Swamp Thing Artist’s Edition Brings Bissette and Totleben’s Original Art Back to Life

WEPAAAA! Horror comics collectors, you might want to start clearing some serious shelf space. Act 4 Publishing, Skybound and DC are bringing Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben’s legendary Swamp Thing work to an oversized Artist’s Edition, and this beast measures a whopping 12 by 17 inches.

Arriving in comic shops July 7, 2027, Bissette and Totleben’s Swamp Thing Artist’s Edition collects more than 170 pieces of original artwork, including interiors, covers, sketches and extras from one of the most influential stretches in horror comics. The collection draws from issues #16–64, including material associated with “Anatomy Lesson” and “American Gothic.”

Bissette and Totleben helped redefine the look and feel of Saga of the Swamp Thing, with Alan Moore joining as writer at issue #20. Their expressive page layouts and intricate inks gave the series a personality that still gets discussed decades later. Rick Veitch also contributed artwork during the run.

The book includes the complete ten-page “Jack in the Green” story, the final DC collaboration between Bissette and Totleben, as well as introductions from Bissette and editor Karen Berger. For fans who know these pages mainly through standard comic-book printing, this edition offers a different way to appreciate the actual craft.

That’s because an Artist’s Edition reproduces the art at its original size, using color scans even when the finished pages appear black and white. Pencil marks, ink variations and other production details remain visible. You get closer to what the artists actually put on paper instead of only seeing the cleaned-up printed result.

In the announcement, both Bissette and Totleben reflected on the significance of bringing long-sold original pages back together in book form. Publisher Scott Dunbier, who helped establish the Artist’s Edition format, also emphasized how much detail gets lost between original art and ordinary comic reproduction.

The hardcover carries a suggested retail price of $150 and is scheduled for comic shops July 7, 2027, followed by booksellers August 3. That’s a collector-level price, no question, but the appeal is clear for readers who love seeing exactly how comic-book history was drawn. Crusaders, is this a must-have for your collection?