# Is "Swamp Thing: Saga of the Swamp Thing (Book One)" by Alan Moore a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Swamp Thing: Saga of the Swamp Thing (Book One) by Alan Moore (DC Comics, 1987) is identified by: First trade-paperback collection (DC/Warner, 1987; ISBN 0930289226), gathering Saga of the Swamp Thing #21-27, with the story 'The Anatomy Lesson.' A first-thus collected edition; identify by the absence of any later-printing statement on the indicia/copyright page. The true first appearances are the individual comic issues: Alan Moore's run begins with The Saga of the Swamp Thing #20 (1984), and #21 'The Anatomy Lesson' is the landmark issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade-paperback collection (DC/Warner, 1987
- ISBN 0930289226), gathering Saga of the Swamp Thing #21-27, with the story 'The Anatomy Lesson.' A first-thus collected edition; identify by the absence of any later-printing statement on the indicia/copyright page
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alan Moore |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First trade-paperback collection (DC/Warner, 1987 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First trade-paperback collection (DC/Warner, 1987; ISBN 0930289226), gathering Saga of the Swamp Thing #21-27, with the story 'The Anatomy Lesson.' A first-thus collected edition; identify by the absence of any later-printing statement on the indicia/copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The true first appearances are the individual comic issues: Alan Moore's run begins with The Saga of the Swamp Thing #20 (1984), and #21 'The Anatomy Lesson' is the landmark issue. This 1987 trade paperback collects #21-27 and is a first-thus collection, not the true first appearance of the material.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Vertigo re-collected and renumbered editions (from 2009 onward, adding issue #20) are separate, later first-thus collections.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Swamp Thing: Saga of the Swamp Thing (Book One)* by Alan Moore a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/swamp-thing-saga-of-the-swamp-thing-book-one
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.