Comics are great at dealing with mythological themes and employing archetypes within the stories they tell. In this sense, as Grant Morrison has claimed, comic books can be viewed as myths for our time. Sometimes comics employ archetypal themes only indirectly. How many comic stories feature ‘the heroes quest’, ‘a wise old man,’ ‘a challenge to be overcome’, etc. Most superhero comics, from Superman and Batman to Doctor Strange, fall under this category.

But other books use mythological and fantastic content directly by drawing on established creatures straight out of mythology: titans, demons, even gods. These comics can be just as popular as the superhero ones. It is this latter trope that I want to discuss here by looking at comics inspired by mythological elemental creatures.

In this article I will look at two such creatures: one established and already popular, the other new and with a possible film about him in the works.

The two magical/mythological characters are the Swamp Thing and the Monolith.

The first is a famous plant elemental. Swamp Thing was born when the living forces of nature absorbed the personality and memories of scientist Alec Holland. First introduced in House of Secrets #92, the Swamp Thing was created by Lein Wien and Bernie Wrightson. The character is basically a modern take on the elemental creature that comes to life. Swamp Thing is now an established part of the DC Universe and a live action show is primed for release on DC Universe service later this year.

By contrast, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray created the Monolith basing it on a creature straight out of Jewish mythology. The Monolith is a Golem, a creature made to avenge wrongs. Like the Swamp Thing, the Monolith has also been pitched for a feature film by Lionsgate (as reported here).

Given the potential live action appearances of these creatures, which comics of theirs should we be keeping an eye on?

Swamp Thing #1 (October 1972) - First Appearance of Alec Holland as Swamp Thing

Although often described as a ‘muck’ or ‘earth’ monster, and with a sci-fi twist added to his origins story, Wein and Wrightson were drawing on mythology when they created this elemental being. Like most people I didn’t get into Swamp Thing until Alan Moore took over the writing duties and I was way too young to have picked up the books from the original Wrightson run (many of which I acquired later). I wish I had picked these up earlier, especially House of Secrets #92 (July 1971), which is approaching prices that will push it beyond the reach of the average collector ($52,000 for a 9,8! Yikes). This book by contrast is still affordable, but may not stay that way. Like the life energy of the Green, the numbers are strong on this one. Best returns can currently be found on 4.5 graded copies which can be bought for around $100.00 (return +165.2%). A grade closer to mint will run you $1,400 for a 9.6 or over $4, 000.00 for a pristine 9.8. But returns have been positive for all higher grades with + 121.7% on 9.6 and + 14.9% on 9.8.

The Monolith #1 (April 2004) – First appearance of the Monolith

For a more risk free investment it can’t hurt to pick up this comic. It also helps that it's a great read with excellent artwork by Phil Winslade. The Monolith is really two stories. One is set in depression era America in New York City, the other is set in the same location but in the 21st century. In the past, Alice Cohen is struggling to survive the great depression and falls in love with a young man known only as ‘Peter’. In the present her granddaughter, the younger Alice Cohen, is trying to survive in her own way dealing with a hard life on the streets. Maybe it was the announcement of the film that is finally making people notice how good a comic this is. The original series was cancelled unfairly after twelve issues. Truth be told, this was a dollar bin book before the film announcement. I saw the first issue up for sale today for $300.00 on Ebay, but plenty of affordable copies are still available. The numbers are looking good. Even with only three sales recorded on this 2004 comic since it was released, returns on 9.6 graded copies are up a demonic + 788.9%. Oy vey, get yours now!