Entertainment Weekly have the first look at Tom King and Jason Fabok’s “Swamp Thing Winter Special,” a much-teased secret project from the team who previously collaborated on the “Batman”/”The Flash” crossover ‘The Button.’
The book is intended as a tribute to Swamp Thing’s creators, Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, who both passed away this year. The main story by King and Fabok is over 40 pages long and sees Swamp Thing struggling to get a young boy to safety over a frozen tundra. “I want them [the reader] to be cold enough that when they put it down, their house feels warm and it feels like a relief,” King said.
Fabok spoke about honoring the various Swamp Thing artists who have come before him, and how different the story is from his usual superhero work. “I’m drawing things I’ve never really drawn before — forests and mountain ranges,” he said. “How do you draw in the snow and make it look interesting so it’s not just all white? How do you draw Swamp Thing? The way the story is written, I’m able to pull from eras of ‘Swamp Thing’ and the different artists who have drawn him.”
The special will also contain Len Wein’s final script, which was for the first issue of a sequel to his 2016 limited series with Kelley Jones. Jones’s artwork for the issue will also be included. The story of the unfinished series was to pit Swamp Thing against Solomon Grundy, who has fled Gotham with a kidnapped baby (and Batman hot on his tail).
“Swamp Thing Winter Special” will be released January 31. We’ve attached the official synopsis below:
Tom King and Jason Fabok pay tribute to the legendary creators of Swamp Thing, writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, as they join forces for an earth-shattering Swamp Thing passion project!
In this new, square-bound one-shot, Swamp Thing is out of his element as he shepherds a lost boy through a blinding blizzard and other hazards of a strange, frozen tundra. In this touching and harrowing tale of survival, the pair must navigate countless threats throughout a bewildering terrain—with a bloodthirsty snow monster hot on their heels. But how long can they rely on each other? Separated from the Green and stripped of his powers in this dead world, Swamp Thing struggles to fight for their lives and deliver the boy to safety. Disoriented and decaying, Swamp Thing’s fading understanding of his surroundings forces the duo to confront their desperation and uncover the true identity of the snow monster that hunts them.
In addition, this special features the final Swamp Thing story from the monster’s co-creator, Len Wein. Originally intended as the start of a new series, it is presented here both in its original script form and with art by Kelley Jones.
