Created by the writer/artist team of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, the Un-Men made their first appearance in 1972, in issues #1–2 of the original Swamp Thing comic book series.
In August 2007, Vertigo (DC's "mature readers line") launched The Un-Men, a monthly comic book series chronicling the further exploits of these characters.
Arcane creates several groups of Un-Men throughout the years, with notable members including Ophidian, a centipede-like creature with hypnotic powers, and Cranius, a brain grafted to a large human hand.
2) #82–83 explores Arcane's early history as a battlefield medic for the German Army during World War I, where he creates prototype Un-Men by stitching together the body parts of dead soldiers.
In 1994, Vertigo published a five-issue miniseries, American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men, written by Dave Louapre and illustrated by Vince Locke.
It is later revealed that Kane is alive, but has mutated into a mass of flesh and been captured by Cranius, who uses his regenerative properties to create the radical body modifications of his next-generation Un-Men.