Elizabeth Graehling's Swamp Thing Illustration, "The Resurrection"

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

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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.



*Elizabeth Graehling's Swamp Thing* Illustration, "The Resurrection" by Rich Handley Sept. 2, 2010** Art student Elizabeth Graehling contacted me to share an amazing piece of artwork she created, titled The Resurrection, that is strongly reminiscent of the old Wein/Wrightson days. Liz wrote the following: "Love your site... it gave me a lot of background on one of my favourite comic characters of all times—Swamp Thing. Specifically, it helped me ace my drawing final. Thanks so much for the in-depth history, connections to other series, and general awesomeness that is your site." (Click on the above image to view a larger version—or click here for a REALLY large version.) If that didn't bring a smile to my face, nothing could. Amazed by her work (and, yes, smiling), I asked if she'd mind my posting it here, and she happily agreed, explaining: "The piece was created for a conceptual drawing class that was dealing with the theme 'Triptych.' I went out into left field on the idea that the triptych is a format typically governed by religious (specifically, Byzantine) art and doctrine, and immediately thought of Swamp Thing, because my brain is wired very oddly. Eventually, my idea of making the actual panels into a triptych was replaced by a cohesive depiction of Swamp Thing as Jesus, which resolutely pissed off everyone I know (Christians and die-hard comic fans alike), but I like it and I got a B, so it did its job." If this single image got Liz's colleagues so bothered, I suspect that Rick Veitch's infamous "Swamp Thing meets Jesus" issue would have completely knocked them over the edge. Back to Liz... "It makes you think, and the beautiful symbolism of Wein and Wrightson is echoed by my attempts to include some as well. The piece is 7" x 11.25", so I work fairly large, and is pencilled and inked completely by me by hand on a piece of scrap Arches drawing paper (which is horrible to work on for this sort of thing) with a Micron 02 pen (also horrible, but I am a student and therefore I attempt to learn from these kinds of things, LOL). I have no formal training in graphic art as it applies to comics, and actually want to be a metalsmith (because there are no girl comic artists and I feel as though if I were blessed to somehow become a high-profile artist, I would screw it up for the rest of them), but love all comics from the Golden and Silver Ages, as well as the old Dick Tracys, back when there was a plot and the characters gave a visceral reaction to the reader (I actually got sick from seeing Pruneface as a young child)." In describing her work, Liz wrote: "The Resurrection is a piece meant to deal explicitly with the nature of death; particularly how it relates to that of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The protagonist of this saga—Swamp Thing—has just been transformed from his human persona, Alec Holland, into his current mossy state from an explosion in his laboratory. The body of his former self is partly buried in the foreground, with a cross-shaped grave marker of twigs and vines indicating his eternal rest. His wife, Linda, has also been killed—a massive sacrifice he unintentionally risked when becoming a nuclear botanist…and discovering criminally jealous peers. In his new form, Swamp Thing tenderly carries her back to civilization... partly out of respect, and partly out of his inability to fully comprehend that life as he knew it is over. "Swamp Thing's placement in the water is not merely accidental—to be 'born again' in the Christian religion, you must first be baptized. In a way, Swamp Thing is forcibly resurrected and baptized at once, creating an angry confusion in him while placing a formidable amount of responsibility on his newly-vined shoulders to take care of the thing that made him a monster—humanity (shown specifically as the ghost slaves of a woman he saved from his arch-enemy. Dr. Arcane, and the others buried with her in a plantation graveyard who come to his defense in return). Swamp Thing embodies the ideal of Christ not only in this way, but also in his removal from humanness by a single degree. He is mentally human (becoming more so over time, and eventually surpassing all mortal cognitive abilities), but endowed with far more physical power—and a body that is grotesque in comparison to the human superlative. "Moreover, Swamp Thing has dealt with a great deal of suffering—more than most others can relate to. Yet still, he sees the nobility in remaining as human as he can, and protecting his conscience and those around him from the twisted, evil purposes Dr. Arcane (depicted along with the six original Un-Men) wants to use him for. This undue suffering is something my father has had to deal with in his battle with (and victory over) cancer, which is why Alec's appearance is so uncannily similar to my Dad's. "The juxtaposition of Swamp Thing as a hierarchically greater figure (and, thusly, the largest in the composition) celebrates his importance as the main character, while also illustrating his isolation from the rest of the world. This inability to truly connect is the secondary theme of the piece, a reminder that regardless of what power, understanding, or moral high ground we claim to have associations with, there is an element of despair that comes in superseding what others are able to understand—and a grace and humility we must learn to accept it with." What more can I say? Liz has done a phenomenal job, not only of capturing the moment in art, but also of describing the essence of Swamp Thing's character. Wrightson and Wein would be proud. The amazing part? This portion of her note: "I am 20 years old and have arthritis in both my hands, but have taught myself to use both of them in order to continue working without damaging them too much. I have been drawing all of my life with wonderful support from my parents (my father is an accountant and comics enthusiast, and my mother is trained as an artist, hence the anal-retentiveness and need to make doodles), and hope someday to make a living with it, while holding fast to my (much more realistic) back-up plan of gemology/commercial jewelry repair." Artwork like this from someone who's only 20 years old, and battling arthritis in both hands? Count me a fan! Thanks for sharing your work, Liz—please consider this a standing invitation to send along anything else Swamp Thing-related that you might produce in the future, and I will happily post it as well. (Oh, and your teacher totally screwed you over... this should have earned you an A.) Archived News >

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