Thanks to Joe Bongiorno, who first dragged me kicking and screaming into the mucky mythos of Swamp Thing, and to Paul Giachetti, who created the amazing header banner.
Thanks also to reader 'Alec Holland,' whose support has been invaluable; Mike Sterling, for promoting Swamp Thing and this site; and Kevin Church, for his excellent optimization advice.
And thanks to Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson, Alan Moore, John Totelben, Stephen Bissette, Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis and all the other creators whose work inspired this site. |
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In the Swamplight
Swamp Thing Series 1 #20
| Story Title | Pub. Date |
| "The Mirror Monster" | Dec.-Jan. 1975/1976 |
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| Writer | Artist |
| Gerry Conway | Nestor Redondo |
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| Cover | Editor |
Ernie Chan
[as Ernie Chua] |
Joe Orlando |
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| Chronological Breakdown |
| • 1783: Ho'tah Makanaw of the Seminole Indian tribe is born near what will later be called Benson's Swamp, Florida. At the time, his people have not yet had any contact with White Men. |
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| • 1795: Florida's Seminole Indians first encounter White Men when ten drunk traders storm a village that will later be called Benson's Swamp. Twelve-year-old Ho'tah Makanaw grows ill after drinking from the Grotto of Eternal Youth, surviving only because he is in his tent when the men kill everyone else in his tribe. He keeps the memory of his people alive for another 180 years by drinking the water regularly. |
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| • 1955: Earl Hobart of Gatorberg, Florida, is born. |
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| • 1975: Ho'tah tells Matt Cable and Jefferson Bolt [whom he met in issue #19] that he found the Grotto in 1795, and that he alone remained to guard it when White men pushed the Seminole out of Florida in the 1840s. Junior is touched by the tale, as is Swamp Thing's double. The real Swamp Thing draws closer until Earl Hobart's gang attack him and flee in terror. Matt and Bolt investigate the damaged excavation site, unaware it wasn't Swamp Thing's fault. Bolt fears Swamp Thing has gone insane and wonders if they should let him die in peace. Halston tells a worker named Carmody to clear a large boulder with explosives, raining debris down into the Grotto. Seeing the last vestige of his people destroyed, Ho'tah gives in to hatred and orders Swamp Thing's double to seek out and kill the White man. The double blazes through the excavation site, killing a worker and knocking Matt senseless. As the two creatures face off, Swamp Thing's friends fear he's gone mad. Swamp Thing realizes his double wants the impossible: to physically rejoin with him. Meanwhile, Ho'tah goes to town with Junior, warning that "his" monster will destroy the White devil. Burton Sloan, a cowardly man pushed around by Earl and others, lashes out at the Indian, whose head impacts with the curb, killing him instantly. the duplicate sees Ho'tah's body and rushes to his side, saddened by the death of its father-figure. Halston arrives with Matt and Bolt, spots the kneeling creature, and hits it with explosives, destroying it. As the real Swamp Thing wanders back to the swamp, his friends mourn what they believe to be his death. |
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| Trivia |
| • This issue marks the debut of Swamp Thing's third (albeit brief) writer, Gerry Conway, who alternates with David Michelinie for the few remaining issues of Series 1. Conway was Len Wein's roommate when the latter created Swamp Thing, and is himself one of the creators of Marvel's similarly themed series, Man-Thing, which hit stands at approximately the same time. Both authors maintain that this was purely coincidental. |
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| • This issue and #20 were intended to be published together as a double-sized issue entitled Swamp Thing Giant. When that project was cancelled (along with all of DC's 50-cent Giants), the story was split between two issues. |
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| • It's unclear why Swamp Thing's discarded arm would grow a new body, as none of his future discarded body parts (limbs, husks, etc.) behave this way. |
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| Cover Variations |
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| None |
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| Other Collections |
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| None |
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