Today in Comics History, October 27: Happy birthday, Bernie Wrightson!

Born on this day in 1948: comics artist Bernie Wrightson (sometimes Berni), co-creator of Swamp Thing, artist on (wow!) so many books: Batman, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Heavy Metal, Frankenstein, Creepy, Eerie, The Punisher, and much more!


from Marvel Age #34 and 106 (Marvel, January 1986 and November 1991); text by Jim Salicrup (#34) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#106); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Andy Yachus (#34) and Renee Witterstaetter (#106)

Today in Crisis History, July 12, 1985: Thank Zod it's Friday

Goooooood morning! How'd you sleep? Did you sleep well considering the multiverse will soon be dead, dead, dead? Deader than Deadman, the deadest man of them all? Deader than Jason Todd? (Whoops, metaphor not valid after 2005.) Well, I hope you did! Sit down and have a sunny glass of fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice (never from concentrate!) while I fill you in on the schedule for our busy day of July 12: Today in Crisis History!


from "The Comprehensive Calendar to Crisis on Infinite Earths" in Amazing Heroes #91 (Fantagraphics, March 15, 1986), by Andy Mangels

Today in Comics History, July 1: Happy birthday, Jack Adler!

Born on this day in 1917: longtime innovative DC Comics cover artist, colorist, and production manager Jack Adler! You'll see his work in Action Comics, House of Mystery, Sea Devils, Sensation Comics, Green Lantern, G.I. Combat, and many, many more! He did the color separation for Action Comics #1, and eventually becaome DC's Vice President of Production.


from DC Comics cover-dated June 1977

Today in Comics History, May 10, 1953: Happy birthday, John Constantine, ye wanker

Hey, remember when we were all younger than John Constantine?


from Hellblazer (1988 series) #9 (DC, September 1988), script by Jamie Delano, pencils by John Ridgway, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Lovern Kindzierski, letters by Todd Klein

365 Days of Defiance, Day 144: Make sure you don't catch Huntington's rot

Swamp Thing is possessed! And not, as we all wish, by the spirit of rock 'n' roll, but by an evil entity. Geez, it's never the spirit of rock 'n' roll. (sulks, listens to my Bob Seger albums again)


Panels from The Saga of [the] Swamp Thing (1982 series) #12 (April 1983), script by Martin Pasko, pencils and inks by Tom Yeates, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza
Today's 365 Days of Defiance is brought to you by the suggestion of the Godfather of Swamp Thing Blogging, "Mighty" Mike Sterling over at Progressive Ruin, one of the the World's Finest Comics Blogs Since 1969. Hey, if'n you're a fan of Mike (and who isn't?) and/for of Swamp Thing (ditto), you oughta pitch in a buck or more a month to Mike's Patreon, which helps support his excellent blog and gets you his new series of reviews of every Swamp Thing comic ever. You can free-read the first-installment here, and it looks like it's gonna be a lotta fun. Mike is a good friend and a fine human being, so his writing and his Patreon gets two hooves up from this little stuffed me. As Mike would say, Swamp Thing, won't you?

Who knew Swamp Thing was a Carol Burnett fan?

Panels from Swamp Thing (2011 series) #39 (April 2015), script by Charles Soule, pencils and inks by Jesus Saiz, colors by June Cung, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, August 29, 1985: The ghost of Tim Caldwell is disappointed that a visit to his graveside has turned into a soap opera

from Swamp Thing (1985 series) #41 (October 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, August 25, 1985: The Tubes begin recording their new album

from Swamp Thing (1985 series) #41 (DC, October 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, July 29, 1985: First issue of Jim Shooter/Power Man Team-Up premieres

from Swamp Thing (1985 series) #41 (October 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, July 26, 1985: Mystère de Grand Saint Anne (Traditional); Swamp Thing refuses to go skinny dipping

from Swamp Thing (1982 series) #41 (DC, October 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, July 25, 1985: Feast of Papa Ogou (Observed); Swamp Thing finally learns to answer to his name

from Swamp Thing (1985 series) #41 (DC, October 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Comics News for April 10, 2014

Top: from "The Return of the Red Skull" in Captain America Comics #3 (May 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Middle: from The Saga of Swamp Thing #38 (July 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stan Woch, inks by John Totleben, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza
Bottom: Whoops, I forgot to write down which Archie comic this came from

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 284: All those beauties, they're gonna swallow you up

House ad for DC Special Series #20 [The Original Swamp Thing Saga] (January-February 1980); printed in Time Warp #2 (December 1979-January 1980)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Bernie Wrightson
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 275: "Do not bring your evil comic here."

House ad for Swamp Thing (1972 series) #1 (October-November 1972); printed in Detective Comics #426 (August 1972)
Ad designed and lettered by ?

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 229: He's also been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king

House ad for Alan Moore's run on The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1984); printed in World's Finest Comics #304 (June 1984)
Ad art: pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by John Totleben
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino (?)
Here's one of my favorite Bissette/Totleben covers from that run, coincidentally from the same month as the ad:


Cover of Saga of the Swamp Thing #25 (June 1984), pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by John Totleben,
colors by Tatjana Wood (?)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 154: Also, we have a comic book called Action, if you're interested in that

House ad for Flash #313, Arak, Son of Thunder #13, The Saga of the Swamp Thing #5, The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #4, The House of Mystery #308 [I, Vampire] (all September 1982); printed in Wonder Woman #295 (September 1982)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, May 1, 1945: Everybody is amused when Sgt. Rock is infuriated with Private Alec Holland and Rock yells "Hol-LAND!" and Alec says "Sha-ZAM!"

from Swamp Thing (1985 series) #51 (DC, January 1989), script and pencils by Rick Veitch, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, April 3: Dr. Alec Holland unwisely selects Cleveland as his vacation getaway

from Swamp Thing Annual (2012 series) #1 (DC, December 2012), script by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft, pencils and inks by Becky Cloonan, colors by Tony Avina, letters by Carlos M. Mangual

Halloween Cards to Send to Your Boo

It's the most wonderful time of the year!, sang Andy WIlliams in his popular 1970s Halloween TV special, The Andy Williams Family Gets Eaten by Zombies (And the Cookie Bear*). And what a time for the most terrifying monster of today...the American shopping center! You'll no doubt be hopping into your Crypt-Mobile two or three times a night before the sun comes up to fetch candy, decorations, makeup, costumes, spooky CDs, and one of those Swiffers™ that works really good on blood.

Here's at Comics Oughta be Spooky!, I, Boo-ly the Little Terror-Stuffed Bull, am providing a special time-saving service: cut-out and mail Halloween cards, fresh from a back issue of The House of Mystery, brought to you especially by Cain, who would like to remind you that you're all going to heck so see you there, and also that Neil Gaiman did not create him, so read some horror comics once in a while, fanboys! I'm only reporting what he hissed at me, folks.

Please get your parents' permission to use scissors and cut out the following House of Mystery Halloween Monster Cards! Oh wait I left out a step: print the cards out first. Please do not attempt to cut them out of your monitor.



from House of Mystery #228 (December 1974-January 1975), scripter and illustrator uncredited

Hey, look, at that last one...it's everybody's favorite green-eyed ever-lovin' Swamp Thing, and by everybody I mean Mike Sterling. Let's make it a Happy Halloween for the amazing Mister S. and all send that card to him, okay? Let's see how many he can get. I'm hoping it's enough that he will curse my name on his deathbed!

Speaking of Swamp Sterling and Mike Thing...



National asks college students to stand up for their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of DC Comics! Yes, truly it was the decade of students taking to the streets and occupying college coffeehouses to protest the war in Vietnam, the Kent State shootings, and the inability to find out what Aquaman was up to that month. Maybe we'll even get an entire course based upon comic books! ... Nawww, that'll never happen.

But if they did have such a course, and if it was called "Swamp Thing 101" (not to be confused with Swamp Thing #101...)



...I would hope Professor Sterling would be teaching it. I'll be right up front to get my college credit!


*Anyone who gets this reference can be my bestest pal for life.

Separated at Birth, Special Mike Sterling Edition: He Came in Through the Bathroom Window

L: House of Secrets #92 (June-July 1971), art by Bernie Wrightson
R: Saga of the Swamp Thing #33 (February 1985), art by John Totleben and Tatjana Wood
(Click picture to Adrienne Barbeau-size)
No discussion of House of Secrets #92 is complete without a look at The Nine Billion Copies of House of Secrets #92 of Mike Sterling, not to mention (via Mike's excellent blog, Progressive Ruin), Team Smithy's parody cover. It's a switcharoo!