Comic Book Comics 5 (2011)
Comic Book Comics chronicles the history of comics and in this issue, copyrights and intellectual property is the focus.
There goes the neighborhood…
the book spends some time discussing the wave of great U.K. talent that rose to prominence in the 80s and 90s., along with the hurtles they encountered with their intellectual property. Continue reading “Alec and Moore on tubers”
Amazing Heroes 104 (1986)
Amazing Heroes and their fan submitted art never disappoints in delivering fun parody appearances. Over the years I’ve found a number of great Swampy references and parodies within the pages of Amazing Heroes. This one may be one of my favorites…
On the very last page of the book, Greg Wilcox’s Swamp Thing puts the Green in Green Lantern.
the News section also has a bit about Stephen Bissette’s plans for Swamp Thing 59.
Another key item that made me fall in love with this issue is the oversized reproduction of this Joe Orlando panel from Weird Fantasy 18 (1953). The panel appears in an article relating to great sci-if stories. Al Feldstein & Joe Orlando crafted this tale to comment on the state of bigotry and how now planet is free when shackled by oppression. It’s actually more of a subtle progression than I describe here but it’s an amazing story that I highly recommend.
Alf 37 (1991)
Play Me or Trade Me!
I used to have a few Alf books kicking around the house. I don’t recall enjoying them as much as the goofy tv show but this issue in particular has a few treasures that I’m very excited to share with you.
This Swamp Thing parody was brought to my attention by Anthony of For Comics Sake. He stumbled upon the parody sighting while rooting around in a long box. Check out his Instagram feed when you have a moment.
The book is made up of a few different Alf stories. The awesome Swamp Thing bits are part of the, “Alf in, Play Me or Trade Me!”
The story starts with Alf recounting an experience to Brian and Kate regarding kids and trading/swapping. This is apparently where ALF learned that he is poor at bartering. It’s an odd premise. Continue reading “Alf 37”
Neal Adams Treasury 1 (1974)
This fantastic reference to one of comics’ great artists features a previously unpublished muck-rocker that reminds me of a lot of Swamp Thing. The book provides much more, including my favorite, the Neal Adams index! A dream list for any Adams collector or completist.
The book features an interview with Adams, background experience and a slew of images, previously published and many unpublished. If memory recalls, it was the first of three Adams Treasury books.
I’ve done a whole lot of digging and I can’t seem to find this Power Records release. For those unfamiliar, Power Records published a book and record series throughout the 70s. Getting a comic and a record to listen along was pretty cool and I enjoy coming across them. When I do, I tend to snatch them up because I don’t see them all that often.
I’ve asked Rob Kelly over at the Power Records Blog if it was ever released. I’ll get back to you with his response.
I image Stump the Swamp Child would be a blues metal band. Really sludgy and morose? He looks kind of bummed out.
Although I wouldn’t consider this a Swamp Thing sighting, Adams’ detail has the energy of Bernie Wrightson. The “Swamp Child” font looks very similar to the Swamp Thing logotype and when it comes down to it, it’s a really awesome illustration. Continue reading “Quantity & Craft: Neal Adams Treasury 1”
It looks like a comic book but it’s actually a stock photo promotional mailer. And best of all, it references Swamp Thing!
This awesome book arrived at work earlier this week and I almost fell out of my chair as I thumbed through the pages. First of all, the book is a really neat concept produced by the stock photo company, Dissolve. The promotional piece acts as a comic book with each panel featuring stock photography that’s available on their website, Dissolve.com. It’s a creative and fun way to sell their product and get (comic junkies like) me interested.
“what about Swamp Thing from the comics?”
There are a number of short stories throughout the comic. Each story alludes to a sci-fi and/or notable film. This Swamp Thing story tells less of a tale and acts more like a little joke but it sure is great to see Swamp Thing’s name!
Captain Tacolicious and the Temple of Food (2013)
Joey Peters is a Boston based comic creator and writer. He’s also the creator of one of my favorite Swamp Thing parodies. Peters’, Alec Hollandaise IS… The Wisconsin Cheese Beast!
Rather than summarizing Peters’ comic I thought I’d share his wonderful synopsis from his website. “Beantown City’s foremost diabetic duo, Captain Tacolicious and Candyman have faced many threats—but none so strange as the one they face now. After a confrontation with Mr. Dracula, Candyman’s powers go haywire. The only solution? He must travel to the Food Pyramid in distant Mexico and face off against the elementals of food—Durian Gray, Bake Master, Meat Head, the Wisconsin Cheese Beast, and Cap’s arch-nemesis Mister Asparagus. Can our heroes discover the delicious truth? Or are they doomed to go hungry?”
Peter’s altered Swamp Thing origin cracks me up. Like Alec Holland, Dr Hollandaise is working on a restorative formula. The Dr’s dairy based formula would end world hunger but it proves to be a problem for “a consortium of dairy chefs enraged by the potential culinary effects”. Similar to Alec Holland, goons thwart the Dr’s plans and leave him for dead. In this version of the legend Alec falls into boiling cheese and emerges The Wisconsin Cheese Beast!
The comic does not solely focus on the familiar looking Wisconsin Cheese Beast but I certainly did while reading the book. The plot is much more elaborate than the panels I’ve provided and I recommend visiting Joey’s site and ordering your copy of the comic.
The wonderful Ilke Hincer, over at George-Perez.net sent me an email earlier this week to let me know that Swamp Thing makes an appearance on the cover of the 1985 San Diego Comic-Con Program. I immediately ordered the program upon hearing the news and am extremely excited to share it with you. After giving the program a thorough read, I was thrilled to see that Swamp Thing makes more than one appearance!
1985 San Diego Comic-Con Program
“Welcome to the Pleasure Zone”
I’d imagine the SD Comic-Con is far less pleasurable now than it was in 1985. The comics writers and artists that attended the ’85 conference was very impressive.
The program starts with a series of bios and blurbs for the attending artists and writers. Alan Moore was in attendance and Swamp Thing is briefly mentioned.
Continue reading “1985 San Diego Comic-Con Program”
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 like an Indiana Jones adventure.
The comic strip, buried deep within the book, features Swamp Thing and Man-Thing mucking up the pages of Comics Collector. A great, obscure find for sure!
Amazing Heroes 73 (1985)
This issue of Amazing Heroes has everything you need to know about The Eternals, but, you can gather that from the cover.
What you couldn’t have known was that Swamp Thing indulges on fertilizer Bonbons!
Almost as scandalous as when Swampy dropped in on the Crisis cover. Which just happens to be in this issue of Amazing Heroes 73!
Certainly one of his smallest appearances, although there are smaller ones out there.
The Amazing Readers section of the book features work by the great, Herb Trimpe
Along with an antagonistic Darkseid
It was bound to happen, Batman
Amazing Heroes 75 (1985)
My amazing morning of Amazing Heroes magazine rolls on with more Swamp Thing sightings!
The UK’s renowned Eagle Awards were good to Swamp Thing ’85 and this issue feature’s DC’s Eagle Awards winners along with a fun Swamp Thing sighting!
This isn’t the first time Axel Pressbutton has tried to get the drop on Swamp Thing. Two years later, Axel will take a slice out of Swampy in Comics Buyer’s Guide 687 from January 16, 1987
DC’s Eagle Awards! Swamp Thing and the creative team did quite well.
The letters page features more hilarity.
Firestorm is up to his old tricks, congenial as always.
GQ (July 2016)
Has RootsOfTheSwampThing.com finally gone off the deep end?
I have an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine in my collection because it features a Swamp a Thing sighting (I surely did not foresee that ever happening). Now I’ve added GQ to the list of screwball magazines I never read but must have due to the big green guy being ever-present.
I was not aware that GQ contained a decent amount of nudity in their books; although, the cover should have tipped me off. Again, I only bought this for the pictures… I mean articles… I mean Swamp Thing!!
Swamp Thing made his way into The Best F*cking Movies Ever article.
What else would he be doing in here?
A sub-section to the article celebrates movies that feature sex with plants and animals
… RootsOfTheSwampThing.com may seem like it’s scraping the bottom of the barrel to find every single Swamp Thing appearance and you may be correct.
Swamp Thing’s got… wood
Continue reading “I didn’t realize GQ was 18+”
Fearless Dawn 1 (2016)
While assisting with the orders for new comic book day, I thumbed through some books that I’d typically pass on. I indeed judge comics by their cover, especially if a scantily clad woman dons said cover. I’m not keen on women being objectified and sex is an extremely lazy way to sell comics but I step down from the soap box. I bought Fearless Dawn because my preternatural ability to sniff out oddball Swamp Thing sightings paid off . I just happened to flip through the last few pages and came across this great Swamp Thing parody.
Swamp Dog looks awesome! The roots, flowers and his patented Swamp Thing nose/mouth shape are spot on.
What’s the deal with Swamp Dog?
Swamp Dog didn’t actually play a role in the story. Writer and artist Steve Mannion included the Swamp Dog illustration in the back of the book, as a portfolio/sketch page. A giant out-of-control dog did play a role in the story, but sadly, never turned into Swamp Dog.
…everywhere he roams, mayhem and destruction.
The gigantic dog eludes Dawn in the Swamp. In a perfect world, this would be the point in the story where the giant dog goes to school, trains to be a scientist, marries his college sweetheart (who of course would be a scientist dog named Linda) and begins his life’s work on a biorestorative formula only to have it stolen by thugs who leave him for dead, deep in the swamps of Louisiana and buried within this lengthy run on sentence. But like I said before, that doesn’t happen in this story.
Continue reading “Fearless Swamp Dog”
The All New Atom 3 (2006)
My Life in Miniature (Part III of VI) – Binding Energies
NOTICE: Within this book lies a Swamp Thing appearance as well as a Swampy parody. I was excited and a little confused when I picked it up today at my local shop. It is my honor to warn you of this rare occurrence in The All New Atom #3. In this universe Swamp Thing 8 (series 1) The lurker in Tunnel 13 was an actual event that intrigued the right type of people to warrant a film; a poorly produced film depicting Swamp Thing and the almighty M’Nagalah battling it out at the bottom of a mine.
I’d gladly watch a string of low-budget Swamp Thing movies.
A lot is going on here so I’ll jump right into the juicy muck-encrusted parts. This is Dwarfstar. He is an expert with that hunting knife.
Those familiar with series 1 are aware that M’Nagalah just won’t go away. Well, he’s back and is just as long-winded as he was in Perdition, PA back ’74.
Ryan Choi, The Atom, has been deemed worthy and suitable by the almighty M’Nagalah. While providing his lengthy exposition, a flashback reveals a familiar form.
Swamp Thing lurks in the shadows within M’Nagalah’s monologue.
Swamp Thing, an unsuitable mind.
Ryan Choi tries to enjoy his date at the drive-in. The title of the movie on the marquis reads, Terror in Tunnel Thirteen. It’s the story of Swamp Thing vs M’Nagalah, as seen in Swamp Thing #8.
M’Nagalah rears his ugly head which results in The Atom being swallowed whole by his date. Continue reading “Parody & an Appearance in One Atom”
rootsoftheswampthing.com 