Swamp Thing #1 p 5 (HISTORIC 1ST ISSUE AND 1ST APPEARANCE ISSUE OF ALEC & LINDA HOLLAND AS THEY 1ST CREATE THEIR PLANT GROWTH FORMULA!) 1972

Offered here is a true piece of comic book history, a superbly illustrated Bernie Wrightson page from the first appearance and origin of Swamp Thing in DC's Swamp Thing #1 (1972). This was the start of Wrightson's legendary series he created with writer Len Wein. While House of Secrets #92 (1971) is often credited as being the first appearance of Wrightson's Swamp Thing, that one-shot short story was actually a Swamp Thing prototype and featured a Victorian-era man named Alex Olsen who is turned into a swamp creature. The true first appearance of the contemporary Swamp Thing, who has been an important part of the comic book world for WELL OVER 52 years, came out the following year in Swamp Thing #1 (1972). This is where we meet the present-day scientist Alec Holland and his wife Linda and we learn the origin of Swamp Thing for the first time. It's one of the most famous origin stories in comic book history! Let's recap the story to put this page's role in it in perspective. Alec and Linda are scientists who are being hidden by U.S. government agent Matt Cable in a remote cabin in the Louisiana bayou. The Hollands are working on a top-secret Bio-Restorative formula designed to stimulate hormonal growth in plant life, enabling plants to grow in hostile terrain. On this page, midway through their research, the Hollands hear a knock on the door and answer it assuming it is Cable. A group of men representing an organization known as the Conclave introduce themselves. In the following pages, the senior member of the group, Maxwell Ferrett, offers the scientists a blank check in exchange for exclusive rights to their work. Alec tells them the formula is not for sale. A few days later when Linda is not home, Ferrett and his men stop by again and ask to buy the formula. When Alec threatens to call the police, the goons knock him unconscious, and plant an explosive underneath one of the laboratory tables. Alec comes to and tries to escape, but the bomb explodes dousing him with the Bio-Restorative formula. His body erupts into flame, and Alec stumbles outside into the swamp where he falls over dead. Days later, after Linda has held a funeral for Alec, we learn that the Bio-Restorative formula has resurrected the essence of Alec into the body of a grotesque swamp creature that will be known as Swamp Thing. Although he still maintains the intellect of Alec Holland, Swamp Thing cannot speak. The Swamp Thing stands guard, and watches over the cabin after Linda returns home. Ferrett and his goons return for a third time and this time they murder Linda while searching for the formula. Enraged, Swamp Thing kills the men and their bodies disappear into the swamp. Matt Cable believes the Swamp Thing killed Linda and this kicks-off the premise for one of the greatest comic book series ever published. Wrightson and Wein worked on the first 10 issues of Swamp Thing and the original series ended after 24 issues. In 1982, the title was revived as Saga of the Swamp Thing because of a Swamp Thing movie that was coming out directed by Wes Craven. Two years into the title, Len Wein, now the editor, recruited a young writer from Great Britain unknown to American audiences named Alan Moore. The visionary Moore would soon be recognized as the greatest writer to ever work in the comic book industry. His Swamp Thing stories demonstrated that comic books could be as brilliant as the finest literature. Working with the inspired young art team of Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, who were influenced by Wrightson and EC artist Graham Ingels, the trio changed comic books forever, setting a new bar that inspired hundreds of great works that took comic books out of the literary ghetto and evolved it into the respected medium that it is today. Just a great opportunity here to own a great FIRST ISSUE SWAMP THING page! Compare this great page to the published comic book page in the red link above. ALL art on our website (including this one) are able to be purchased with VERY fair time payments, and trades are always considered towards "ANY" art on our website! Just send us an email to mikeburkey@aol.com and we can try to work something out.

$30,000.00