Currently in different animated series the Swamp Thing is very popular. To be honest I am not a big fan. I enjoyed the original story and the cult movie but other than that I can do without Swamp Thing. The thing I liked most about Swamp Thing is his origin takes place in the Louisiana swamps. A place I can feel quite at home.

House

“That house…That smirking shell of a house…Stands there taunting me …Laughing…as if it were responsible for all that has happened here.” - Swamp Thing*

There are forces of good that protect the Earth, nature and plant life. Swamp Thing is one of these forces. There have many men to become the Swamp Thing. It seems each generation has a Swamp Thing as a protector. The most popular is scientist Alec Holland. Dr Holland was working with his wife Linda in the swamps of Louisiana searching for a way to turn deserts into forests. A rival scientist, Mr. E, is seeking Holland’s work and detonates a bomb in Holland’s lab. The chemicals and the nature of the swamp turn Alec Holland into the entity known as Swamp Thing, a monstrous creature that protects the flora and fauna of the Earth. Even though it’s a scientific origin Swamp Thing is a mystical creature of magic. He is a plant having troubles releasing his memories of being a man.

Is a house a home? Luther Vandross’ song, “A House is Not a Home”, expresses the idea behind this question, “A chair is still a chair, even when there's no one sittin' there, but a chair is not a house and a house is not a home, when there's no one there to hold you tight, and no one there you can kiss goodnight.” In all honesty, a house is just a building. It is the memories, it is the feelings, it is the familiarity of the surroundings and it is the growth of the person entering that makes it a home. The Taoists believe that the emptiness of the House is what makes a Home. The open spaces of doors and windows, the open space within room can be filled to make a home. In her song, Home, Lene Lovich writes, “Home is where the heart is…Home is so remote…Home is just emotion sticking in my throat…Let’s go to your place.” How will we fill our homes? We can fill them with good memories and feelings, comfortable familiarities and grow easily. Or we can fill them with hurt and angry emotions so uncomfortable no one will feel at ease. A good question to ponder, how will we make our house a home?

Swamp Thing
First Appearance: (Alex Olsen) House of Secrets, #92 (July 1971), DC Comics

First Appearance: (Alec Holland) Swamp Thing, #1 (November 1972), DC Comics

Creators: Len Wein (writer) Bernie Wrightson (art)

* “Dark Genesis”, Roots of The Swamp Thing, #3, July 1986, DC Comics