John Totleben — comics creator

Home › Creators › John Totleben

Known forSwamp Thing

Issues credited130

Active1981–2025

Primary rolecover inks

John Totleben was born on February 16, 1958, in Erie, Pennsylvania, and grew into one of the most distinctive illustrators in American comics. He is best known for his intricate, textured ink work on *Swamp Thing* and *Miracleman*, where his crosshatching and organic linework gave the supernatural a tactile, unsettling beauty. Totleben entered comics in the early 1980s, and his career is most closely tied to writer Alan Moore and artist Stephen Bissette; together, they revitalized *Swamp Thing* at DC Comics, crafting a dark, ecological horror series that redefined the character and helped launch the Vertigo imprint. He also inked and colored *Miracleman*, Moore’s deconstruction of the superhero genre. Totleben’s style—dense, shadowy, and almost woodcut-like—made him a sought-after collaborator for moody, atmospheric stories. Later in his career, he contributed to *Inferno* and other projects, working sporadically due to health issues. He received an Eisner Award for Best Single Issue for *Swamp Thing* #32 (1985) and has been recognized for his influence on horror and fantasy comics. Totleben remains a revered figure among fans of mature, artist-driven storytelling, his work a benchmark for how ink can evoke both decay and wonder.

Full bibliography · 60 series

Swamp Thing (1985) · 91

#39 #40 #41 #42 #43 #44 #45 #46 #47 #48 #49 #50 #53 #55 #1 #2 #3 #4 #59 #60 #64 #65 #[1]#68 #5 #6 #7 #73 #8 #76 #9 #80 #11 #82 #84 #88 #89 #90 #91 #92 #93 #94 #95 #96 #97 #98 #99 #100 #[2]#3 #4 #154 #155 #156 #157 #158 #160 #161 #162 #163 #164 #165 #166 #167 #168 #169 #170 #171 #1 #2 #4 #18 #5 #6 #1 #2 #13 #14 #19 #8 #1 #2 #3 #2 #3 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10

The Saga of Swamp Thing (1982) · 24

#10 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38

Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing (1996) · 24

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24

Miracleman (1985) · 20

#9 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #7 #8 #9 #3 #10 #11 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #3 #16

Saga of the Swamp Thing (1987) · 11

#[nn]#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Spectral (1985) · 8

#4 #6 #8 #9 #10 #11 #13 #15

Inferno (1991) · 6

#1/1991 #2/1991 #3/1991 #4/1991 #1/1992 #4/1992

Vermillion (1996) · 5

#8 #9 #10 #11 #12

Tarzan (1996) · 4

#17 #18 #19 #20

Swamp Thing Annual (1985) · 3

#2 #4 #5

Superamigos (1985) · 3

#23 #33 #34

Edgar Rice Burroughs' the Return of Tarzan (1997) · 3

#1 #2 #3

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Oz (2001) · 3

#1 #2 #3

The Children's Crusade (1993) · 2

#1 #2

Inferno album (1997) · 2

#2 #4

The Dreaming (1996) · 2

#33 #50

Swamp Thing l'intégrale (2004) · 2

#2 #3

John Constantine, Hellblazer - Origens (2011) · 2

#2 #2

DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection (2015) · 2

#68 #74

Absolute Swamp Thing by Alan Moore (2020) · 2

#1 #2

Swamp Thing von Alan Moore Deluxe Edition (2020) · 2

#1 #2

Third Rail Magazine (1981) · 1

Escape (1983) · 1

Twisted Tales (1982) · 1

DC Sampler (1983) · 1

Batman Superband (1974) · 1

#22

The Best of DC (1979) · 1

#61

Batman Annual (1961) · 1

Batman collection Le Détective masqué (1984) · 1

Airboy (1986) · 1

#10

Maxx (1986) · 1

#8/1987 (20)

USA magazine (1987) · 1

#30

Taboo (1988) · 1

Tapping the Vein (1989) · 1

Swamp Thing: Love and Death (1990) · 1

#[nn]

The Realm (1989) · 1

#20

Made in USA (1989) · 1

The Sketchbook Series (1990) · 1

Hero Premiere Edition (1993) · 1

Gasp (1994) · 1

#[nn]

Hellblazer (1988) · 1

#77

Magnum (1988) · 1

#4/1995

Construct (1996) · 1

Aquaman (1994) · 1

#32

The Spectre (1992) · 1

#56

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998) · 1

#27

Millennium Edition: The Saga of the Swamp Thing No. 21 (2000) · 1

#[nn]

Comic Box (1998) · 1

#[34] Hubert Ramos

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up (2001) · 1

#10

Tales of the Vampires (2003) · 1

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1, No. 10 [Marvel Legends Reprint] (2004) · 1

#10

Vertigo: First Taste (2005) · 1

#[nn]

The Saga of the Swamp Thing Special Convention Edition (2009) · 1

#[nn]

Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 Special Edition (2009) · 1

#[nn]

Alan Moore présente Swamp Thing (2019) · 1

Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age (2018) · 1

DC Through the '80s: The Experiments (2021) · 1

#[nn]

Saga of the Swamp Thing 37 (Facsimile Edition) (2025) · 1

#[nn]

John Constantine, Hellblazer (1998) · 1

Kalma (1990) · 1

#3/1991

Original biography and editorial content © comicbooks.com™. Information drawn in part from Wikipedia and the Grand Comics Database.