"The Heap" was the template for Swamp-thing/Man-Thing

[RedRaven]

I was browsing around on toonopedia.com and ran across this interesting bit of info ....

 

 

Excerpt from http://www.toonopedia.com/manthing.htm

Neither Marvel Comics' Man-Thing nor DC's Swamp Thing is a copy of the other, despite the way it may seem to some comics readers who are just a little bit hazy on the dates. Like X-Men/Doom Patrol and Vision/Red Tornado, they came out far too close together for one to have "inspired" the other — the Marvel character beat the DC one, even in preliminary form, into print by one scant month. By an even odder coincidence, the muck monster both used as a template, The Heap (which Hillman Periodicals published from 1942-53), underwent an unauthorized revival by a very minor publisher at just about the same time.'

 

Further info on Mr. Heap

[precodekeith]

Yeah! The Heap don't get no respect!

 

But was the HEAP based on Theodore Sturgeon's "IT!" ? (which wasn't a comic, but would that make "IT!" a template for a template??)

[RedRaven]

I was curious as to the dates on "The Heap" vs "It". Toonopedia clearly states that "It" was written in 1940 which gives it a 2 year head start on Hillman's version of "The Heap". I had trouble verifiying this as almost every source I found only listed when "It" was published in book form (1948). However, I finally found a listing of Sturgeons short stories which listed "It" as appearing in an issue of the pulp magazine "Unknown" in 1940. SO in that sense I guess we can all thank Theodore Sturgeon for the Heap,Man-thing,and the Swamp Thing.

[RedRaven]

BTW: does this make Psycho #2 a bronze-age key?

[bounty_coder]

BTW: does this make Psycho #2 a bronze-age key?

 

I dunno about you, but I"ve always considered Psycho #2 a bronze-age Key...

[precodekeith]

I was curious as to the dates on "The Heap" vs "It". Toonopedia clearly states that "It" was written in 1940 which gives it a 2 year head start on Hillman's version of "The Heap". I had trouble verifiying this as almost every source I found only listed when "It" was published in book form (1948). However, I finally found a listing of Sturgeons short stories which listed "It" as appearing in an issue of the pulp magazine "Unknown" in 1940. SO in that sense I guess we can all thank Theodore Sturgeon for the Heap,Man-thing,and the Swamp Thing.

 

 

Excellent research, Red!

[PovertyRow]

Yes, excellent post. I have long given a Tip of the Halto Hat to Heap as the comic book muck-monster that started them all!

[RedRaven]

BTW: anyone interested in Pulps , that is the august 1940 issue of Unknown.

[Forbush-Man]

BTW: anyone interested in Pulps , that is the august 1940 issue of Unknown.

 

Ah hem, that would me me!

[RedRaven]

Fuelman,

Where can you find Robert E. Howards Conan stories???

[RedRaven]

A liitle more info on The Heap,It,and Theodore Sturgeon

 

The Current State of The Heap...

--------------------------------------------

Heap is currently owned by Todd McCfarlane (Todd purchased Eclipses properties) and first appeared under his new license in Spawn #73. His origin was entirely reworked and bears no resemblance to his Airboy Origin. The Heap is now some tortured reincarnation of a homeless man (Eddie Beckett) who died while in contact with Spawns Protoplasm. One good thing to come from this is that McCFarlane released a toy version of the Heap .

-------------------------------------------

 

Theodore Sturgeon Asides...

-------------------------------------------

It:

Comic Book adaptation in Marvel Supernatural Thrillers #1.

Cover by Steranko/-script By Roy Thomas,Art by Marie Severin.

 

Other Sturgeon Comic/Mag adaptations...

-------------------------------------------

KillDozer:

Comic Book Adaptation, Marvel Worlds Unknown #6, Marvel Comics, April 1974

 

Microcosmic God :

Comic Book Adaptation, Starstream #3, 1976

 

The Fabulous insufficiently_thoughtful_person:

[Graphic Story Version], Douglas Moench and Alex Nino, Heavy Metal, June, July and August 1978

 

More Than Human:

Heavy Metal Presents Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human, Simon and Schuster, July 1978

 

Honorable Mention (mag)

------------------------

And Sturgeons name made it into the title of a Marvel Sci-Fi mag,

Unknown worlds of science fiction #1 (Theodore sturgeon lives) 1976

[ArAich]

Fuelman,

Where can you find Robert E. Howards Conan stories???

 

Conan started here...WEIRD TALES 6/35...

[precodekeith]

Fuelman,

Where can you find Robert E. Howards Conan stories???

 

REH Conan's mostly appeared in Weird Tales in the 30's. As for a specific issue list, there might be one out there on the web I think....

[143ksk]

Fuelman,

Where can you find Robert E. Howards Conan stories???

 

Here's one of his appearances (the only one I own )

 

[143ksk]

Here's a Heap cover from a late issue of Airboy:

 

[143ksk]

There were some really great Heap covers towards the end of the Airboy run:

[143ksk]

I love this cover:

 

[Jayman]

I love this cover:

 

 

All these Airboy covers are beautiful but I agree this is the nicest so far!

Thanks for posting as I never have seen these before.

 

BTW: Is the green knight trying to smash the Heap or that demon bat thing?

[precodekeith]

I remember Pat Calhoun featuring these covers in a piece he did some years back on the Heap in CBM. (I think it was CBM ) Anyway, it was a good piece.

[143ksk]

BTW: Is the green knight trying to smash the Heap or that demon bat thing?

 

Actually, the knight is a statue. But (at the risk of giving away the ending) it does end up smashing the bat thing.