Hi all,

I just finished watching a very interesting presentation by Stephen Bissette on Swamp Thing and the Comics Code, presented a couple of years ago at the Jackson Concatenation Convention and available online here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PnKsyyn-LOHGE3-5qxdtYLUijny5IAIb/view.
Interviews with Bissette (in print or on video) always provide illuminating insights into the creation and publication of comics. This one included a few tidbits that I hadn’t heard before (or had at least forgotten) including:

• The influence of Nicholas Roeg’s 1970s films on Bissette/Moore’s Swamp Thing;
• The hidden Gumbys in some of the early Bissette/Totleben art;
• The fact that Bissette and Totleben had also supplied samples to DC showing Totleben pencilling and Bissette inking, and that it was Len Wein who ultimately decided that Bissette should be responsible for pencils and layouts.

There’s a bit more of a description of what is discussed in the Bibliography.  I really recommend it as a basic overview of Swamp Thing and its emergence and later re-invigoration in the 1980s in the wider context of popular culture and comics publishing.

Hello Swamp fans,

It seems that the time has come again for my annual post, and I’m sneaking it in a few hours before the new year begins. 2022 saw the conclusion of Ram V and Mike Perkins’ The Swamp Thing series after 16 issues. It was a very satisfying introduction of a new version of Swampy, Levi Kamei, and the series brought interesting guest appearances and fantastic art throughout. We were also supposed to get Lemire and Mahnke’s mini-series Swamp Thing: Green Hell, but only one issue was published on schedule so we should expect to see the commencement and conclusion of this title in 2023.

I’ve been keeping the list of appearances up-to-date.  We saw several appearances of alternate versions of Swampy this year.  Swamp-Man is from Earth-13, where the major superheroes are affiliated with magic and he is a member of the League of Shadows – that world’s equivalent of the Justice League.   Spore of Earth-41 is a cross between Swamp Thing and Spawn, on a world where all heroes resemble Image Comics characters. Both Swamp-Man and Spore appeared in the Justice League Incarnate series.  Swamp Thing also appears in several issues of DC Vs. Vampires, set on a world (Earth-63) that has been taken over by vampires. Meanwhile in the Flashpoint Universe, where familiar heroes are villains and vice versa, Jason Woodrue makes an appearance as the plant avatar of that world.

Swamp Thing also had a part to play in the big multiversal crossover event of this year, Dark Crisis, and was the focus of a tie-in issue. He also featured in a short story in the Halloween anthology DC’s Terrors Through Time.  In early 2023, Swampy is rumoured to be appearing in the ‘Lazarus Planet’ crossover.

I’ve had a busy year changing houses and jobs.  Apart from keeping up with the activities of Swampy, I’ve been enjoying a few Tom King miniseries, and am very excited about new issues of Miracleman being released throughout next year.

I wish you all a great start to 2023.

Zac.

Hello readers,

It has been a long time since my last update so I figured I should post something before 2021 comes to a close. Since the last time I wrote, Swampy has been starring in a monthly series appropriately titled The Swamp Thing, written by Ram V and illustrated by Mike Perkins. The series was going to conclude with issue #10 but has just been extended into 2022. Early images of next year’s issues suggest that Tefé Holland will make an appearance. Tefé is a favourite character who hasn’t shown up since mid-2006, when Joshua Dysart and Enrique Breccia were creating the fourth series of Swamp Thing. Wikipedia sums up Tefé’s complicated lineage in this way:

“Tefé was originally a floating spirit called the Sprout, who tried to find a body from a recently deceased person; she was eventually given a body through Abby Holland having a baby, which was conceived through the Swamp Thing possessing John Constantine and having sex with her. Due to Constantine having the demon Nergal’s blood in his veins at the time, Tefe is also part demon.”

Ram V and Perkins have done some great work this year, introducing a new Swamp Thing and bringing in a number of interesting guests characters while still maintaining a connection to the Alec Holland version of Swampy we know and love.

There will be a brief hiatus after issue #10, when Swamp Thing will appear in a three-part, prestige mini-series on DC’s Black Label imprint. The title is Swamp Thing: Green Hell and begins just after Christmas. This will be written by Jeff Lemire with artwork by Doug Mahnke, and I’m very excited for it.

That’s all I wanted to say for now. It has been another strange year but I will keep updating the site regularly as the world of Swamp Thing continues to grow.

Zac.

Hello readers,

The lockdown has continued here in Melbourne as we attempt to get the virus case numbers under control in our state. The restrictions on movement are quite strict but they seem to be having the desired effect and I’m hopeful that I’ll again be able to see friends and make music over our Australian summer, and that 2020 won’t be a complete write-off.

I was supposed be on an overseas holiday right now but I’ve settled instead for a week off work(ing online) to watch movies and read. I’ve used the first few days of my break to investigate Timeline JS, which had been on my to-do list for a few years. I’ve created something that presents the history of Swamp Thing (the publication and the character) and I’ve added a link to the timeline in the menu. It was pretty easy and fun to make.

In Swamp Thing news, the DC Universe TV series is about to be re-broadcast on The CW channel. The ‘Giant’ series ended abruptly but the Justice League Dark series continues and Swamp Thing’s role has been interesting. Swampy has also been playing a big part in the Dark Nights: Death Metal and DCeased: Dead Planet series that are currently running. The young adult graphic novel Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is due out in about 6 weeks and I like the look of the art so far. I’m continually updating the relevant webpage with new appearances.

I hope you are all staying healthy and sane,
Zac.

Hello all,

I haven’t been doing a lot of Swamp Thing-related reading or writing while the world has been on virus lockdown. There hasn’t been any new DC comics in stores for weeks now and I’m missing my regular fix of superhero adventures. However, things seem to be slowly returning to normality, at least here in Australia. New Swamp Thing stories have been appearing digitally in a series called Swamp Thing: New Roots. These stories seem to be included in the 2nd ‘Giant’ series. The Giant comics were being released in Walmart stores slightly before the Direct Market editions, but COVID-19 threw this schedule into chaos. At the time of writing, New Roots #6 is about to come out, while Swamp Thing Giant #5 is out in Walmart stores in the US, and Giant #4 is about to hit comic stores everywhere.

Other than the Giant issues, Swampy is continuing to appear as a member of Justice League Dark, and seems to be included in another team that will appear in the DCeased: Dead Planet series. I’m also excited for the Tom King/Mitch Gerads Strange Adventures series to resume. (I’m not sure if Swampy will show up there, but it is possible given his past relationship with Adam Strange).

In TV/movie news, the latest Swamp Thing TV series will be broadcast on The CW television network, where many of DC’s TV series already reside. The animated film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is out now. This is a follow-up to the 2017 Justice League Dark film, which Swamp Thing briefly appears in. I haven’t watched Apokolips War yet but I suspect that Swampy only has a bit part. He is voiced again by Roger Cross.

Finally, a few weeks ago Martin Pasko passed away at age 65. He wrote 17 of the first 19 issues of The Saga of Swamp Thing when it was relaunched in 1982, teaming up with such notable artists as Tom Yeates, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Pasko introduced the characters General Sunderland, Liz Tremayne, and Dennis Barclay – all of whom would appear in the latest Swamp Thing television series. He also brought Abby and Matt Cable back to the series. I’m not a big fan of these issues and they tend to be pretty dialogue-heavy but there are some cool ideas in here, including the teen punk vampires of Rosewood who would be revived during the Alan Moore run and who possibly had some influence on the film The Lost Boys. While working with Bissette and Totleben, Pasko brought back Anton Arcane (in his creepy arachnid form) and these final issues are a nice lead-in to the iconic Moore run. Outside of his Swamp Thing work, Pasko wrote many stories for DC in such flagship titles as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Justice League of America, and also wrote for TV.

Stay safe

Zac.

Happy 2020 everyone,

I’ve used my holidays so far to re-watch and write about the 2019 Swamp Thing TV series. An episode guide can now be accessed from here. It is intended as a guide for viewers of the series who are unfamiliar with how the events in the show relate to those in the comics. I have enjoyed rewatching the series and looking for all of the references, and I think it has helped me to appreciate the series a bit more.

There are a few plotlines in the series that remain unresolved and it makes me wonder what would have occurred if the show had run for a second season, or even for the 13 episodes that were originally planned. There are several references to the Rot and insects, and Abby’s unexplained childhood fears of the Man With No Face open up the possibility for the introduction of Anton Arcane. Matt’s car crash in Episode 9 also sets the stage for the show to explore one of the more shocking events in DC Comics history, which resulted in The Saga of Swamp Thing #29 being published without the Comics Code Authority’s stamp of approval. However, Matt’s story in the TV show went in a different direction, which feels like a missed opportunity.

While there are some scenes that seem to drag, and some tedious exposition, the series did manage to capture some of what make the comics great. I think that Alec and Abby’s romance was developed fairly realistically, even though they didn’t spend much time together, and they got to share a hallucinogenic moment together a la ‘The Rite of Spring’. The ‘The Anatomy Lesson’ episode delivered the famous twist effectively, and the theme of Swamp Thing struggling with his identity and his relationship to humanity is explored throughout the series.

There were also cool nods to the Conclave, Nathan Ellery, Anise Arcane, Dennis Barclay, and a guest appearance by Adrienne Barbeau.  The TV show did well to include references to the first two Swamp Thing series, and the ‘New 52’ reboot of 2011, as well as introducing elements from the wider DC Universe.

I’m still a little disappointed that they didn’t show Holland running around in flames before he died, as this has been a consistent part of his origin story, and for me that scene was a highlight of the 1982 film.

Anyway, please let me know if I missed some references or if any of my notes need correcting.

Zac.

Hello Swamp-friends,

It has been a big year for Swamp Thing and his fans so I thought I’d better post something before 2019 is over.

This year, Swamp Thing featured in a short, seven-issue series in a ‘Giant’ format that appeared exclusively in Walmart stores in the U.S. (and was difficult to get here in Australia).  Since that finished up, there has been another ‘Giant’ series that is thankfully coming out in comic stores here.

Swamp Thing also appeared throughout the year as part of the new Justice League Dark team, and there are hints that Abby might make a return so I’m pretty interested to see what transpires there.  Perhaps due to his newfound access to the Hall of Justice (or at least its basement), Swampy has been making brief appearances in many other titles and seems to be taking part in every major DC superhero  battle.

However, the biggest news of the year was that Swamp Thing finally got a new TV show, albeit only for 10 episodes.  There were aspects of the show I enjoyed and some I didn’t, but I think it did a good job of introducing new viewers to the characters and themes, and hopefully Swampy picked up a few new fans who will check out the comics.  I hope to write a more in-depth episode guide to the series soon.

The bibliography is progressing and it’s relatively up to date.  The page is getting a bit unwieldy so I might have to have a think about how to reorganise the info in a useful way.  For now, you can see the new entries by checking out the ‘New ‘References’ list in the column to the right on the home page.

I hope you all got some enjoyment out of Swamp Thing’s stories this year.

Thanks for reading,

Zac.

Hello fellow Swamp Thing obsessives,

It has been a while since my last news update but, as always, I’ve been quietly toiling away on the site this whole time. Since starting up Seeds & Leaves 4 years ago, I’ve been working on summarising all of the issues that Swampy has appeared in. Recently, I finally finished my ‘big Swamp Thing re-read’ and now I’m pretty much up to date. In celebration, I have very slightly upgraded the website – removing the ads and re-christening the site to my original first preference, Another Green World. I think it’s a slightly less obscure name and is a reference to the early Alan Moore issue The Saga of Swamp Thing #23 (the middle of the first Swampy vs. Woodrue arc). It’s also surely a reference by Moore to Brian Eno’s excellent third solo album. I’m not yet sure what other possibilities this upgrade has opened up to me so you may see some more cosmetic changes as I experiment.

In more important news, Swampy continues to make frequent appearances with the new Justice League Dark team and elsewhere. There has also been more news about the TV series and I can’t wait to catch the first glimpse of the suit!  Though the DC Universe streaming service is not yet available outside of the US, the ‘Titans’ series will be available internationally via Netflix (according to Variety) so hopefully something similar will happen for the Swamp Thing series in 2019.

Thanks for reading,
Zac.

Hi all,

I’ve just returned after a month of overseas traveling and feel tired but also somewhat rejuvenated. I didn’t seek out too much Swamp Thing memorabilia while I was away but ended up finding some comics in Barcelona and picked up a couple of iconic issues from the Moore run: #47 (‘The Parliament of Trees’) & #60 (‘Loving The Alien’). Aside from these, I bought a couple of Spanish issues of Grant Morrison’s Animal Man; found a nicer copy of Moebius’ Arzach and visited his grave in Paris; got several cheap Tintin books in French; and the first four Adele Blanc-Sec adventures and a first edition of It Was The War of the Trenches – all in French and all by Jacques Tardi.

Anyway, a lot has happened in the world of Swamp Thing while I have been away. Firstly, there is a new series of Justice League Dark beginning in June. Swampy is part of a team led by Wonder Woman that will also include Zatanna, Constantine, Man-Bat, and Detective Chimp. It’s a bit of an eclectic mix of characters and I’m looking forward to it. Aside from this, Swampy is set to guest appear in many comics over the next couple of months. For more details, I would recommend keeping an eye on John Boylan’s website as he keeps good track of this.

In other big news, Swamp Thing will be getting a new live action television series! It will be Executive Produced by Australian James Wan, who co-created the Saw franchise of films. It will be released in probably 2019 on the new DC Comics streaming service, DC Universe, which I’m not sure will be available to fans here in Australia but I will find a way to watch it. I’ve created a new page within the Film & TV menu for news relating to this series. I will update this as I receive for info about characters, casting, and crew.

Zac.

Hello reader(s),

Just a short Christmas Eve update. Since my last post, I’ve continued my big Swamp Thing re-read and have made it through all of the ‘New 52’ issues. The page for Volume 6 is progressing and should be visible and half-completed before I return to work next year, though I still have to get through re-reading all of the Justice League Dark appearances.

I picked up the Bernie Wrightson Artifact Edition when it was released and it is awesome. I’ve added some details about it to the Collected Editions page. Though it doesn’t include everything, it collects most of Wrightson’s Swamp Thing output in a beautiful, large format. I highly recommend it! I also picked up all of the single Wein/Wrightson Swamp Thing issues I was missing so there are not many Swampy appearances left for me to collect except the ever-elusive House of Secrets #92.

Finally: I’m now using Zotero to manage my Bibliography, which offers more of the functionality that I was looking for, including the ability for guests to filter the Bibliography by multiple subject tags from the Zotero group page. I may now finally get around to reading Holland Files #1 and creating entries for those articles, just in time for the release of Issue #2, which I am expecting in the new year.

Hope you all have a relaxing holiday break.

Zac.