You’re not seeing double. These 2 Swamp Thing sweatshirts have the same design. Around 1990/1991 they were available in various sizes and colors. I wrote about the size 10-12 sweatshirt from 1991 a couple weeks ago, here.
As you can see, the turquoise background texture extends further than that of the sweatshirt released in ‘91. Continue reading “More 90s Swamp Thing Sweatshirts”
Justice League Swamp Thing 1 oz Silver Proof – 2021
New Zealand is honoring Swamp Thing with this beautiful commemorative silver coin. Happy 50th Swampy!
Produced for Niue by the New Zealand Mint, this 1 oz, .999 fine Silver coin features Swamp Thing! Mintage was limited to 1,971 pieces in honor of his first appearance in House of Secrets #92, from ‘71. I’m curious to know why Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing isn’t featured on the coin and packaging. It would have been fitting, but I’m thrilled just to see Swampy getting his moment in the spotlight… in coin form.
The coin features the artwork of Jesús Saíz. The artwork was originally published on Swamp Thing 25, in 2014. It comes in a protective display block with a numbered COA. The coin and packaging are sharp. It’s going to look great on display.
The back of the coin features Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Continue reading “New Zealand Honors Swamp Thing’s Birthday with Silver”
Swamp Thing Youth/Kids Sweatshirt – 1991
This Swamp Thing sweatshirt is awesome. Sure I’ll never be able to fit into it, but a future model is in the works. The artwork featured on the front is seldom seen on Swampy apparel. A few different colors of the sweatshirt style exists and pop-up every so often on eBay or Etsy. It took me a little over 5 years to track this little shirt down. An example of the grey version of the sweatshirt can be seen here.
I love this and other promo art that was used on Swampy collectibles relating to the animated series. Like I’ve said in the past, the amount of Swamp Thing merchandise and collectibles produced for a 5 episode animated series is bananas. But, I sure do appreciate it all. Continue reading “Swamp Thing Sweatshirt… for Kids”
Two, one of a kind Swamp Thing items were given to me last week and I’m thrilled to share them with you. On the left is a 3 ring binder featuring artwork from the recent Swamp Thing series. The oversized Swamp Thing #1 cover on the right is printed on textured metal sheet stock. The Swamptastic items were the product of a test printing. Both were printed using the sublimation printing process (basically printing using a heat press and transfer paper). Since the test printing utilized unlicensed imagery, the fun items made their way into my collection, free of charge. The creator appreciated the results, how the inks worked with the materials and I’m thrilled they chose Swamp Thing as their subject matter.
The 11” x 15.5” metal sheet stock is coated with a cloth-like texture. The color is vibrant and the metal is thick. I’m excited to hang it on my wall. Below are some details.
In the photo above, you can see the texture that the image was printed on. It feels like heavily textured rice paper. I placed a couple quarters next to the sign to give you a sense of scale, below.
The 3 ring binder is made with black canvas and a white fabric that is able to be printed upon. It’s really cool and I’m looking forward to storing Swamp Thing collectibles in it.
I’ve been rearranging the Swamp Thing room this week. It’s a work in progress, and currently a mess, but I’m feeling better about how my books are being stored. For a while I had some books in spinner racks. I didn’t like how the metal left indentations on some of the books. Long story short, here’s a progress photo and a video of some plant monster comics. Along with collecting everything Swamp Thing, I have quite the collection of books that feature plant and swamp monsters. 
I snapped photos of a stack of plant/swampy monster covers and made a slideshow, below. If you have some favorite plant monster covers let me know in the comments. Some of my favorites involve tree monsters. I also enjoy the many covers featuring Superman tangling with vines. Being one of the strongest aliens on the planet, he sure does get tripped-up by plant vines.
Swamp Thing’s birthday party is next Tuesday and it will be live on The Grail Keepers YouTube Show. Join me and the Grail Keepers in celebrating Swampy’s 50th with giveaways, stories and fun top 10 lists. I’m also extremely excited to present some of Swamp Thing’s oldest friends, wishing him a happy 50th. Stephen Bissette, Nancy Collins, Phil Hester and Stuart Moore are just a few of the familiar faces you’ll see. Join in the live celebration and conversation by tuning in Tuesday, May 25th at 9pm CST. Here is a link to the show site.
In preparing for Swampy’s birthday, I forgot to share a few fun collectibles that have come my way. I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve acquired a few Mark Jewelers Swamp Thing comics. Well, I found another. This Swamp Thing #5 “The Last of the Ravenwind Witches” from August 1973 has some wear on the cover but the interior looks terrific. I was really excited to find a Mark Jewelers book from so early on in the Swamp Thing series. I provided the cover and Mark Jewelers pages below.
You probably recall Dr Arcane’s custom action figures that I posted last month. If not, here’s a link to a boatload of fun. His amazing, custom Swamp Thing creations never cease to amaze. Earlier this month I received these two awesome Swampy busts in the mail. The one on the left is glow-in-the-dark resin. The one on the right is beautifully rendered using various colors. The photos below help to display the fantastic detail work.
Continue reading “Swamp Thing’s Birthday Party & Catching Up on Collectibles”
It feels like I’ve been playing catch-up this week with appearances and collectibles I’ve been meaning to post. Yesterday’s post featured Suicide Squad #23 which I meant to post a few years ago, and now this awesome 4 inch, static, custom figure from Jester FX Studios that I acquired in the beginning of 2020.
The static, custom figure was 3D printed and hand-painted, with a little moss to give Swampy texture. The figure was released a year after the DCU series debuted but as you can see, the backing card features imagery from the show. The figure reminds me of what the DCU series could have been. It’s too bad the show didn’t last long enough to spawn figures or more collectibles. I love that Phantom Stranger’s hat sits on the tree, below Swampy in the photo on the backing card. For over analytical people like me, it’s a little Phantom Stranger goodie on a Swamp Thing collectible.
Below is a process photo from Jester FX Studios’ Instagram page. From the looks of his website, Swamp Thing figures are still available .
Do you remember when movie theater coupons were all the rage? Neither do I, but this Return of Swamp Thing 2 for 1 coupon is really cool. A while back I stumbled upon this Canadian Cineplex Odion movie theater coupon and was thrilled that it was intact. I assume that most theaters would want to cut/punch or trash them once used. Reusing this laminated coupon repeatedly would have been a blast in 1989 when the film was released.
The front of the coupon features an illustration that makes Swampy look like the Jolly Green Giant. In 1989, when The Return of Swamp was released, the film was typically promoted with a photo of Dick Durock holding Heather Locklear or the above illustration. I’ve always preferred the illustration over the photo. It feels more inline with the playfulness of the film.
The back of the coupon clearly states the truth in that Swamp Thing is “…America’s favourite superhero.” The Return of Swamp Thing made its way to theaters on May 12, 1989. Cineplex Odion theaters in Canada rolled-out this coupon campaign for July 14th – August 19, 1989. I’m not sure what the red stamp, “Siege Perilous” refers to but my initial guess was that it’s one of the Cineplex Odion franchisees. The stamp is underneath the laminate. The coupon measures 4 1/2” x 6”.
Neil Ewing is at it again! This excellent bootleg Swampy figure is cast in soft, durable, glow in the dark, glittered resin and hand painted in 5 layers. Neil only made 6 Deluxe Them Things figures and I was extremely fortunate to obtain one. 
I love Neil’s packaging. It features a great card and a resealable bottom. Check out Neil’s website for more awesome creations.
Below are more images of bootleg Swampy
I was fortunate enough to find this 2019 Swamp Thing TV show AD (Assistant Director) Department vest last week. The down filled vest was manufactured by Calvin Klein. It will pair nicely with the 90s Swamp Thing TV show crew member jacket I picked up some years back. Here’s a link in case you haven’t seen it on the site. Since this vest is a size medium, my wife gets to sport it.
The back of the vest features the 2019 Swamp Thing tv show logo. Below the logo reads, “Season 1 AD Dept.” The front of the vest is less exciting, featuring the CK logo.
Custom toy maker, @dr.antonarcane makes extremely fun and creative figures. I purchased a Swamp Thing & Arcane figure from him in the past but this new neon/glow in the dark figure is ELECTRIC!
the above image was taken from @dr.antonarcane Instagram page. Follow his work for more amazing photos.
“Neon Fall Swamp Thing” has 4 points of magnetic articulation and included a custom, signed backer!
@dr.antonarcane stays true to the figure style by pairing it with artwork inspired by Swamp Thing #57 “Mysteries in Space” – see below. The figure that inspired this custom was the Kenner Bio-Glow Swamp Thing. Both the Kenner figure & Swamp Thing #57 depict the character with a cactus body. The two great depictions merge together to make this fantastic, inspired custom action figure!
Below is a process photo of the figure being made. It was taken from @dr.antonarcane Instagram page. Continue reading “Dr Anton Arcane Custom Figures”
DC Direct: Heroes of the DC Universe Bust – Series 2, 2011
Statue: s12, Box: s11, NOV110245
Around the time the New 52 was kicking off in 2011, this beautiful statue of our beloved Muck Monster was released. I made sure to pick one up around the time of its release, anticipating that it’d sell like hot cakes. It’s one of my favorite statues. 
Statue Detail Images:
Swamp Thing’s abs are nuts! I love the details throughout, the wildlife clinging to him look great. I often think of this statue as the Ron Perlman/Party Swamp Thing.
This week, Figures Toy Company finally released their Abby Cable figure. It’s part of their DC Comics Retro 8 inch Action Figure Series. I’m pleased as punch because it’s the first time an officially licensed Abby action figure has been released. It’s the perfect match for the Swamp Thing Mego-style figure that was released last year.
Abby is one of my favorite characters within Swamp Thing canon. She is the backbone of the title character, and the glue that binds numerous story arcs throughout Swamp Thing’s history. Amongst other things, Abby anchored Swamp Thing when his humanity and spirit were adrift. She suffered through-what seemed like-endless struggles, trauma and loss since she appeared in Swamp Thing #3 (1973). Abby is a reminder (to me) of how humanity can suffer and endure, living within the world of monsters. There are so many reasons to love the character. I’m really psyched to add this Abby figure to my collection.
And, of course Swamp Thing made his way onto the packaging! The artwork on the packaging is great, and economical. Figures Toy Co used the same artwork that was used on their Swamp Thing figure, but they reconfigured it a bit. On this packaging Abby takes center stage while Swampy makes for great wallpaper.
Figure detail:
Back of packaging detail: I don’t understand the hyphenated name below. Abby didn’t keep the Arcane name after marrying Cable.
Now that Abby finally has a figure, it’d be so cool to see a Floronic Man and Chester Williams in Mego style. It would be a dream come true to have a two in one figure set of Rose & Thorn, one of my other favorite DC characters.
