What is the problem with Swamp Thing issue number 88? Why is it a controversial comic book that DC Comics, to this day, still won’t publish? Why would some consider it to be somehow against Christianity?
Swamp Thing issue 88 was to be part of the conclusion to the Rick Veitch run on the series in which he had succeeded noted British writer Alan Moore, who had his big breakout success with the comic. At this point in the story of Swamp Thing, he was traveling backward through time, ending up at the time of Christ almost 2000 years ago. The issue portrays Jesus and refers to him as “the Nazarene,” though there is nothing I noticed that is particularly blasphemous on my read-through of the unpublished script. We need to look back at the other comics culture events of the time to understand this story better.
When Swamp Thing 88 was initially scheduled to be printed and published, it was shortly before the first Batman movie came out, way back in 1989. DC Comics was already dealing with controversy stemming from casting choices for the Batman movie. At the time, many fans and comic professionals considered Michael Keaton’s playing Batman to be a bad decision, and there was an early fan protest surrounding that situation.
RELATED: RazörFist Announces Ghost Of The Badlands Retail Edition Through Arkhaven
The prospect of also having a potentially inflammatory Swamp Thing comic printed must have been too much for the comic book publisher. The editors demanded that the story be pulled, and Rick Veitch responded by quitting, leaving his last issue, 87, and the story in progress unfinished.
So why does an unpublished Swamp Thing comic from thirty years ago matter???
That’s for you readers to decide because an email address has been set up, which is reported to be monitored or at least will be sent to DC Comics. Rick Veitch himself alerted his fans to this email campaign, and I have emailed the address in hopes of receiving some additional details, though I have yet to receive a response. In case you would like to add your voice for or against the publishing of this long-lost part of comic book history, the address is as follows…
publishSwampThing88@gmail.com
What do you think of Swamp Thing #88 from DC Comics and Rick Veitch? Should it be published? Leave a comment and let us know.
Dr. Ben Anthony is a cartoonist and freelance journalist. His work has been published by numerous outlets, including Substack, Gonzo Today, Ripperologist Magazine, Graphic Policy, and Clash Books, as well as numerous small press anthologies and self-published underground-style comics. He currently can be found on YouTube @DrBen-RELAUNCH and has a newsletter announcing his latest comics at DrBen.substack.com
I am intrigued.
strange but if i have to read 87 issues of the swamp thing to understand whats happening here then idc
The cover is insulting