At New York Comic-Con (NYCC) 2025, DC Comics thrilled fans with a major announcement: the final four unpublished issues of Rick Veitch’s Swamp Thing series will be released after 27 years under the title Swamp Thing 1989.
This is a long-awaited moment for dedicated DC fans. According to DC Executive Editor Chris Conroy, these issues (#88-91) will be published in a style true to the era, allowing readers to seamlessly add them to their collections as if the story was never interrupted.
The Controversial Story: Jesus Christ and Swamp Thing
The delay stemmed from the story’s controversial content. Titled Morning of the Magician, it featured Swamp Thing time-traveling to meet Jesus Christ. Rick Veitch’s plan had Swamp Thing appearing to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane during his final hours before arrest, with the story also exploring the origins of DC’s Golden Gladiator and Etrigan the Demon in Roman times.
Veitch, collaborating with Michael Zulli, had prepared the story, including a cover depicting Swamp Thing crucified. However, objections from some religious DC staff and then-DC President Jenette Kahn’s statement that “the story would offend many of our readers” led to its cancellation.
Now, a new cover by Veitch and artist Trish Mulvihill shows Swamp Thing holding a lamb, evoking the “Lamb of God.” A variant cover by Zulli depicts Swamp Thing wearing a crown of thorns in a crucifixion pose.
Vertigo and DC Black Label
This “lost” series will be published under DC’s Black Label imprint, which carries the spirit of Vertigo, the 1993 imprint known for creator-driven, mature comics like Preacher and Y: The Last Man.
Swamp Thing 1989 is slated for release in 2026, giving Rick Veitch the chance to finally complete his unfinished story, continuing the philosophical and eccentric tone Alan Moore brought to the series.
