SWAMP THING GREEN HELL
The wait is almost over, and SWAMP THING GREEN HELL #2 is about to be in your hands. There are plenty of articles to read elsewhere about the delay between issues 1 and 2, and I'm only going to talk about the process here. But I will say this about delays in comics in general. The saying "all good things come to those who wait" rings true for this book. A lot of hard work, passion, time, and energy goes into making good comics, and in that pursuit, time off to recharge and gain your focus again is essential in comics and life. The whole team can't wait for you to see it.
SWAMP THING GREEN HELL is my (uncountable number) working with Doug Mahnke. His artwork has been and still is some of the greatest in comics. I first worked with Doug on JLA some 20+ years ago. From there, we worked together on (and I forget many of the projects) JLA/CYBERFORCE, TEAM ZERO, STORMWATCH: PHD, MAJOR BUMMER, GREEN LANTERN, GOOD BOY, BLACK ADAM, JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE, DETECTIVE COMICS, DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL, FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND 3D, THE MULTIVERSITY: ULTRA COMICS, FINAL CRISIS: REQUIEM, BATMAN: THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, and so many covers from various titles I couldn'tcouldn't even come close to keeping track.
Doug is an inspiration to me and talent below no one else. I am consistently in awe of his work. Check out his Instagram. Take advantage of seeing some great animations Doug works on, all because he loves what he does, and a creator of his magnitude must create. And we are all the better for it! When you work that many times with someone, you become family, even when your in-person meetings can be counted on both hands.
So let's talk SWAMP THING GREEN HELL. If you are a fan of Doug's work, you know he loves drawing monsters. Pair him with Jeff Lemire'sLemire's writing, and you have an incredible creative team. Add Chris Conroy as Editor and make it a DC COMICS BLACK LABEL book, and you've just upgraded to first class!
The book itself — The Earth is all but done. The last remnants of humanity cling to a mountaintop island lost in endless floodwater. The Parliaments of the Green, the Red, and the Rot all agree: it's time to wipe the slate clean and start the cycle of life over again. And to do so, they've united their powers to summon an avatar-one of the most horrific monsters to ever stalk the surface of this forsaken planet. Against a creature like that, there can be no fighting back…unless you have a soldier who understands the enemy. Someone who has used its tactics before. Someone like Alec Holland. Of course, it would help if Alec Holland hadn'thadn't been dead for decades…
With issue 2 picking right up where issue 1 left off — Alec Holland has been summoned back to the land of the living by the decrepit John Constantine himself, which is quite the surprise to the Parliament of Trees. In exchange for a peaceful eternity within the Green, Alec was to stay out of their affairs. With lives at risk, Alec refuses, but his conviction comes at a cost: if Alec dies in this stolen body, defending the last vestiges of humanity… he's gone for good!
Like I said, FIRST CLASS all the way!
Check out my SWAMP THING GREEN HELL portfolio here, and once book two is released, I will be sure to add some of my favorite pages.
Cheers.
-DB