Alec Holland is back as Swamp Thing.
Or is he?
Holland is indeed returning in the new DC Black Label three-part series Swamp Thing: Green Hell by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Doug Mahnke, who the publisher calls "one of the greatest artists in modern DC history."
Holland has been replaced in the current DC Universe continuity (albeit as loosely defined as that is) by Levi Kamei in the current Swamp Thing series. Holland surprisingly resurfaced in human form in the series and serves as a mentor to Kamei.
But in what DC refers to as a new, twisted take on the mythos and a "gory, gruesome monster mash," the fate of all of humanity is in Holland's hands.
Although all this said, Swamp Thing: Green Hell takes place in some unspecified dystopian future.
On an Earth that is "all but done," the last remnants of the human race survive on a mountain top that peaks over "endless floodwater."
Check out this unlettered preview of Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1:
When the Parliaments of the Green, the Red, and the Rot all agree that humanity has had its shot and it's time to start fresh and begin the cycle of life over again, they combine its powers to summon an avatar to finish the job - "one of the most horrific monsters to ever stalk the surface of this forsaken planet."
Mahnke has drawn the primary cover to Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1, and he's joined with variants from Christian Ward and Francesco Francavilla. Check them out here:
Might not be an exaggeration based on the preview artwork right above, which is not for the squeamish.
Enter Alec Holland, who DC says in this story has been dead for decades. But will he be fighting this new monster as the Swamp Thing or does Holland have to fight this new monstrous version of the Swamp Thing?
Sounds like maybe it's the latter, as in DC's announcement it explains that Holland understands the enemy and has used its tactics before.
The 48-page Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1 which is published in the Prestige Plus format goes on sale on December 28.
That image above alone qualifies this story as an appropriate place to remind you of Newsarama's list of the best horror comics of all time.
