It is official the Swamp Thing is going to have his own streaming series in 2019. This show will be centered around a love interest and the Louisiana town of Houma, no pun intended. Our heroes, Alec Holland and Abby Arcane will have a romantic connection amidst the bogs and bullfrogs of the bayou. The latest media gossip: a future DC Universe streaming service will headline Swamp Thing and allow parity with Marvel. The Swamp Thing has been DC Comics most famous horror-superhero. This is thanks to Bernie Wrightson's impressive art and Len Wein (writer) creating this spirit of the swamp which first appeared in House of Secrets #92. Wein and Wrightson are the dynamic duos who never failed to deliver the story and art. Their quality work has held up forty plus years. Does this make Swamp Thing #2 and House of Secrets #92 possible profitable speculations?
Ever since Wrightson, Wein, and Moore added their creative murk to the Swamp Thing; it has given birth to several comic volumes and spin-off works. Not sure which villain will be in the first season for Swampy to crush; but the best guess by media is "either the Floronic Man or Abby's deranged brother Anton Arcane" (source: CBM). Personally, I would like to see him take on some ordinary Louisiana Bayou criminals. Think the first season of True Detective meets the Swamp Thing wrath. The future for all things Swampy just got a little greener.
My best pick in this speculative gumbo is Swamp Thing #2 (1972) titled "The Man Who Wanted Forever." This is the first cameo of Patchwork Man, but more importantly the first full appearance of Anton Arcane. He is the likely primary antagonist for the Swamp Thing for at least season one in 2019. As mentioned earlier even the media believe Anton will be the primary villain in this series. This sleeper issue is not on anyone's radar screen; what better time to buy? Besides Swamp Thing #2 is a pure Bronze Age beauty, and still within everyone's budget. The last sale was a CGC Universal (9.6) for only $193, and I could only find two purchases over the previous year on GoCollect! This book will be fifty years old, and you can still buy them at your local comic shop dirt cheap. The higher grades (fine and above) have shown consistent returns ranging from +40% to +75% over the last twenty years. Ante up for Anton and purchase Swamp Thing #2 for collection and speculation before the series hits.
Since Bernie Wrightson's unfortunate passing, his masterworks of horror see prices rise like the undead. The Swamp Thing #1 (1972) Wrightson (art) and Len Wein (script) have seen an explosion in the last year of returns as high as 51.3% in mint (9.8) condition issues. Further, a (9.0) has an ROI of 29.2%, and most of the lower grades have also seen small upticks (GoCollect). Now, we add the second catalyst of a new series; it could give a boost to these books similar to the Punisher Netflix effects on Amazing Spider-Man #129. The great news here is that these books were not mass-produced like most of the Punisher stories in the 1980's, especially Mike Zeck's work. Hence, the value will shoot much higher, already the Swamp Thing #1 (9.8) has sold for over $3000 last year.
Swamp Thing on the Menu
In the final analysis, everyone knows about the House of Secrets #92 being the cat's meow of investments. Here you have a doubleheader catalyst. The preeminent creator Bernie Wrightson sadly died at the beginning of 2017; then suddenly a new series in 2019 will do three things: bring in more fans, introduce new and old villains, and launch the media hype. Speculation on all Swamp Thing comics will be sweeter than Louisiana Bourbon chicken. This profitable feast will keep speculators satiated for several seasons.
