Swamp Thing: The #11 DC Spirit of Halloween

Born of the muck and matter of the dismal swamp, most of us who read DC Comics know the dreaded Swamp Thing as a plant elemental and force of nature protecting his domain by an affiliation with The Parliament of Trees. But to the few that probe even deeper, he is also the retainer of memories and psyche of Dr. Alec Holland, a biochemist who died long ago in the swamplands.

For many years, we believed Swamp Thing actually was Holland; he first appeared as Alex Olsen in House of Secrets #92 (July 1971), escaping a bomb-explosion with deadly injuries that knocked him unconscious. When he awoke, his body had mutated, fusing and healing with the heart of the swamp, becoming a green monstrosity. It was only in the last 10 or so years that we found out the truth, that somehow the plant had absorbed everything, thinking it was once the man. More...


Item of the Day: Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1

Many people believe that Swamp Thing was created by Alan Moore (formerly known for his creations The Watchman and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), but that's not entirely true. While Alan Moore did do a lot of the authoring for Swamp thing, it was originally the invention of Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. Regardless, it was Moore who started the story arcs and development that made the creature extremely popular.

The first volume of Swamp Thing covers 8 issues of his original title as it was released in the 80's. (Swamp Thing vol. 1 #20-27). This is where Alan Moore took over the reigns and built the great stories surrounding the plant elemental.

Swamp Thing takes the #11 spot on The Top 12 DC Spirits of Halloween, a theme-based countdown provided by The Superheroes List. If you like Halloween and are ready to get into the spirit, check out this list!