The Saga of Swamp Thing #37
The Saga of Swamp Thing #37 is one of the most consequential single issues in DC Comics history because it marks the first full, named appearance of John Constantine — the chain-smoking, trenchcoat-wearing occult investigator who would go on to anchor DC/Vertigo's longest-running mature-readers series, Hellblazer, and anchor an entire generation of British-invasion storytelling at DC. The issue simultaneously launched the fourteen-part 'American Gothic' arc, Alan Moore's ambitious project to drag classic horror archetypes through the lens of contemporary American anxieties, establishing Constantine as an equal narrative partner to the Swamp Thing himself. Constantine's debut here was the direct seed of DC's Vertigo imprint: the character's popularity led to his 1988 solo series, which in turn became a cornerstone title when Karen Berger formally assembled the Vertigo line in 1993. The issue also sits at the point where DC had already stopped submitting Swamp Thing for Comics Code Authority approval — a break whose ripple effects permanently widened what mainstream American comics could say and show.
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Constantine was conceived when artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben — both fans of The Police — asked writer Alan Moore to create a character who looked like Sting; Moore built a 'blue-collar warlock' archetype around that visual kernel, describing his goal as a charismatic figure who 'knows everyone' across every stratum of the occult world. Although the character's visual likeness had flickered as an unnamed bystander as early as Swamp Thing #25 (penciled by Bissette) and in DC Sampler #3, issue #37 is where Constantine received his name, his voice, and his full narrative purpose. The interior pencils for this issue were handled by Rick Veitch — joining the series for the first time — with inks by John Totleben and a cover by Bissette and Totleben; Constantine's now-iconic earring was Veitch's personal addition. Editor Karen Berger, who had taken over the book from co-creator Len Wein in 1984, oversaw the issue under the managing editorship of Tom Condon and executive editorship of Dick Giordano.
Trivia · 9 facts
- First full, named appearance of John Constantine (Hellblazer), DC's occult antihero, who speaks his own name in dialogue and is given an explicit narrative role for the first time.
- Written by Alan Moore; interior art penciled by Rick Veitch (his debut on the series) and inked by John Totleben; cover by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.
- Edited by Karen Berger, with Tom Condon as managing editor and Dick Giordano as executive editor; published with a cover date of June 1985 and an on-sale date of February 26, 1985.
- The story title is 'Growth Patterns'; Constantine reveals to Swamp Thing that he is the world's last plant elemental and possesses the ability to teleport through any vegetation on Earth.
- The issue introduces Emma (Constantine's then-companion) and includes her death — she is killed by an entity later identified in Hellblazer #1 as an Invunche, with her spirit subsequently reappearing in that same issue.
- Opens the fourteen-part 'American Gothic' storyline (issues #37–50), in which Constantine guides Swamp Thing across America to face escalating supernatural threats as a prelude to the story's cosmic villain, the Great Darkness.
- Constantine's visual design was deliberately modeled on musician Sting, specifically his appearance in the films Brimstone and Treacle and Quadrophenia; the character's earring was added by penciler Rick Veitch.
- The issue has been reprinted in: Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing #18 (1998, in black-and-white); Swamp Thing: The Curse trade paperback; Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Three; John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration (2019); Absolute Swamp Thing by Alan Moore Vol. 2 (2020); and a Facsimile Edition (DC, May 2025). Alan Moore himself makes a cameo among New York pedestrians on page 22 of the original issue.
- Constantine's popularity as a supporting character in this arc directly led to his solo ongoing series Hellblazer (1988), which became the longest-running title in DC's Vertigo imprint's history.