Griffin’s Picks for the week of 4/29/2026
1: Swamp Thing 1989 #1 - DC
TL;DR: If you buy one book this week, buy Swamp Thing 1989 #1.
Do you remember last week when I said that it seems like everything you read always comes out on the same week? Well this week is the inverse of that occurrence, because there’s only one book coming out that I’d be reading under regular circumstances, Swamp Thing 1989 #1 (more on that in a moment). I’ve been having fun mixing up the format of my weekly picks a little bit and I don’t want it to feel stagnant for those putting in the time to read my ramblings. So, this week I’m going to do everything in my power to try and convince you to read Swamp Thing 1989 #1 or at the very least imbue you with some comic knowledge.
Everyone always talks about the Alan Moore Swamp Thing issues, and for good reason, but I’d argue that Rick Veitch’s run on Swampy is the third best in the character’s history. And when Alan Moore and Len Wein/Bernie Wrightson are the only people ahead of you, you know you’re doing something right. Veitch started work on Saga of the Swamp Thing when Alan Moore was still writing, by doing pencils on #37 (which is also the first appearance of John Constantine if you didn’t know). As Moore’s run went on his duties became more frequent and when Moore was ready to move on from the Guardian of the Green, he hand-picked Veitch to take over writing duties, with #65 being the first in his run.
Things were smooth at first, especially for following up a character defining run, until #88. In the issues prior, Swamp Thing gets a piece of amber that sends him back in time, causing him to meet different figures in DC’s history. #88 was pitched by Veitch to have Swamp Thing meeting Jesus and being present at the time of his crucifixion and was actually approved by DC’s editorial team at the time. But, because of heavy backlash surrounding The Last Temptation of Christ, including an attack on a theater in Paris, DC decided to cancel the story despite the pencils being finished and the scripts for three more issues being completed. Veitch was upset and vowed never to work for DC again, and the script for the completed stories and finished issue sat dormant for the past 36 years.
That is until last year, when DC announced that they would be publishing the unfinished story using the original script and bringing back individuals like Vince Lock to finish Michael Zulli’s pencils/inks and Trish Mulvhill to color, people who would have worked on the book had it not been unceremoniously canceled. Oh! And don't worry if you haven’t read the Veitch run, because it’s not a pre-requisite to reading this mini-series. It’s been years since I have and at no point did I feel lost. I’d recommend a basic knowledge of the character but you gotta love the accessibility of 80s comics.
Now, I’m not a religious person in the slightest so take my assessment of the issue itself with a grain of salt when I talk about it being tasteful and inoffensive despite the subject matter. The issue has three Magi go to a demon named Belial in order to ask him to get rid of Jesus because of his healing and his resistance to corruption. Accepting their offer, he vomits out a child to corrupt others into making sure Jesus is killed because demons’ chief goal is to corrupt humanity and because ‘an equal sacrifice’ is required, hence Belial giving his son who turns out to be none other than Etrigan himself. It’s posited that the Silver Age character, the Golden Gladiator would have arrested and freed Jesus at the request of Mary Magdalene had he not been possessed by Etrigan. Thus, Swamp Thing sees Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion despite his attempts to intervene.
Like I said, I’m not even a little bit religious, but I genuinely got goosebumps from a lot of what was in here and found it to be a very respectful depiction of Jesus. Especially the actual parts with the sacrifice and the near-interactions that he has with Swamp Thing. It also has all of the DC house ads that would have been in it had it been published at the time it was supposed, the Johnny DC editorial introduction as well as a letter from Stephen Bissette that outlines the cultural reasons surrounding the cancellation with fascinating insight. Not to mention both of the covers for it are incredible. I think this will end up being my favorite single issue of 2026 and could continue going on at length but out of respect for you, dear reader, I’ll spare you.