David Michelinie/Gerry Conway/David Anthony Kraft
As sales figures plummeted towards the end of the series, the writers attempted to revive interest by introducing fantasy creatures, sci-fi aliens, and even Alec Holland's brother, Edward, (a plot point ignored by later writers) into the picture.
The appearance of Holland's brother toward the end of the series marked a series of plot developments, designed to provide the series with a happy ending, which generated much controversy. In Swamp Thing #23, Alec finally regains his humanity and while the creature was on the cover of the 24th and final issue of the series (albeit transforming into human), Holland appeared as human throughout the interior story. The cover illustration showed a yellow muscular creature, Thrudvang, beating up Swamp Thing; the interior showed Holland imagining Swamp Thing beating up Thrudvang, in similar positions but with roles reversed—the issue itself depicting Holland and his new love interest (and his brother's research assistant) running away from Thrudvang. A battle between Swamp Thing and Hawkman was promised for the next issue, but no such battle occurred until vol. 2 #58.
During the short-lived revival of Challengers of the Unknown, also by Gerry Conway, Swamp Thing returned as Alec Holland who, without continually producing and self-medicating with bio-restorative formula, reverted into the form of Swamp Thing. Holland, along with the Challengers of the Unknown, encountered the supernatural being known as Deadman (though they were unaware of Deadman's presence), a fact that would confirm the post-Wein Swamp Thing stories existence in DCU continuity years later when Deadman and Swamp Thing met again during Alan Moore's run as writer. Swamp Thing also appeared with Batman in The Brave and the Bold and with Superman in DC Comics Presents. In the latter, by Steve Englehart, he tried in vain to stop Superman from committing what he perceived as genocide (using a compound developed by S.T.A.R. Labs) on sixty Solomon Grundys living in the sewers of Metropolis.
Read more about this topic: Swamp Thing (comic Book), First Series
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