Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. While several incarnations of the character have since debuted, the original was created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson and first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (July 1971). The character found perhaps its greatest popularity during the original 1970s Wein/Wrightson run and in the mid-late 1980s during a highly acclaimed run under Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. In each incarnation of the character, the Swamp Thing is often depicted as a swamp monster that resembles an anthropomorphic mound of vegetable matter seeking to protect nature. Known as the Avatar of the Green, Swamp Thing is an the embodiment of the cosmic energies that gives life to all plant life in the known universe (dubbed "The Green") and is considered the champion of the Parliament of Trees, the collective guiding and collective consciousness of all plant life. The first Swamp Thing was Alexander Olsen, a scientist who was killed by his assistant vying for the affections of his wife. Returning as a swamp creature after his body is dumped, he takes revenge on his killer, but his wife runs off, unable to recognize him. He later becomes a local legend in Louisiana. The most well-regarded incarnation is the second version, Alec Holland. Once a chemist working on a compound to enable plant growth in hostile environments, Holland is seemingly transformed by his own creation after his death at the hands of criminal elements. In some stories he is a plant creature believing himself to be Alec, possessing his memories, while later stories make him the genuine Alec who transforms into the Swamp Thing. This version is also a reluctant ally of John Constantine and a later member of the Justice League...