Roots Of The Swamp Thing: Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, The Un-Men And More

Roots of the Swamp Thing: Your Portal to the Universe of Swamp Thing, The Un-Men and John Constantine: Hellblazer

• Part 1: Before Year 1
• Part 2: Year 1 to 1899
• Part 3: 1900 to 1969
• Part 4: 1970 to 1979
• Part 5: 1980 to 1984
• Part 6: 1985 to 1988
• Part 7: 1989 to 1991
• Part 8: 1992 to 1994
• Part 9: 1995 to 1999
• Part 10: 2000 to Present

Born on the Bayou
A history and introduction

Creature Features
Articles and feature stories

Cover Gallery
Judge the books by the covers

In the Swamplight
Issue-by-issue breakdowns

Elemental Lineage
Past lives and other entities

Upcoming Releases
Coming to a bog near you

What's New Bayou?
Archived news updates

About Me
Portrait of a swamp-nerd

Homepage
Go back to the roots

Contact Me
Comments, corrections & tubers

Thanks to Joe Bongiorno, who first dragged me kicking and screaming into the mucky mythos of Swamp Thing, and to Paul Giachetti, who created the amazing header banner.

Thanks also to reader 'Alec Holland,' whose support has been invaluable; Mike Sterling, for promoting Swamp Thing and this site; and Kevin Church, for his excellent optimization advice.

And thanks to Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson, Alan Moore, John Totelben, Stephen Bissette, Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis and all the other creators whose work inspired this site.

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Born on the Bayou

A detailed history and analysis of the history of the Swamp Thing comic book line and its acclaimed spinoffs, John Constantine: Hellblazer and The Un-Men.

In 1971, Len Wein and Berni Wrightson introduced to the comic book world a sympathetic mossy monster who was far more than his horrifying exterior revealed.

The idea was not entirely original, of course. Bog-dwellers such as Airboy Comics’ Heap, for instance, had already stalked the swamps, and Marvel Comics had unveiled its own take on the concept, Man-Thing,

at about the same time—created, ironically enough, by Wein’s then-roommate (and future Swamp Thing scribe himself) Gerry Conway.

And yet, though neither Wein nor Wrightson could have known it back then, their eight-page "Swamp Thing" story in House of Secrets #92 was the start of a saga unlike none that had come before.

The story, set near the start of the 20th century, was simple enough: scientist Alex Olsen, murdered by friend and partner Damian Ridge, was reborn as a moss-covered monster and was shunned as hideous by his beloved wife, Linda. It was not a new theme, nor was this the last time such a plot device would be used (see Sam Raimi's Darkman, for example). But the vibrant illustrations of Berni Wrightson, combined with Wein's creepy and touching text, created a whole that was so much more than the sum of its parts. And it was only the beginning of a truly amazing journey, for there was Moore to come.

CREATOR DIFFERENCES

Following this "pilot episode," Wein turned his creation into a monthly series that lasted four years. This time, the saga was set in what was then the present day—the early 70s—and told the story of Alec Holland, whose plight, backstory and name were remarkably similar to those of his predecessor. The reason for this similarity, revealed four writers and a decade later, would forever change the course of Swamp Thing and, arguably, the entire comics genre. But Moore on that later.

Wrightson left the series after ten issues, Wein leaving three issues later, to be replaced by artist artist Nestor Redondo and writer David Michelinie. Redondo stayed aboard until the end of the run, with Ernie Chua and Fred Carrillo illustrating the final issue. During this time, Swamp Thing guest-starred with Batman in The Brave and the Bold #122, by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo.

The Wein/Michelinie issues, though difficult to track down, are vital components of the Swamp Thing saga, as they introduced several key players. Among them: the evil Anton Arcane, Alec Holland's most hated arch-nemesis; Alec’s best friend, Lt. Matthew Cable, later known to Sandman fans as Matt the Raven; and Arcane's niece (and future wife to both Matt and Alec), Abigail Arcane. These early issues also introduced some brilliant yet short-lived additions to the DC Comics universe: the angry Jefferson Bolt, who traveled alongside Abby and Matt in the wee years of the comic and then was never seen again; villains Mister E (not to be confused with the character of the same name from The Books of Magick and The Trenchcoat Brigade), John Zero and Defense Department Intelligence (D.D.I.), Cable's less-than ethical employers; and Alec’s estranged brother Edward—all vital to the Wein and Michelinie runs but strangely forgotten nowadays.

During Michelinie's seven issues, Gerry Conway became the series' third writer, penning two issues and plotting a third with David Anthony Kraft. Conway also wrote two solo tales about the Patchwork Man, a Wein/Wrightson creation from early on in the run, for The House of Secrets #140 and issue #3/1983 of the Swedish comic Gigant. These were also illustrated by Redondo. The Patchwork Man stories represent a failed attempt at a Swamp Thing spin-off built around that character, told in the pages of The House of Secrets. The story in Gigant, originally slated to appear in The House of Secrets #141, has only ever been published in Sweden; few American fans know of its existence, and even fewer are lucky enough to have located a copy. (I happily count myself among them.)

Alas, Swamp Thing's adventures were cut short in 1976 when the series was canceled after only 24 issues. In the ensuing years, the title character appeared in Conway's Challengers of the Unknown #81-87, DC Comics Presents #8 by Steve Englehart and The Brave and the Bold #176 by future Swamp Thing scribe Martin Pasko, while Matt Cable guest-starred in Showcase #94-96, alongside the new Doom Patrol. Throughout Wein, Michelinie and Conway's stints, Alec Holland wandered the country wallowing in freakish misery (Princess Bride reference intended), mistreated and feared by all he met and wishing desperately to restore his lost humanity. The final issues of Swamp Thing had Holland accomplishing that goal, though the events of Challengers reversed his success, transforming the unlucky hero once more into a "muck-encrusted mockery of a man."

Unlucky for Holland, maybe, but lucky for fans, for in becoming the Swamp Thing again, Holland was available for a series revival. Following the 1982 release of the first Swamp Thing film, starring Adrienne Barbeau, Louis Jordan and Dick Durrock, the title was revived as The Saga of the Swamp Thing. This second run was far more successful, spanning 171 issues and seven annuals, plus guest appearances and crossovers with other DC and Vertigo titles. The first 19 issues were written by Pasko, with artwork by Tom Yeates and, later, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.

As the fourth regular writer of the series, Pasko was given the daunting task of reviving a much-loved character after a six-year hiatus. Fan reception to his stories was mixed, but several essential players came out of that run, including journalist Lizabeth Tremayne, who would became a staple for most of the remaining series; Dennis Barclay, who in the hands of Pasko’s successor would undergo a creepy transformation from ally to enemy (Moore on that soon); and the vile General Sunderland, whose business empire would plague Alec and those he loved for decades to come. More importantly, Pasko brought back three characters from the Wein/Wrightson years who would become the most significant people in Alec’s life: Matt Cable, Abby Arcane and Anton Arcane.

GROWTH SPURT

Starting with issue #20 in 1984, Swamp Thing ushered in a bold new age of comics: the so-called British Invasion. Alan Moore, who has since become a living legend for his writing on The Watchmen, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V For Vendetta and other groundbreaking titles, forever changed the way comics were written when he took over Swamp Thing and, in a single issue, un-did everything that had been done to date on the title. Readers had followed the Swamp Thing’s attempt to restore his lost humanity for more than a decade. Moore, rather than furthering those efforts, went in the entirely opposite direction—not only would Swamp Thing not regain that humanity during his tenure, he never had it to begin with! Alec Holland, Moore revealed, had been dead since day one. The creature walking around with Holland’s memories was but a vegetable shade of the actual Alec Holland, a plant that thought it was a man. The idea was revolutionary...and it was just the beginning of the changes Moore had in store.

In total, Moore wrote or co-wrote 45 tales featuring the Swamp Thing, ending his reign with issue 63. These included a Swamp Thing/Superman crossover for DC Comics Presents #85. Summing up the accomplishments during Moore’s time on the title would be akin to summing up the Star Wars films in under ten words: yes, it can be done, but in no way would it do justice to the saga. To name just a few of the aspects Moore brought to the series:

A return to the gothic horror that made the Wein/Wrightson run so memorable.
The creation of magician John Constantine, who helped Swamp Thing evolve beyond a shambling pile of moss into an elemental deity, then received his own series: Vertigo Comics’ most celebrated title of all time, Hellblazer. Created by Jamie Delano, Hellblazer has been penned by a number of talented scribes, including Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Eddie Campbell, Paul Jenkins, Darko Macan, Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello, Mike Carey, Deise Mina and, most recently, Andy Diggle. Hellblazer has also been adapted for the big screen as Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves, though that project bore as little resemblance to what Moore and company had in mind for Hellblazer as the Swamp Thing films had with the comic version of Alec Holland, and is largely reviled by fans of the comics. A series of spinoff Hellblazer novels by John Shirley has been far better received. (Sadly, a line of Swamp Thing novels by Stephen Bissette was canceled before it was even written.)
A plethora of intriguing new abilities for the Swamp Thing to discover, including changing size and shape, transporting himself around the globe instantly, growing multiple bodies, exploring space and even experiencing love on both a physical and emotional level.
The integration of Jason Woodrue, a cheeky DC Comics villain known as the Floronic Man, as a recurring Swamp Thing character, one possessing heretofore unknown depth and potential.
The introduction of The Parliament of Trees to explain how Wein and Wrightson’s original 8-page story from The House of Secrets #92 fit into the greater saga. This created a jumping-off point for many future storylines revealing, bit by bit, the Swamp Thing’s ancient history. The saga was never the same once the Parliament showed up.
A multi-part saga culminating in perhaps the best tie-in chapter written to DC’s acclaimed Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries.
The introduction of Chester Williams, a Hippie with a heart of gold who became Swamp Thing and Abby’s dearest friend in the world. Immensely popular with readers, Chester would remain with the title until the very end of the second run. Chester's love affair with Liz Tremayne, his good nature and his willingness to risk his life for Alec and Abby endeared him to fns everywhere. Joshua Dysart later considered bringing Chester back during his tenura as writer of the fourth Swamp Thing run, but this never came to pass.
Most importantly, a truly poetic sense of narrative and a literate storytelling style that so entranced fans and fellow writers that Moore’s style was soon copied across the board.

All good things must eventually come to end, but the amazing thing about Swamp Thing is that, with very few exceptions, even the weakest entries in the saga are better than much of what else is out there. Thus, fans’ fears that the series would never recover from Moore’s departure proved unfounded. His successor, Rick Veitch, was no stranger to Swamp Thing. Having had been Moore’s artist following the departure of Bissette and Totleben, Veitch is the brother of comics legend Tom Veitch and worked alongside the legendary Alfredo Alcala. Clearly, he had learned from the best and had a firm grounding in Swamp Thing lore. However, the question wasn’t whether Veitch knew Swamp Thing—it was whether he could write it as well as he could illustrate it.

Short answer: he could. Picking up where Moore left off, Veitch proved more than worthy to the task. After helping plot issue #59 and penning issue #62, Veitch took over as of annual #3 and issue #64, remaining with the series until #87. Veitch kept up the poetic narrative Moore began and continued to develop Chester Williams and Liz Tremayne’s characters, while also introducing fascinating characters of his own, such as the Cajun healer Gene "Labo" LaBostrie. He also took the series away from gothic horror and more into the realm of action and science fiction by sending Swamp Thing on a multi-issue trip back through time to the dawn of creation. In so doing, Veitch brought back many characters from DC’s past, including Jonah Hex, Merlin, Tomahawk and other favorites. During his run, Swamp Thing featured in crossover tales with several other series, including Captain Atom #16-17 by Carey Bates, Delano’s Hellblazer stories and Neil Gaiman’s Black Orchid miniseries.

Veitch's tenure is best known for two very significant developments. The first is the creation of the Sprout, an infant elemental created to replace Swamp Thing when the Parliament thought him dead. This led to a sequence of issues in which Swamp Thing searched for a viable host for the Sprout, culminating in his soliciting John Constantine’s help in impregnating Abby to create an infant host, which would ultimately become their daughter, Tefé. The second, sadly, revolves around Veitch’s much-publicized departure from the title following DC’s censorship of his script for issue #88. Worried about a public backlash for publishing a story in which Swamp Thing met Christ—similar backlashes had recently erupted over the Solomon Rushdie novel Satanic Verses and the film The Last Temptation of Christ—DC refused to run the script. In response, Veitch quit DC, taking Gaiman, Delano and other popular comics creators with him.

DIVERGENT DIRECTIONS

The unexpected departure of Rick Veitch left DC Comics frantic to find a replacement writer who could complete the time-travel storyline Veitch had left incomplete. Enter Doug Wheeler. After changing issue #88 to remove the Christ element entirely, Wheeler went on to write nearly 30 more issues. In the course of his tenure on the title, he brought back Anton Arcane, introduced a Neanderthal elemental and an Inuit Shaman protector for Tefé named Najagarjuk and provided readers an hilariously whacky tour of the bizarre inner workings of the DC universe’s version of Hell.

Though Wheeler’s work is often criticized, his early Swamp Thing stories were intriguing, returning the series to its gothic roots. In fact, Wheeler can claim credit for naming Tefé, and for revealing many of Alec Holland’s elemental predecessors. Unfortunately, as time passed, the series lost its steam, introducing a recurring enemy called Matango who turned out to be a fallen elemental serving the Grey. What’s the Grey, you ask? Simply put... mushrooms from outer space. Yes, you read that right. (Some suspected Wheeler himself might have been ingesting the same while writing that particular storyline.)

This unorthodox concept did not go over well with fans, as the increasing negativity of the letters page (back when most comics still had letters pages) made clear. Whereas readers had long praised the work of Wein, Michelinie, Pasko, Moore, Delano and Veitch, many letter-writers complained about Wheeler’s convoluted plotlines and the silly notion that mushrooms were not only evil but non-native to Earth. Wheeler’s six-part finale, “Quest for the Elementals” (issues #104-109), received more than its share of criticism and is widely considered the weakest story arc in Swamp Thing’s history (an irony, given that it has some of the best covers).

During Wheeler’s time on the book, Swamp Thing guest-starred in a four-part Firestorm story arc by John Ostrander, which explored aspects of the character’s elemental nature; in addition, DC Comics released the Swamp Thing Sourcebook/Adventure for its DC Comics Roleplaying Game, expanding on the characters’ backgrounds and featuring a short story by Ray Winninger called “Racing with the Rats.” Sadly, both were far more entertaining that the “Quest” storyline, and by the time it was over, fans were eager to see the series taken in a new direction.

That new direction arrived in the form of horror novelist Nancy Collins, who came on with a great dash of gothic horror and went out with one of Swamp Thing’s most shocking cliffhangers the series had ever seen. Collins’ run began with the sixth annual, which explored the Cajun myth of a creature called Les Perdu. Impressing fans, this set the stage for many later tales featuring Louisiana’s Cajun villagers. Other writers had used the Cajuns in the past, but having actually lived in Louisiana, Collins was the most accurate and the most celebrated in her portrayal of that population.

Collins stayed with the series from issue #110 until #138, with occasional fill-in help from Black Orchid writer Dick Foreman. Collins also wrote the seventh annual (a tie-in to Vertigo’s Children’s Crusade miniseries) and an additional Swamp Thing tale, “The Ghost in the Green,” which appeared in a promo comic called Vertigo Jam—Louder Than Noise. If a single theme could be said to describe the Collins run, that theme would be “family.” Swamp Thing’s relationship with Abby, as well as their trials and tribulations as parents to an infant elemental, took center stage. Even her villains often fit the theme, as she brought back Abby’s Uncle Anton, introduced General Sunderland’s daughter Connie and explored the ancestry of John Constantine. And whereas Moore and Veitch tended to have Swamp Thing traveling the globe, through time and to other worlds, Collins made a concerted effort to return him to his roots by keeping him, by and large, in the bayou that spawned him.

For those times when Swamp Thing did need to travel, however, Collins created one of the most popular characters to hit the series: Lady Jane, a “female” elemental assigned by the Parliament to serve as Tefé’s nanny. Lady Jane became a staple member of the cast until the end of Collins’ run, when her true mission was unveiled in the above-referenced cliffhanger: to end Swamp Thing’s domestic lifestyle so he could return to his duties as Earth’s champion. Seducing him, Lady Jane broke up his marriage to Abby and took their child back to live with the Parliament of Trees, leaving him alone and devastated in one fell swoop, just in time for Mark Millar’s entrance as series writer.

The consequences of this twist were explored in a crossover with Black Orchid by Dick Foreman. In this two-parter (Black Orchid #5 and Swamp Thing #139), Black Orchid entered Alec’s unconscious mind to help him come to grips with Abby’s decision to leave him. The surreal imagery she found there provided one of the most intimate views readers hd ever had into Alec's psyche.

NOTHING IS SACRED

At the end of Collins’ run, Vertigo also published a five-part miniseries by Dave Louapre, which revisited Anton Arcane’s most insidious creations. Entitled American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men, this Frankenstein-esque miniseries told the tale of a teenager who learns he was spawned by creatures created in Arcane’s evil laboratory and is really a freakish Un-Man. An unusual story with a dark theme, American Freak perfectly ushered in the macabre tone of Millar’s writing. In 2007, a new monthly title starring the Un-Men is expected to pickg up where American Freak left off.

To say Mark Millar put a new spin on Swamp Thing would be like saying Batman has some parental issues. In point of fact, he blew the Swamp Thing universe wide open, upending everything that had come before and taking the title character’s evolution to levels none would have dreamt. With Swamp Thing’s domesticated life out of the way, Millar was free to change things as he saw fit—and, boy, did he. The changes he made would alter Swamp Thing’s history forever. This approach has made Millar's one of the most controversial in the series' history, earning him a reputation as the second coming of Alan Moore.

Millar’s four-part opening story arc, co-written by Grant Morrison, stunned fans by having a human Alec Holland awaken in bed, dazed and confused over an amazingly realistic dream he’d had of being a plant elemental, with a wife named Abby and a daughter named Tefé. With the words “And then he woke up,” Millar pulled an unexpected twist on Dallas’s “Bobby Ewing in the shower” trick that had huge ramifications on the universe of Swamp Thing. In effect, it rendered obsolete everything Alec had ever experienced in his nearly two-hundred-issue odyssey as the Swamp Thing.

Gone were Alec’s ongoing battle with Anton Arcane, the D.D.I. and General Sunderland...his ties to family and friends...his history with Batman and the Cajuns of Louisiana...his connections to Black Orchid, Jason Woodrue, Poison Ivy and other denizens of the plant kingdom...even the very existence of the Parliament of Trees. What’s more, much like Knots Landing’s up-in-the-air status after the Bobby Ewing fiasco, the future of Hellblazer seemed in danger, for if Swamp Thing hadn’t happened, then how could its spin-off exist?

Fan reaction was mixed, for though a fascinating concept, it made little sense when viewed logically. Swamp Thing’s connection to DC Comics’ established continuity was far too intertwined to extract it without affecting decades of characters and storylines, at the very least creating the necessity for a second Crisis on Infinite Earths. Thus, it wasn’t too surprising when Millar revealed it had all been a lie—Alec’s past really was as we’d known it to be, and the Swamp Thing mythos was still intact. The scenario had been an illusion perpetrated by a trio of mysterious magicians known as Don Roberto, el Seňor Blake and the Traveler, in fulfillment of a millennia-old prophecy revealed throughout the remainder of Millar’s arc.

As his storyline unfolded, Millar made changes as sweeping as those initiated by Moore. Just when you thought you knew the history of Swamp Thing, the Parliament of Trees and the lineage of the elementals...Millar turned it all up on its ass. Building off what Collins had begun with Lady Jane’s betrayal, what Veitch had done with Tefé’s creation and what Wheeler had done in exploring Alec’s roots at the dawn of life on Earth, Millar took it all a step further. Not only did he transform the Parliament of Trees from a source of spiritual guidance to a deadly, untrustworthy adversary...not only did he reveal the existence of other Parliaments for other elements (the Parliaments of Stones, Waves, Vapors and Flames)...but, most importantly, he severed Alec Holland's humanity from the Swamp Thing, turning him into one of the greatest threats to existence mankind had ever known.

Millar’s run, in effect, was a brilliant throwback to the days of Moore and Veitch, when Alec was forced to undertake odysseys of self-discovery during a series of trials and adventures. This time out, he was rewarded, at the end of each trial, with dominion over another of the Earth’s parliaments, making him stronger and more powerful, all the while lessening his connection to humanity. The penultimate storyline, "River Run," involved an anthology of short fiction, with Alec jumping from story to story in order to make things right for the characters therein.

Right up until the end of the series (#171, published in 1996), it seemed Swamp Thing was going to supplant God and destroy all life on Earth. The result was riveting, terrifying and unpredictable. In short, it was great comics, providing a brilliant ending to the second Swamp Thing run.

One aspect that set Millar’s tenure aside from the rest was its darker, more sexual and more violent tone. In the years since Moore’s departure, DC Comics had created its Vertigo imprint for adult readers, and both Swamp Thing and Hellblazer had made the switch because of their subject matter. Other noted titles in the Vertigo lineup included Sandman, Animal Man, Preacher and Shade the Changing Man. While the switch from DC to Vertigo reduced greatly the potential for interactions between Swamp Thing and the costumed denizens of the DC universe, it allowed writers to delve more deeply into the darker recesses of the psyche and tell more penetrating tales of horror. Many fans welcomed the change, as Swamp Thing never fit all that comfortably into the superhero niche anyway. The series enjoyed renewed success and acclaim; yes, there were some who missed the way things had been before, but as the saying goes, you can’t please all the people all the time.

Among Millar’s more disturbing tales were those in which Linda Holland was resurrected from the dead as a hooker for sadistic Johns, a priest was tricked into enduring an eternity of torture in Hell despite a life of goodness, Jason Woodrue was beheaded, and Alec and Tefé joined forces to kill every human on Earth. In Millar’s hands, a wide variety of unsavory characters dwelled in the grey area of morality instead of fitting easily into the typical molds of “good” and “evil.” It fits, then, that Alec’s guest appearances in other titles of that era (for instance, The Demon #51, Batman #521-522 and Underworld Unleashed: Abyss) tended toward the darkness.

In the final hours of the series, as Alec Holland learned the truth about his mission from the Parliament of Worlds and set aside his desire to kill humanity, fans thought the days of Swamp Thing were over. And for a while, they were right. But in comics, like in science fiction, not even death is forever.

NEW SEEDS TAKE ROOT

Over the next four years, Swamp Thing would feature in a number of other comics of variable quality, most notably Aquaman #32-33, The Spectre #62, Starman #48 and Martian Manhunter #11. In addition, The Dreaming (starring Matt Cable in his post-Sandman days as the Raven) included two storylines of vital importance to Swamp Thing history: issues #22-24, in which Matt regained human form to reunite with Abby, and #42-43, in which Matt died his final death.

The three most significant events during this period were John J. Muth’s painted one-shot, Swamp Thing: Roots; Tom Peyer’s Totems, illustrated by Duncan Fegredo, Richard Case and Dean Ormston; and “Jack-in-the-Green,” written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Steve Bissette and John Totelben and collected in a trade paperback entitled Neil Gaiman’s Midnight Days.

Swamp Thing: Roots was a touching portrait of a former Earth elemental. Set during the events of the second World War, Roots explored the themes of redemption and sacrifice. The Midnight Days tale, meanwhile, revealed a long-lost chapter in the story of the elemental Jack-in-the-Green, which Gaiman had written years earlier but which had gone unpublished. Simple but powerful, this tale provided yet another example of why Gaiman is universally praise for his brilliance.

Totems, however, was another matter. Part of Vertigo’s V2K series ushering in the new millennium, it proved to be an ill-conceived disaster that made no sense, with a meandering plot that went nowhere and illogical characterizations that violated a great deal of established continuity. A shame, really, given the hype the V2K concept had received—quite frankly, it should have been better.

Still, despite the failure of Totems, 2000 turned out to be a banner year for Swamp Thing, for Volume 3 of the series was launched to much anticipation. This time out, however, Swamp Thing would focus not on Alec and Abby, but rather on Tefé. Vertigo asked several authors, including Darko Macan, to submit outlines of how they would approach the latest Swamp Thing incarnation. Ultimately, Brian K. Vaughn (now famous for Y: The Last Man) was chosen to helm the series, with pencils by Roger Peterson (issues #1-11) and Giuseppe Camuncoli (#12-20) and inks by a host of artists including Joe Rubenstein, Mark Lipka, Rick Magyar, Mark Hempel and Cameron Stewart.

After having tried to help her father and the Parliament of Trees destroy all of humanity at the end of Volume 2, Tefé was too dangerous to go free. Thus, with the help of John Constantine, Alec and Abby trapped her spirit in the body of a dying teenager named Mary Conway. The hope was to erase her memory of her true identity and keep her from causing further trouble. Unfortunately, things in the bayou don’t always go as planned, particularly when Constantine is involved.

Awakening from her imposed amnesia, Tefé learned the truth and set out on a path of self-discovery intended to determine her place in the world as a plant-human hybrid created to serve a Parliament that had been wiped out of existence. Along the way, she befriended Inuit loner Barnabas Tookome, who fell in love with her as much as he feared what she stood for, and the game hunter Pilate, who joined her cause partly out of loyalty and partly to take her out should she ultimately decide to destroy humanity. All the while, she was hunted not only by her parents and John Constantine, but also by Agent Romero, a sadistic assassin for the revitalized D.D.I. A handful of seemingly unconnected storylines culminated in Tefé’s search for the Tree of Knowledge, Alec and Abby’s attempt to find their daughter and a plot to stop a power-hungry politician from taking over the world.

Though well-written, Vaughn’s run was met with mixed reviews running the gamut from praise to disdain. Still, it offered great characterization for the teen-angst-ridden Tefé, and the character of Barnabas was a more-than-worthy addition to the Swamp Thing pantheon. Criticism tended to focus on stories not being “epic enough” and on the fact that they did not center around Alec or Abby. Such criticism, however, overlooked one important fact—the series wasn’t supposed to focus on them. It was about Tefé, so by nature the storyline was not going to be as epic as that of Alec Holland. Nonetheless, the fine work Vaughn put into his stories showed. His portrayals of Alec, Abby and Constantine were all spot-on, his stories were entertaining and the journey he had Tefé undertake was just as important to her growth as Alec’s were to his own.

Sadly, after only twenty monthly issues, a short tale in Winter’s Edge III and a Secret Files and Origins special, Volume 3 came to a premature close in 2001. Luckily for fans, Volume 4 was not that far around the corner, for in early 2004, writer Andy Diggle and illustrator Enrique Breccia teamed up to revive the Swamp Thing mythos, picking up where Vaughn’s run left off and tying in with a storyline Mike Carey had developed in Hellblazer #184-193. With Alec’s soul separated from his elemental half, he was once more reduced to a wandering, shambling muck-monster in search of a purpose. Without Abby or Tefé in his life, depression set in, leaving him vulnerable against the return of Sargon the Sorcerer, last seen in the Millar run, who set out to steal both Tefé and Alec’s powers.

Diggle’s opening storyline was very entertaining, albeit pocked by inconsistencies and more than a bit derivative of Millar’s run. Still, for fans, it was a great time to be a Swamp Thing fan. Will Pfeifer succeded Diggle with a two-part filler for issues 7 and 8, with Hellblazer artist Richard Corben providing illustrations, after which Breccia retuned to the artist's chair as Josh Dysart inherited the reigns as ongoing writer—the 11th and last ongoing writer on Swamp Thing to date. Fan reaction to Dysart's run was largely positive, as Dysart showed that he knew his history. Beginning with an Arcane storyline that played off Millar's redemption of the character, Dysart inroduced a new boyfriend for Abby, returned Abby and her daughter to Houma for an attempt at a normal life, revealed Tefé to be a lesbian and paved the way for a future storyline with chilling potential: the hellspawn of Arcane himself.

After his initial storyline, Dysart's run revisted the former relationship of Alec and Linda Holland by introducing Alec's former mentor, Professor Jordan Schiller, who'd been involved with Linda until Alec stole her away from him. As an elterly cripple, Schiller was drawn to the swamp after becoming custodian to a piece of Alec's discarded elemental spirit. Still a shattered being as a result of the Diggle tale, Alec tried to ignore the man, prefering to wallow in misery and eschew all human contact. What followed was a journey of discovery as the pieces of the Swamp Thing's spirit, torn apart in Carey's Hellblazer tale, slowly reformed into the Holland Mind. Determined to resist the rejoining, one piece took refuge in memories of Alec's childhood, hoping to remain hidden. However, he finally pulled himself together—just in time to battle a storyteller's creations that came to life to terrorize Louisiana, folloqwed by a reborn (and quite insane) Jason Woodrue. After only 29 issues, however, Volume 4 of Swamp Thing suffered a premature cancelation, and as happened to Vaughan with Volume 4, Dysart was not given adequate notice to wrap up his storyline. Arcane's hellspawn has never beeen seen, and Dysart's initial plans for the series remain unrealized.

No new Swamp Thing-related tales have been announced aside from the forementioned Un-Men—and, of course, Hellblazer, which is still going strong.

TIMES CHANGE

Roots of the Swamp Thing chronicles the events of DC/Vertigo's Swamp Thing saga from 1972 to present, including all known crossovers with other titles that involve the "muck-encrusted mockery of a man" known as Alec Holland. When possible, I have adhered to dates specified within the text; otherwise, publication dates have dictated placement, with time-span indicators (i.e., "two days later" or "ten years ago”) used to determine the placement of surrounding events. In the case of contradictions or vagueness, common sense has been my guide.

For the sake of sanity and internal continuity, I have not altered dates to accommodate the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis and other titles that have rebooted the starting points of the DC universe in order to accommodate the passage of time since comics first began. Anyone wishing to take those tales into account should simply assume all stories before issue 50 of the second Swamp Thing happened later (and, possibly, differently). It should be noted that Vertigo's official Secret Files & Origins: Swamp Thing timeline does adhere to those universe-altering miniseries. That timeline, then, while fun to read and quite useful in many respects, has not been treated as strict gospel.

Regarding the filmed, televised and animated Swamp Thing adventures―they didn't happen. Well...they did, but only as in-universe speculative yarns inspired by the mystique surrounding the "real" Swamp Thing. In other words, they're fiction, both in reality and in the DC universe, and Alec Holland is more than a little embarrassed by their existence. Therefore, though I've mentioned them in the timeline, the events of those series are not detailed, as they are not part of Alec's history. On the other hand, John Shirley's Hellblazer novels have revealed that the film Constantine is part of the DC/Vertigo mythos, but in a parallel universe.

Since Hellblazer is a spin-off of Swamp Thing, I am currently adding the events of that series to the timeline. At present, I have added the bulk of the Delano issues and will soon tackle the Garth Ennis run. Once all of Hellblazer has been chronicled, I will also add more details on that title's history to this introduction. Although Books of Magick spun off from Hellblazer, I have thus far only chronicled those issues directly impacting Swamp Thing's history. Likewise for Sandman and The Dreaming, which chronicle Matt Cable's post-Swamp Thing existence as the Raven. It's not that I don't enjoy them―quite the opposite, actually―it's simply a matter of available time. For the same reason, I've not dealt with the histories of Batman, Superman or other DC heroes outside of their tie-ins to Swamp Thing. The DC/Vertigo universe is far too inter-connected to work it all in, and as much I'd love to try, I'd grow old before I completed even a fraction of the task.

A note: as any fan knows, Swamp Thing is not really Alec Holland. However, to avoid writing "Swamp Thing" ad infinitum in this work, I often refer to Holland's incarnation simply as "Alec." Furthermore, when chronological placement is vague (i.e., "the sixth century" or “when I was a child” or "millions of years ago"), I have used the abbreviation "c." ("circa") to indicate room for error. It's just easier that way.

Right! So with all that out of the way... let's get murky.

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