<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Swamp Thing
Gender	Male
Publisher	DC Comics, Vertigo
Origin	Earth, Louisiana swamps
First Appearance	House of Secrets #92 (1971)
Creator(s)	Len Wein Bernie Wrightson
Alter ego	Alec Holland
Aliases	Plant Elemental
Abilities	Various powerful elemental powers, immune to harm as he can regenerate his whole, or any part, of his body.
Affiliations	Parliament of Trees

Swamp Thing is a fictional comic book monster/hero character published by DC Comics, usually under their Vertigo label.

Swamp Thing began as an eight page story in the horror anthology comic book House of Secrets. There was something memorable about the creepy art by Bernie Wrightson and the descriptive empathic writing by Len Wein. The character was given his own comic book, updated to the 1970s, and a series of different writers and artists beginning about ten months later when the creators left the series. Swamp Thing went through some different interpretations and a revival when a live action movie was made about the character. It wasn’t until British writer Alan Moore took over the series that it truly became stuff of comic book legend.

The comic book became a foundation of DC Comics’ Vertigo line, reserved for adult horror, science fiction and fantasy. One supporting character by the name of John Constantine, spun off into the Hellblazer comic book series, which is one of the most successful and long-running series in the Vertigo line. There have been four different Swamp Thing series, each with its own theme and character.

The Swamp Thing began as a human, Alec Holland, who was set aflame in a swamp with a miracle plant formula he was working on, and transformed into an inhuman muck creature. With Alan Moore’s run, the Swamp Thing developed into a plant elemental, that just had the human memories of Alec Holland, but was actually a totally different creature with incredible powers.

The Swamp Thing has total control and power over plants and the plant world. He is able to enter the “green” and generate new bodies (or body parts) for himself. Objects such as bullets pass right through his plant and mud body, is able to change his size and shape, transport around the globe instantly by projecting his consciousness into other plant life, and communicate with other mystical and elemental forces.

The series was imaginative and adult, even having the “muck-monster” have a sexual relationship with a human woman. She was Abigail Arcane, niece of his arch nemesis Anton Arcane. The two even, through various fantastic means, gave birth to a child named Tefe, a young lady with powers to match her father. The comic book established a complex mythos and supporting cast, though never forgot its horror “roots”.