79” →

Swamp Thing has cake!

Published on August 9, 2020December 2, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

Comics Feature Magazine #50 – 1986

Hey everyone, Swamp Thing has cake! This extraordinary display of celebratory Swamp Thing is brought to you by Comics Feature Magazine. Illustrator Martin Cannon-on cover duty-does a bang up job of all the characters depicted, front and back. Fellow Swamp Thing fans on Instagram thought Tom Yeates was responsible for the artwork… that’s a mighty fine testament to Cannon’s work. I’m always thrilled to see an illustration of Swamp Thing smiling, with cake to boot! The celebration is upon us because it’s Comics Feature’s 50th issue.
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The book features industry highlights from 1986, with Alan Moore and Frank Miller receiving due praise.
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This snippet below had me chuckling.
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Martin Cannon’s centerfold features (L-R) Swamp Thing, Stan Lee, Daffy Duck, Jack Kirby, Donald Duck, Saturn Girl, Captain America, Superman, Howard the Duck, She-Hulk, Miracle Man, The Spirit and Cerberus. The ducks-in typical fashion-are worked up into a lather.
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Continue reading “Swamp Thing has cake!” →

From Bayou to Abyss: Examining John Constantine, Hellblazer

Published on June 5, 2020September 14, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp Thing2 Comments

From Bayou to Abyss: Examining John Constantine, Hellblazer is now available!

A Hellblazer anthology was released on Tuesday and I’m thrilled to have been involved in such a fun book. The 364-page anthology examines the mage’s history from his beginnings to the present with a slew of insightful essays by some familiar names. James Delano, Nancy Collins, James Chambers, Genevieve Williams and Tony Simmons are just a handful of the extremely talented contributors.
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A little over a year ago I was contacted by the editor of the book (also a friend & fellow Swamp Thing fanatic), Rich Handley to pitch an idea for an essay. Being more of a know-it-all of all things Swamp Thing, I wasn’t sure if I had it in me to write an in-depth essay focused on John Constantine. Turns out I did indeed have it in me, and the topic of the essay permanently emblazoned on my backside. You may be familiar with the subject matter of my essay, “The Birth of a Mark: Swamp Thing Leaves Revenge Behind.” Below are a couple sample pages.

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I had a blast writing the essay and enjoyed chatting with the folks involved in creating John Constantine during the process. You can order a copy here!

Flashback ’96 – Wizard 62, Swamp Thing on a Calendar

Published on April 13, 2020August 9, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

Wizard #62 – 1996

Flashback to 1996! Wizard Magazine is five years old and another Swamp Thing series comes to an end. October of 1996 saw the final issue of Swamp Thing series 2 with, #171 “Trial by Fire”. But that’s not why this book is Swamp Thing gold. Wizard #62 is special because it features a Swamp Thing parody image along with an article related to the NES game
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Within the magazine is a fold-out calendar and poster, Wizard’s 1996 “Spooky Calendar” to be exact. Swamp Thing and Batman start October strong, featured as the 1st day of the month. Highlighted in this parody panel is Alan Moore’s notable story, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” from Swamp Thing #53. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to write about that issue-and its surrounding story arc-but it’s one of the greatest Swampy arcs. It holds a special place in Swamp Thing fans’ hearts. It features one of many defining moments in Abigail & Swampy’s relationship. Swamp Thing also brings Gotham City to its knees and battles Batman.
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“It’s a jungle out there! Alec visits Gotham City in Swamp Thing #53, October 1986” Swamp Thing looks on, unhappy while Batman begrudgingly cleans up Gotham City-post issue #53. Note: although the cover of Swamp Thing #53 reads October 1986, it was published on July 17, 1986.

The back of the Wizard “Spooky Calendar” features a poster of the Fantastic 4 by Jim Lee.
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On page 42, the staff of Wizard magazine casts Kingdom Come with acting greats. “Since Alex Ross painted these heroes to look like regular folks, it’d be a cinch to cast, so we did.” Quite a few of their pairings are dead on. I’ve included a couple of the pages below.
Continue reading “Flashback ’96 – Wizard 62, Swamp Thing on a Calendar” →

Global Comic Safari

Published on March 5, 2020April 13, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

Matt from Foreign Comic Collectors Magazine (FCC) contacted me this past weekend to ask if he could use images from my website for his latest episode of Global Comic Safari. Having a hefty collection of non-US Swamp Thing books, I was happy to oblige. In their new episode, Matt and Jon Z (of CBSI) look at international comics featuring Bernie Wrightson & Len Wein’s classic, Swamp Thing #1. The comics feature some beautiful variations from Mexico, France and beyond. Matt also discusses the different styles and sizes that publisher, Navaro (Mexico) used in publishing the comics.

Jon Z is a member of the Tales from the Flipside Podcast team as well as a contributor to comicbookinvest.com

Matt is a foreign comic fanatic and a founder of the Foreign Comic Collector Magazine. You can join the Here

Follow Matt & Jon on Instagram
Matt @Define999
Jon Z @ComicsaretheNorm

Holland Files 4 Pre-Order!

Published on October 3, 2019April 7, 2020 by Roots of the Swamp ThingLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again!

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Another issue of Holland Files is nearly complete and I’m taking pre-orders. If you’d like to secure your copy, email me at HollandFilesZine@gmail.com. Books are $10 with free shipping in the US during pre-order only. Issue 4 is packed with in-depth Swamp Thing info along with an interview with Macon Blair (Phantom Stranger from the recent Swamp Thing series/Blue Ruin/Green Room), art by Stephen R Bissette, along with art and articles by 48, talented Swamp Thing fans from around the world. Share in the love for Swamp Thing and order Holland Files today.

Holland Files 4 is expected to be in the mail by mid November. If you missed out on previous issues, 1-3, now’s your chance to order while back-issues are available. Thank you all for your support in celebrating such a great character.