10 Comic Books With Awesome Animated TV Shows You Forgot Existed
5. Swamp Thing
This extremely short-lived animated adaption of the Vertigo/DC Comics favourite Swamp Thing was created to correspond with the release of a line of action figures produced by Kenner, the toy company that famously struck gold with Star Wars back in the 1970s.
Kenner invested heavily in the product line, hoping to strike gold in the way Hasbro had with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Unfortunately, Swamp Thing appeared doomed from the off when US network CBS turned down the show on the strength of the pilot alone. Though it eventually aired on Fox as a mid-season replacement, just five episodes were made in total.
Even so, the Swamp Thing cartoon did find an audience, with the series eventually winding up on NBC and on kids' TV in the UK, where it proved surprisingly popular.
A goofy, comedic take on a character more commonly associated with the horror genre, the tone of the show was set from the off with the theme tune, a Swamp Thing spoof of the classic Chip Taylor song Wild Thing.
Despite largely playing things for laugh, the series did take care to incorporate familiar characters from the pages of the comic including main villain Anton Arcane and inspired henchmen like Weedkiller, Dr Deemo and Skinman. A classic case of what could have been.