Both are half-man, half-plant heroes and they share strangely similar origin stories, but who would win in a Swamp Thing vs. Man-Thing battle? Wein was Conway's roommate at the time and as Thomas recalled in 2008, Gerry and I thought that, unconsciously, the origin in Swamp Thing #1 was a bit too similar to the origin of Man-Thing a year-and-a-half earlier. I didn't care much for the name 'Man-Thing', because we already had the Thing [of the superhero team the Fantastic Four], and I thought it would be confusing to also have another one called Man-Thing.[8]. During the hallucination, Killraven encountered distorted versions of numerous Marvel characters. [15] Steve Gerber, who would become the Man-Thing's signature writer, succeeded Conway the following issue, with art by Rich Buckler (Mayerik began with issue #13). Although the Man-Thing's superhuman strength, speed, intelligence, durability, and immortality, give the monster his powers it is his spiritual ability that makes him immune to any other disease, it has been established that the creature possesses physical stamina beyond the limitations of any human athlete. Posted by: [19], Black and white Man-Thing stories, and some color covers, also appeared in the Marvel magazine Monsters Unleashed as well.[20]. Following this series, the story continued in Strange Tales vol.
[57] He generally leaves the swamp of his own accord only if he senses a mystical disturbance.
The Multiversal Masters of Evil arrive on Earth-91 where they massacre this reality's Prehistoric Avengers. Issue #12's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man", about an crazed writer named Brian Lazarus, spawned Gerber's posthumously published 2012 sequel, "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man", in the three-issue miniseries The Infernal Man-Thing. Gerber introduced Howard the Duck in a Man-Thing story in Adventure into Fear #19.
Helen loves a good movie musical too and has probably watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig And The Angry Inch, The Blues Brothers and Little Shop Of Horrors more times than is healthy. Pursued into a swamp, Sallis ends up drowningbut was later revived by a combination of his formula (and supernatural forces) into a creature known as the Man-Thing! [29] The group is attempting to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum that had created Captain America.
The Man-Thing became the guardian of the Nexus, and found himself facing demons, ghosts and time-traveling warriors, while continuing to encounter such non-supernatural antagonists as rapacious land developers, fascist vigilantes and common criminals. Alongside possessing superhuman strength, Man-Thing is almost immune to harm because his plant form isnt entirely solid which means things like bullets or knives will often pass right through him. His identity as the Man-Thing could not be considered secret, but his existence is generally believed to be a hoax, and an obscure one at that. 2) #12 (Oct. 2008), by writer Jai Nitz and artist Ben Stenbeck.
[30] Web of Spider-Man vol. Young biochemist Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis, a native of Omaha, Nebraska,[28] is working in the Everglades as part of Dr. Wilma Calvin's Project: Gladiator team, which includes Dr. Barbara Morse and her fianc Dr. Paul Allen, and an assistant named Jim. On the downside, Man-Thing didnt retain any of Ted Sallis human intellect and is barely sentient. [94], "Song For Ted Sallis" Written and performed by The Mountain Goats, this song tells the story of Ted Sallis transforming into the Man-Thing. 2 #41 (June 1980), The Defenders #98 (Aug. 1981), and Peter Parker: Spider-Man Annual '99, and even to his human form, as in Adventure into Fear #13 (April 1973), Marvel Two-in-One #1 (Jan. 1974), Marvel Comics Presents #164 (Oct. 1994), and Man-Thing vol. Len didn't see the similarities, so he went ahead with what he was going to do.
We saw it again with the Red Tornado and the Vision.
One of the black and white magazine's short stories featured the tale of biochemist Ted Sallis, who desperately injected the "miracle drug" he developed into his own system to protect it from sinister forces. Goodbecause now it's time to introduce yet another element of confusion to the swamp man mystery! Another notable swamp-bred creature of the Golden Age was Solomon Grundy, whose name was taken from a 19th century nursury rhyme. However, he crashes his car into the swamp where scientific and, as Man-Thing #1 later explained, magical forces combine to instantly transform him into a slow-moving plant-matter creature with large, solid red eyes. While the Man-Thing is devoid of violent emotions, his body produces a type of foamy, soapy mucus that neutralizes the acid. A second story, written by Len Wein and drawn by Neal Adams, was prepared at that time, but, upon Savage Tales' cancellation after that single issue,[10] "took a year or two to see print", according to Thomas. [] He had a couple of sentences or so for the concept I think it was mainly the notion of a guy working on some experimental drug or something for the government, his being accosted by spies, and getting fused with the swamp so that he becomes this creature. The version of Swamp Thing that appears in the superheros self-titled series started life as a scientist named Alec Holland who invented a bio-restorative formula designed to solve famine at his lab in the Louisiana swamplands.
However, there were a handful of times when publishers created characters that were so similar, yet appeared so close together, that one publisher copying the concept from the other was a virtually impossibility. Posted by: 3 #1-8 (Dec. 1997July 1998), illustrated by Liam Sharp.
While fleeing from a terrorist group, Ted injected himself with the serum but crashed into the swamps. Helen Armitage is a freelance writer based in the UK who has been writing online since late 2013. In Man-Thing vol. A Dr. Wendell is later cited as being on the staff after Dr. Calvin is shot. Jennifer Kale debuted in Adventure into Fear #11, which was the first story Steve Gerber wrote for Marvel after his initial tryout. The two characters [di]verged off after that origin, so it didn't make much difference, anyway. 3 #1-8 (Dec. 1997July 1998), Ellen Brandt Sallis returns to the Citrusville area and encounters a little boy, Job Burke, who is actually the Sallises' son, who had been put up for adoption.
[] We weren't happy with the situation over the Swamp Thing #1 origin, but we figured it was an accident. The two would re-team for the Man-Thing feature in Strange Tales vol. [90], The Ultimate Man-Thing, in the alternate-universe Ultimate Marvel imprint, is similar to his traditional counterpart in mainstream continuity.
Helen is a lifelong fan of the horror genre which started in the 1980s when films like Gremlins and Cats Eye scared the life out of her as a kid.
Obviously, DC was now fully aware of Marvel's Man-Thing, since the updated Swamp Thing origin made Alec Holland (previously "Alex Olson") a "a scientist working on a secret bio-restorative formula", who was murdered by a gang of bad guys and later restored to life by his secret formula. [26] The story was a sequel to Gerber's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man" in Man-Thing #12 (Dec. [14], The Man-Thing received his own 10-page feature, again by Conway (with Morrow inking pencils by Howard Chaykin), in Adventure into Fear #10 (Oct. 1972), sharing that anthology title with reprinted 1950s horror/fantasy stories. However, emotions that are often viewed as negative, such as violent emotions like anger, hatred, and fear, cause the Man-Thing great discomfort and might provoke him to attack.
Posted by: One-Punch Man Finally Confirms Its Top Hero's True Power, Batman Admits He Admires Tim Drake's Robin for a Heartbreaking Reason, Scarlet Witch Suffered Her Most Brutal MCU Kill in the Comics, Captain Marvel is Actually the Reverse Galactus, & Her Powers Prove it, Darth Vader's Epic Kenobi Move Proves He Still Overestimates His Own Power, Mandalorian Doesn't Want Fans to Ignore Its Unanswered Grogu Mysteries, A Surprise Marvel Hero Will Wield Mjolnir & Cap's Shield At The Same Time, Flash & Green Lantern's Savage Redesigns Are Officially Revealed, Darth Vader's Version of Force Lightning Redefines the Iconic Power, Aquaman Confesses to His Most Embarrassing (and Deadly) Weakness, Alligator Loki Just Recreated Everyone's Favorite Cat Meme, The X-Men's Immortality is Finally Exposed, Changing Their History Forever, Anakin Skywalker Questioned The Jedi Order's Use of Lightsabers, Dragon Ball's Version of Naruto's Most Iconic Jutsu is Much More Absurd, Marvel Confirms the Weakest Avenger isn't Who Fans Think, Captain America's Iconic Endgame Meme Just Became Marvel Comics Canon, Shazam vs Superman Is Settled Forever by One Forgotten Power, Gwenpool Wins Best Cameo at Hellfire Gala 2022. [91] Additionally, in Ultimate Fantastic Four #7, during a flashback that transformed Reed Richards and his colleagues into the Fantastic Four, the Man-Thing is shown for a moment.
These unique forces render the Man-Thing extremely sensitive to emotions. [83] He returns in Mutant X Annual '01 (2001),[84] and Mutant X #32 (June 2001). Ah, but remember, in the comic book biz it typically takes three to four months to create and print a comic book from start to finishso the two month gap between Savage Tales #1 and House of Secrets #92 tells us that DC wouldn't have had a prayer creating a Man-Thing knock-off in such a short period of time. Gerry was rooming with Len at the time and tried to talk him into changing the Swamp Thing's origin.
[37], During the "Empyre" storyline, Man-Thing falls under the control of the Cotati led by Ventri that were operating in the Savage Land.
[93], What If (vol.
[volume&issueneeded]. Steve Gerber's posthumous Man-Thing story "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man", with art by Kevin Nowlan, originally planned as a 1980s graphic novel before being left uncompleted by the artist,[25] was revived in the 2010s and appeared as a three-issue miniseries cover-titled The Infernal Man-Thing (Early Sept.-Oct. | Cover to Cover: Bones of Contention . 2 #1-11 (Nov. 1979July 1981), writer Chris Claremont introduced himself as a character in the final issue, as Gerber had in the finale of the first series. It looks like supernatural swamp men were on plenty of people's minds during the winter and early spring of 1971! While Swamp Thing might be the better known of the two thanks in part to his recently - and regrettably -cancelled live-action series the characters made their comic book debut within a few months of each other.
Revived by a combination of chemicals and supernatural forces, Alec transformed into the monstrous Swamp Thing! In The Adventures of the X-Men, which is based on the X-Men animated series, Storm and Jean Grey are inadvertently teleported to the Man-Thing's swamp from the Mojoverse. Swamp Thing's Crisis on Infinite Earths Cameo Explained.
Gerber continued to write Man-Thing guest appearances in other Marvel titles, as well as the serialized, eight-page Man-Thing feature in the omnibus series Marvel Comics Presents #1-12 (Sept. 1988Feb.
The Devil-Slayer once sliced him nearly in half,[52] and he has survived being incinerated by a Celestial,[53] although his healing from the latter has been the longest and most complex in his lifetime.
Thomas worked out a detailed plot[9] and gave it to Gerry Conway to script. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971),[4] and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including Adventure into Fear. 4 #1-2, and was projected to continue in the unpublished issues #3-4. [24] This was followed by an eight-page story in Marvel Comics Presents (vol. As described in the text featurette "The Story Behind the Scenes" in Savage Tales #1 (cover-dated May 1971), the black-and-white adventure fantasy magazine in which the character debuted in an 11-page origin story, the Man-Thing was conceived in discussions between Marvel Comics editor Stan Lee and writer Roy Thomas. It appears as the first track on the Hex of Infinite Binding EP, released September 6, 2018. Shes produced content for the likes of Culture Trip, WhatCulture and Prague.TV and started writing for Screen Rant in 2019 firstly as a news writer before progressing onto writing mini-features. If she had to pick a favorite horror movie it would probably be The Shining but Ari Asters Hereditary and Midsommar rank in joint second place. [86], Amazing Adventures (vol. | Permalink, Tags: The 2017 Man-Thing is the Build-A-Figure in the, This page was last edited on 13 July 2022, at 11:24. Further muddying the already muddy swamp water was the fact that, in between Swamp Thing's first and second appearances, his co-creator Len Wein wrote the story for Man-Thing's second appearance, originally slated for Savage Tales #2 (but ultimately published in the aforementioned Astonishing Tales #12). October 23, 2007 at 07:05 PM. Airboy Comics, Alec Holland, Alex Olson, Astonishing Tales, Bernie Wrightson, Hillman Periodicals, House of Secrets, Len Wein, Man-Thing, Savage Tales, Swamp Thing, Ted Sallis, The Heap, Theodore Sturgeon. Batman Tried To Learn Magic And Gain Powers Before Becoming A Superhero. Their stories were summarized briefly in Peter Parker: Spider-Man Annual '99, also by DeMatteis, with art by Sharp and others.[21][22][23]. His exposure to the Citrusville waste treatment plant[56] greatly enhanced his ability to leave the swamp, as he became a self-contained ecosystem, feeding off of his own waste products.
Nowadays, Swamp Thing has control over all forms of plant-life both earthly and extraterrestrial.
His and other characters' deaths were later resolved with the intervention of the War Is Hell series lead, John Kowalski, now an aspect of Marvel Comics' manifestation of Death. [33][54] In-universe, knowledge of his existence is rarely tied to the experiments of Sallis, as are speculations as to any human identity he may have had. In the Mutant X Annual '99 (1999), Doctor Strange, the sorcerer supreme of Earth, reveals himself to be the Man-Thing. 2) #11 (March 1990) featured the Fantastic Four in four scenarios written and pencilled by Jim Valentino, showing what might have happened if the team-members had all had the same powers as one another.
When the Cotati were defeated, Man-Thing takes his leave after being thanked by Black Knight. 3 #5 and 7-8 (April 1998, JuneJuly 1998). The feature expanded to 15 pages with #12 (art by Jim Starlin), became 16 pages two issues later and reached the then-standard 19-page length of Marvel superhero comics with issue #15, at which point the series also went from bi-monthly to monthly. Also worth noting is the Mad parody of "Heap" in issue #5 (June/July 1953), in which they describe it as "a horrible standing glob of swamp thing". It is able to sense human emotions, and is enraged by fear and automatically secretes a powerful corrosive; anyone feeling fear and clutched by the Man-Thing is prone to be burned (either chemically or mystically), hence the series' tagline: "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!" 1) #2-7) were supporting characters in Gerber's Omega the Unknown, while David Anthony Kraft made Rory a potential love interest for the She-Hulk. [35] Phil Coulson subsequently recruits the Man-Thing for his incarnation of the Howling Commandos. Fleeing with the only sample of his serum, he injects himself with it in hopes of saving himself. 1989), and a supporting role in The Evolutionary War, coming to the aid of Spider-Man. Readers were buying supernaturally-themed comics as fast as DC and Marvel Comics could crank them out, which spawned a coincidence as mysterious as the swamp itself. October 24, 2007 at 09:45 AM. Deep Impact and Armageddon. When Rory was serving time for trumped-up kidnapping charges, he accidentally created another Foolkiller when he revealed too much detail about the previous incarnation and the whereabouts of his gear. 2) #38 tells the story of what happened when Killraven stumbled across the Miami Museum of Cultural Development and became caught up in the projected dreams of an astronaut from the "Mars launch in 1999". 1975), which featured 1950s horror-fantasy and 1960s science fiction/monster reprints as back-up stories, with a two-part Howard the Duck co-feature added in the final two issues. Emotions that are mild and generally considered positive arouse curiosity and the Man-Thing will sometimes observe from a distance. After issue #19 (Dec. 1973), the Man-Thing received a solo title The Man-Thing, which ran 22 issues (Jan. 1974Oct. I would assume that some ideas were occasionally bandied about. October of 1972 also marked the first issue of the Swamp Thing series. [17] Gerber also wrote a graphic novel that Kevin Nowlan spent many years illustrating, but he did not live to see it published. It ultimately accepts Deadpool's plan and kills the Taskmaster. Swamp Thing and Man-Things origin stories share quite a few similarities too.
Cover dated May of 1971, a Marvel anthology named Savage Tales #1 hit the stands (click the cover images for a larger view).
Writer Michael Fleisher and penciller Mooney teamed for the first three issues, with the letters page of #3 noting that Fleisher's work had received a great deal of negative criticism and that he had been taken off the book. [35] For example, he once rescued an infant and left the child with a doctor (which would require an understanding of the function of a doctor and the ability to navigate to a specific address).
This black-and-white interlude (with yellow highlighting) segued to the Man-Thing's introduction to color comics as Ka-Zar's antagonist-turned-ally in this and the following issue (both written by Thomas, with the first penciled by John Buscema and the second by Buscema and Rich Buckler).
The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Unbeknownst to the Multiversal Masters of Evil, Doom Supreme secretly saved a Man-Thing variation of Doctor Doom called Doom-Thing where it swore its allegiance to him alongside the other variations of Doctor Doom. He formed a bond with young radio DJ Richard Rory and nurse Ruth Hart. [62][63] Through his empathic abilities, the Man-Thing can grow more powerful by feeding on the fear of others, increasing his size and mass to titanic proportions during Fear Itself. Maybe Plato was onto something. Posted by:
Next: Resident Evil's Mr X Vs Nemesis - Which Monster Is More Powerful? [25], Author R.L. Both Rory and this second Foolkiller, along with nurse Ruth Hart (who appeared in Man-Thing (vol. These characters' stories he resolved by tying them to a resolution for his own War is Hell series. October 24, 2007 at 11:38 AM. Hey, I think you're right, Ivan.like those magician movies last year (The Prestige and The Illusionist). [100], The Man-Thing was ranked #7 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015. Stan Lee called me in; it would've been late '70 or early '71.
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A third version of the character, who was in Internet communication with the second, starred in Gerber's 1990 Foolkiller miniseries. Related: Swamp Thing's Crisis on Infinite Earths Cameo Explained.
The Man-Thing is a large, slow-moving, empathic, humanoid swamp monster living in the Florida Everglades near a Seminole reservation and the fictitious town of Citrusville in Cypress County, Florida.
Once provoked into violent actions, his body secretes highly concentrated acid that can burn human beings to ashes within a matter of seconds. [18], A second Man-Thing series ran 11 issues (Nov. 1979Jan. Posted by: Two more miniatures, one of the Man-Thing and Howard the Duck together and one of the Man-Thing alone, were released in February 2013 as part of the "Amazing Spider-Man" HeroClix set. [92], The second story in the alternate-reality anthology comic book What If #26 (April 1981) asked, "What if the Man-Thing had Regained Ted Sallis' Brain?"