Additional Images:
Cameraphone single image
Len Wein, co-creator of Swamp Thing, at UKCAC 1990
Artwork Details
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DescriptionI narrowly missed out on getting the first series of Swamp Thing as a regular ongoing title so had to pick them up (specifically the first ten issues) as what was even then relatively rare and costly back issues, as availability allowed and when funds existed. This piecemeal, out-of-order reading of the series did not greatly impair my enjoyment. On the contrary, it may have enhanced it as each issue was a special treat and not a regular bi-monthly fixture, and of course tracking down the issues, pre-internet, was part of the fun – the thrill of the chase – and added to the anticipation. Every issue was a masterclass in panel-to-panel narrative comic art.I have long resigned myself to the fact that I will never own a piece of original art from the Bernie Wrightson issues with rarity and cost being an issue again but to a much more acute degree. But you know what? I am not only happy but completely satisfied by this drawing. I have never been one for commissions. I would, given the opportunity, always go for an obvious choice for a specific artist which from what I hear is usually something said artist is sick and tired of drawing and is therefore inclined to turn in something robotic, similar, if not identical, to something they have drawn umpteen times over. But had I ever been given the opportunity to commission something from Bernie Wrightson then this would have been just about the perfect result. I did have some say in a very small aspect of what was depicted on the plate but no-one could ever say this in any way made it a commission for me. This looks like it might have been a plate from the fabled but cancelled Swamp Thing portfolio. It has the same dimensions as some of the plates on CAF and is drawn on that luxuriously creamy Number 80 Bainbridge board. Other plates on CAF are without exception more scary and horrific and some are as good as the example I own but I contend that none are better, because whereas those other drawings spotlight the monstrous side of Swamp Thing, this plate places more of the emphasis on the human aspect, and this is done mainly through the eyes. In a colourised version of this plate the “whites" of Swamp Thing’s eyes would be red; this black and white rendition makes those eyes much more human. I might be reading too much into it but the intensity of the stare seems to me as if it is not you who has stumbled across him but the other way around and you have startled him and he seems unsure whether or not to assume the stereotypical scary monster mode to frighten you away, or whether he senses you mean him no harm so he can let you go on your way in peace. Swamp Thing for me was the ultimate outsider/loner (the splash page of issue 3 speaks to this). I bought this from Bernie Wrightson via his friend Steve Niles who posted it on eBay back in the early 2010s and I am grateful that both Frank Darabont and Guillermo Del Toro were both otherwise occupied when the auction came to its end because I am sure they could have outbid me with whatever loose change they had in their pockets that day. But then considering what they had/have this drawing would be the equivalent to them of a quickie convention sketch. Whereas for me, well, I hesitate to use the “G” word, but only because I feel it faintly sacrilegious, but let’s say that this is in my top three OA pieces. As for the underbidders in that eBay auction: if any of you are reading this, I could say I am sorry for beating you but that would be a polite lie, however I do know how you felt at the time and for some days or even weeks after, yet I am sure you are over it by now. If you took a screen shot of the illustration in the immediate aftermath, as I often do of something I miss out on, then you may see some discrepancy between that screenshot and the picture I have uploaded, and I don’t mean the different tones of the board which is down to me having only a low-end A4 scanner and having to stitch together four separate scans. When I had settled up with Steve Niles he did ask me if I would like BW to add anything to it. And even then I think I realised that what he meant was some form of personalisation to me. Even though I did not then and do not now have any intention of selling the drawing on for profit I thought it would be an act of artistic desecration to have the drawing dedicated to me. So I asked that BW simply date it, and that is what he did after his signature and in what looks to me like his characteristic brushstrokes: “10”. It is a source of extreme shameful regret that I had, via Steve Niles, a one-to-one with the great Bernie Wrightson, for me the finest artist to ever come out of comics, and I did not pass on my deep thanks for all the many hours of pleasure and enjoyment his work had given me, and how inspirational I found it. I hope that he knew, but I really wish I had said it at the time. Many thanks to Steve Niles for his help in acquiring this drawing. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Hobby Halbert
Member Since 2022
Posted on 3/18/2022
Wow! This is menacing. I love it! Congrats on this awesome pickup
Simon Ma 
Member Since 2013
1 - Posted on 4/6/2022
Hobby Halbert wrote:
Wow! This is menacing. I love it! Congrats on this awesome pickup
Thank you for your kind words. I am very lucky to own the page.
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
2 - Posted on 4/6/2022
Daryl R wrote:
As good as it gets! Huge congrats!
Thank you. You have the definitive BOG drawing (the first of the two by BW). Congrats!
steve staszower
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 3/18/2022
Congrats!! That is an outstanding Wrightson ST and I agree, it was probably intended as a plate for the ST portfolio.
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
3 - Posted on 4/6/2022
steve staszower wrote:
Congrats!! That is an outstanding Wrightson ST and I agree, it was probably intended as a plate for the ST portfolio.
From one Bernie Wrightson devotee to another this is high praise. Cheers!
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 3/18/2022
Beautiful! It is an iconic portrait done in the manner of Universal Monsters and every detail conveys the body horror and suffering of Swamp Thing. The semblence of humanity is seen throught the facial features and the crooked hands.
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
2 - Posted on 4/6/2022
Marcus Wai wrote:
Beautiful! It is an iconic portrait done in the manner of Universal Monsters and every detail conveys the body horror and suffering of Swamp Thing. The semblence of humanity is seen throught the facial features and the crooked hands.
Never thought of Swampy as belonging to the “body horror” genre, which I associate with Cronenberg, but thinking about it you are bang on. Very astute observation. “Beautiful”, but not in the traditional sense of the word.
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
2 - Posted on 4/6/2022
gene o wrote:
this is glorious! A master.
Thank you. You have a wonderful selection of commissions, all of which, whether by artists normally associated with the character(s) or not, look fresh and vibrant.
Tyler T
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 3/18/2022
Swamp Thing at his absolute finest. Does not get any better.
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
2 - Posted on 4/6/2022
Tyler T wrote:
Swamp Thing at his absolute finest. Does not get any better.
Thank you for your appreciation.
Felix Lu
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 3/19/2022
A personalization would have been distracting, I agree wth your decision. Simply fantastic.
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
1 - Posted on 4/6/2022
Felix Lu wrote:
A personalization would have been distracting, I agree wth your decision. Simply fantastic.
Thank you for your vote of confidence; it is always useful to have the opinion of someone with knowledge of this area. Sadly, the prolonged looking at a smaller size I have given the piece since uploading has made me think that even asking for it to be dated was a mistake. Artists are different from mere mortals, such as myself, and everything is taken into consideration. There must have been some reason this drawing was undated, whilst others in the same vein were. It now looks a bit “unbalanced”. Live and learn, live and learn.
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 4/9/2022
Wrightson was one of the top tier of artists whose work ever has graced the field. I have no originals by him as his finer works were, at any stage, way out of my league pricewise. I treasure my signed limited editions of A Look Back and Frankenstein though. In the unlikely event of me becoming a millionaire, I will treat myself to a choice piece.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 5/2/2023
This is so far removed from his classic 70’s version, but I think I actually like this interation better. Going even further (as bold and presumptive as it may be), I would be willing to bet that if Wrightson had the chance to draw all those issues again, even he might actually prefer to use this version. While I agree with your assessment of its more humanistic qualities, what I really love is how much more textured this version is. I’m sure there would be countless arguments as to which version is more “swampy”, but there’s just so much more going on in this version and it’s just more visually interesting to me. Love all the intricate details, all the light & shadow contrast, those hands (claws?) are super interesting, and I agree 1000% about the eyes. Like you, I can only dream of ever owning something from the original series. But the major difference between us is that you are lucky enough to have this beauty, while I still await landing my very own “true” Wrightson example (yes, I love my Mignola inked piece, but it’s not quite the same).
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
Posted on 5/13/2023
E DLS wrote:
This is so far removed from his classic 70’s version, but I think I actually like this interation better. Going even further (as bold and presumptive as it may be), I would be willing to bet that if Wrightson had the chance to draw all those issues again, even he might actually prefer to use this version. While I agree with your assessment of its more humanistic qualities, what I really love is how much more textured this version is. I’m sure there would be countless arguments as to which version is more “swampy”, but there’s just so much more going on in this version and it’s just more visually interesting to me. Love all the intricate details, all the light & shadow contrast, those hands (claws?) are super interesting, and I agree 1000% about the eyes. Like you, I can only dream of ever owning something from the original series. But the major difference between us is that you are lucky enough to have this beauty, while I still await landing my very own “true” Wrightson example (yes, I love my Mignola inked piece, but it’s not quite the same).
Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful comments. I doubt whether I would be able to cover the costs of a page like this in today’s buoyant market so I am grateful to have got it when I could. Often collectors go for depth or width but you seem to be one of the less common in getting width but also depth in certain departments, which is rare but nowhere as scarce as your Wrightson/Mignola piece which is not unique, as you remark, but only because of your lead – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that – but to have a drawing worked on by two of the three greatest horror artists in comics (Richard Corben is obviously the third) is really something special. Bravo!
Michael Weigant
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 3/4/2025
I don't think I've ever seen this piece before ! Thanks for the great story and lead up to this,it's very interesting and so was Bernie when I met him on a few occasions back in the 90's.Congrats on a fine illustration by the master !
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