Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: rick veitch, swamp thing

DC Comics Publishes Rick Veitch's Swamp Thing 1989 37 Years Too Late

DC Comics publishes the final four issues of Rick Veitch and Michael Zulli's Swamp Thing 1989 thirty-seven years too late

It was hardly a surprise when it was announced at New York Comic Con that Rick Veitch's censored, binned, canned, and spiked issues of Swamp Thing will finally be published as Swamp Thing 1989 in 2026. With Swamp Thing 1989 #1 by Veitch and the late Michael Zulli scheduled for April, under DC Comics' Black Label imprint, published monthly through July.

In March 2024, Bleeding Cool ran the story "Might DC Comics Finally Publish Rick Veitch's Swamp Thing #88 In 2025?" in which Rick Veitch stated, "So I am told a Gmail account has been set up to collect opinions on whether or not DC should publish Swamp Thing 88. And that these will be read by folks at DC. So if you have an opinion, let them know at: publishswampthing88@gmail.com. Obviously, I e-mailed it. As it seems did quite a few folk. Then we noted that listing for the final Rick Veitch Swamp Thing collection has some interesting aspects to it, four mystery issues added at the end. But how are people describing the series of events?

Then at the DC/Vertigo panel at New York Comic Con, DC confirmed the publication of the four final, unpublished issues, credited to Rick Veitch, the late Michael Zulli, Vince Locke, Tom Mandrake and Trish Mulvihill.

Alex Zalben of Comic Book Club and Sam Fang of CBR calls them "lost" but they were never lost, DC Comics always knew where they were. David Brooke at AIPT says Swamp Thing 1989 was "originally intended to ship as Swamp Thing #88 before being pulled mid-production" without any more details or saying why. Tauimur Dar of Comics Beat is more detailed, saying "As most fans are well aware, in 1989 Rick Veitch penned an issue of Swamp Thing wherein the title character was present at Jesus' crucifixion, but the management at the time deemed it too inflammatory and decided not to publish it, resulting in Veitch departing the book and leaving his run unfinished."

But does miss out that a) the story was greenlit by editor Karen Berger and spiked by Paul Levitz, b) not only did Veitch leave the book but those planned to join the book like Neil Gaiman and Jamie Delano pulled out in sympathy and they only found a replacement who was unaware of the situation, c) Jesus would have been portrayed as a White Magician, and Swamp Thing would have become the cross on Calvary. I guess that's what I'm here for…

DC Comics will publish Swamp Thing 1989 #1-4 with their "original trade dress, period-accurate numbering on the cover, facsimile-style paper stock, and vintage ads" before collecting the stories into their final Rick Veitch Swamp Thing volumes. The first issue has had its artwork recovered and restored working "closely with Zulli's wife, Karen Zulli, DC selected Vince Locke, Zulli's longtime inker, to complete the issue over his original pencils while preserving the integrity of Zulli's original vision." Issues #2-4 will be drawn by Tom Mandrake, colourist Trish Mulvhill, who "honors the palette and spirit of legendary series colorist Tatjana Wood while letterer Todd Klein brings the same reverence to the work of original Swamp Thing series letterer John Costanza."

"This is a historic moment for fans of Swamp Thing and of DC's legacy. The restoration of this material honors the spirit of the original creative team and allows readers to experience a defining chapter exactly where it always belonged. You will be able to put these into your long boxes as if this run had never ended." says Chris Conroy, Executive Editor.

"The response from readers was immediate and overwhelming. It helped make the final decision to publish these issues. I am grateful to the fans for stepping up, and to DC's team, especially editor Alex Galer and Editor-in-Chief Marie Javins, for pulling off the impossible" says Rick Veitch. We like to think that Bleeding Cool played its part.

Swamp Thing 1989 #1
(W) Rick Veitch (A) Michael Zulli, Vince Locke, Tom Mandrake, Trish Mulvihill.
In this issue, Swamp Thing is cast back through time and encounters a humble carpenter whose presence will alter the creature's destiny and send ripples through the DC Universe. The issue also sets the stage for the long-anticipated origin of Etrigan the Demon and catapults Swamp Thing on his mythic journey back to the Big Bang and beyond. 29th April, 2026.

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