Swamp Thing 1989 #4 Review

 

Swamp Thing 1989 #4 Review

Writer: Rick Veitch

Artist: Tom Mandrake

Colorist: Trish Mulvihill

Letterer: Todd Klein

Cover Artist: Rick Veitch

Editors: Alex Galer & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$7.99 Foil

Release Date: July 22, 2026

 

Swamp Thing, John Constantine, and Abby Holland are on a journey together. They paved this path with their affection for each other and their desire to wrest good from evil. While Swamp Thing has helped the Son of God, John Constantine has aided God's Vengeance. Now, when their dream should come true, and Abby is at her weakest, the evils from her past resurface. Can John Constantine fly to Abby's aid? And after battling the Roc Riders in the Stone Age, how will Swamp Thing return to the present? Let's leap into Swamp Thing 1989 #4 and see!

 

Story

As he traveled through the multiverse, Swamp Thing witnessed acts of love and the effects of hate. But searching for home has taken a dedication that few could muster. And while he has given up everything to return to Abby, she suffers the agony of childbirth.

 

Rick Veitch begins his story at the end. Abby has given birth to their son. Now, she can finally enjoy a future with Alec Holland and Sprout. Yet like any loving couple, Abby yearns to hear about Alec’s struggle to return to her side and the adventures he enjoyed along the way. As Abby’s husband reflects on his journey, Swamp Thing 1989 #4 returns to the crisis in the bayou, when her uncle and Dr Hubert Sax arose from Hell to menace her once again.

 

As Veitch follows the lovers' long journey toward reunion, this final issue also highlights the horrors that prompted Abby to seek a midwife instead of a hospital. Like all the best love stories, Swamp Thing 1989 #4 culminates with the couple's reunion. Yet Alec and Abby recognize the need to live their lives differently from now on, so they can make a stable home life for their son.

 

Art

As Tom Mandrake opens this swan song to Alec and Abby, the couple inhabit rooms in a tree. Panels show the couple inside their eco-friendly home. Tree roots intertwine around panels, celebrating how Swamp Thing’s determination to return to Abby has finally brought them together. As Tom Mandrake shows Swamp Thing and Abby relaxing, scenes from his travels fill the air above the couple, while their final battle spreads across the bottom.

 

Anton’s greed has reduced him to a rotting, yellow head. He commands an insectile body formed by the yellow faces of doomed souls and the red hatred his benefactor savored. His companion, Dr Hubert Sax, walks naked through the bayou clutching a saw. While suffering the pangs of labor, Abby’s sapphire top and indigo skirt highlight her love for Alec and her desire to heal the world through their child.

 

John Constantine, who made Abby's pregnancy possible, represents all of us in yellow and blue, as he hopes and fears what the future will bring. While Alec Holland’s green appearance underlines his willpower to return to Abby, the orange chunk of amber represents his desire for more than the Source could give him. Yet as Trish Mulvihill lavishes a vibrant palette on Swamp Thing 1989 #4, Anton Arcane attacks, spearing Abby’s friends with his red, bug-like limbs.

 

Todd Klein places black uppercase letters in white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Anton's red words appear in black balloons. Like the chunk of amber that has plagued his travels, Swamp Thing's dialogue appears in orange polygons. The letters grow bold with intonation, while words swell with volume and deform balloons. Sound effects accentuate Swamp Thing’s bravery and herald a visitor, as laughter rings through the cosmos. After Rich Handley’s introductory essay sets the issue in context, Rick Veitch reflects on finally bringing Alec and Abby’s epic ending to readers. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Relationships take hard work. And getting along with others necessitates restraining your emotions and desires. While Anton Arcane and Dr Hubert Sax's search for power ruined their futures, Alec Holland and Abby Arcane's love for others finally allows them to enjoy the happily ever after they desire in Swamp Thing 1989 #4.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Swamp Thing 1989 #4.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Swamp Thing 1989 #3. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Swamp Thing 1989 #2.

For how this series resumed, see my review of Swamp Thing 1989 #1.