Roots Of The Swamp Thing: Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, The Un-Men And More

The Traveler visits Stonehenge, England, a portal for communicating with the Parliament of Stones. He demands they present their champion, and seeing what Nelson Strong has become, he wonders if Alec can defeat him. In Germany, Sargon gloats as Heaven's gates admit Hell's damned. These new angels, his "prodigal sons," will tear down Heaven and rebuild it anew. As the only person he loves, Grace must suffer as mankind's martyr, for with no Hell there can be no Heaven. Running for help, Grace finds Alec's burnt form and begs for help. Risking the Parliament's wrath, he regenerates and subdues Sargon. The ground opens and a being of stone twice Alec's size emerges. He is Earth Thing, formerly Nelson Strong, and he has come to destroy Alec. Strong spews magma over him, but still he survives. The Parliament increases Strong's bulk until he is many stories tall, and he crushes Alec to pulp. Blake loses his final two hands of poker to the Word, who says to accept what Destiny has written. Unwilling to lose, Blake bids the Word to look inside his mind. Stunned by what he sees, the Word backs down, sparing Alec but promising to return in two years to judge the outcome. Alec's spirit latches onto the rhizosphere for salvation. Since the space between them is teeming with fungi and bacteria, he secretes nutrients to facilitate micro-organism growth, accelerating his metabolic rate and creating an acid strong enough to dissolve Strong to a harmless gas. Grace condemns Sargon for how he treated her. Seeing the doll he made for her sixth birthday, he is overwrought with guilt and vanishes. Souls climbing the tree attack, but Alec absorbs their toxins to close Heaven's gates. As the souls fall back to Hell, his power turns the winter weather to summer. He hugs Grace, then is tugged into the realm known as the Melt, regenerating on a snowy tundra, his body a mixture of plant and stone. The Traveler congrulates him for passing the final level of the earth challenge; none of his kind have come this far. For destroying Strong, Alec gains his power. A wall of rocky faces, the Parliament of Stones, rises from the ground. Having reunited the two Parliaments of the Earth after a billion years, he has earned the gratitude of both the Stones and the Trees. They grant him a period of rest before the next trial begins―other Parliaments exist, and the next to test him will be the Parliament of Waves. Grace returns to Gotham and Paul, but seeing him drooling in his sleep, she leaves him and heads out into the world, giving her doll to a homeless woman named Maggie to help her in times of trouble. Alec travels via the Green, glad to feel its soothing embrace. Returning to the Louisiana bayou, he misses Abby and Tefé but is comforted that they are being cared for. The Traveler returns to Peru to tell Roberto and Blake of Alec's victory. He has secured Sargon's Ruby of Life for the impending birth of the Star-Child. As they toast their success over bottles of Furstenburg wine, Sargon lies shackled to the Earth, having sacrificed his search for the spiritual and intellectual illumination of the Over-Mind by taking Grace's place as mankind's martyr. At last he knows how it is to love someone enough to give up everything... at last he has attained his illumination.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #150: "The Illumination"

NOTE: The homeless woman is named "Maggie" in issue #160.

Guy Gardner of Green Lantern Corps. opens a nightclub called Warrior's and invites a long list of celebrities and superhumans to attend opening night. Among the thousands to accept are Zatanna Zatara and John Constantine, as well as Bruce Willis, Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenaeger. Alec also attends, enjoying a much-needed rest between trials.

Guy Gardner, Warrior #29: "It's My Party and I'll Fight if I Want To"

Anna, a young writer who committed suicide eighteen months earlier, comes back to life as though the events of her death are rewinding. Watching her rise from the water, empty her lungs of water, dress and sit under a tree to read, Alec is intrigued and asks if she's okay. Excited, for she'd hoped to run into him, she asks his help. Houma grows deserted as word of Alec's return spreads. Casey the cop passes his house while on patrol and see his wife Lisa packing up their car. Unwilling to risk the lives of their two children, having already lost their daughter Maggie in 1993, she is leaving to live with his mother. Anna tells Alec she was a writer of horror comic books, but her magnum opus was River Run: A Collection of Short Stories. Each tale in the book was set in a parallel universe at a diffreent point along the Mississippi River, with her as the main character. Feeling suicidal, she ended her life where she ended her book, at the source of the Mississippi. She awoke to find herself caught in an ever-replaying loop in which she lives out her death, then rewinds to do it again. Realizing she was stuck in the plots of River Run, and that to get out she had to find a loophole, she endured the cycle hundreds of times over the past eighteen months, hoping Alec would come along and help find a solution. Casey visits Sonny's pub for lunch. The owner, Sonny, says the town has emptied since no one trust's Clinton's word that Alec is no longer a threat. Casey holds out hope, wishing his family would return. He decides to ask Alec to leave for the sake of the town, but en route discovers the lost Cajuns of Terrebonne Parrish, whose spirits have been reborn as trees. He advises they ask Alec's help in restoring them to normalcy, but they no longer trust him―plus, having heard whispers of the Wood's dark plans for humanity, they know they're safer this way. Overwhelmed, Casey weeps for mankind. Anna walks with Alec as he tends to three baby birds whose mother has died. She says her stories are missing something vital to connect them, and Alec may be the answer. He suggests she write him into her stories so he can help her escape her literary limbo, and she agrees.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #151: "River Run, Prologue-Flotsam and Jetsam"

The frst story, a film noir tale called "City of the Dead," features a paranormal investigator from New Orleans named Harry Moon, who solves crimes in a world in which the supernatural is commonplace. Moon's body is a tapestry of tattoos, each representing a case he has solved. The murder of a man named Cooter, the latest in a string of killings, prompts a police investigation. The cops' theory as to the perpetrator: either a werewolf or a monkey-man creature. Anna hires Moon to find her husband Martin, whom she says was cursed by a drunken warlock and is slowly devolving; he, she believes, is responsible for the murders. Alec enters the story when the Sheriff, recognizing him as an elemental, captures him in a corked cider bottle. Moon frees him and asks his help in solving the case. Reaching out to the creature that was Martin, Alec urges him to embrace the changes he is going through instead of resisting them, as Alec long ago embraced his own. Taking his advice, Martin devolves past the protozoan and archaebacterial stages, experiencing the Big Bang itself. Eventually, a tattoo artist named Felipe immortalizes the case by drawing the devolving Martin on Moon's rear end.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #152: "River Run, Chapter One-City of the Dead"

In Anna's second story, "Twilight of the Gods," Germany won World War II and conquered the world. There, Alec finds himself trapped in the body of the Golem of Jewish myth. Summoned by President Clinton of Amerika to destroy the world and end five decades of Nazi control under the leadership of Adolf Hitler's son Alois, Alec must decide if it's justifiable to kill everyone on the planet to save them from tyranny. In this reality, Marilyn Monroe is Germany's First Lady, Clinton is married to Anna (who is having an affair with the dog handler, Karl) and Earth is a paradise devoid of disease, hunger or disharmony with nature. Of course, it's also devoid of non-Whites and personal freedoms. One of the few people "privileged" to know the suffering that brought about such paradise, Clinton can no longer let the Nazis keep control. Alec refuses to destroy the world, however, convincing Clinton to call off the Golem and help mankind avoid the atrocities of the past¾but in so doing, Clinton botches the protocol, unleashing the Golem to destroy the world without Alec's help.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #153: "River Run, Chapter Two-Twilight of the Gods"

Anton Arcane is the star of Anna's third story, "The Bad Seed." A kindly farmer in Iowa, he is married to Anna, with a son named Joey. In this reality, Gregori Arcane is the villain of the family, an evil man who molested his daughter Abby every night of her life. Upon Gregori's death, Anton invites Abby to live with his family, but Anna doesn't trust Abby, who represents all that Anton left Europe to escape. Anna's instincts are dead on, for Abby is here to kill them all, to punish her father by locking his spirit in a scarecrow and molesting it as he once molested her. Meanwhile, unable to build himself a body in this reality, Alec enters the body of the scarecrow, believing Abby when she claims Anton is the one who trapped Gregori within. Too late, Anton realizes Abby is really an homonculus, an artificial person built by Gregori for his own pleasure and abuse. Designed without a conscience, she killed him for the fun of it, then went on to kill Joey. Furious, Anton tries to kill her, but Alec (mistaking Anton for the villain) breaks free and rips him to pieces. As Alec leaves this reality, Abby uses the scarecrow to rape Anna. Sadly, Alec never learns the truth about this world's Arcane clan.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #154: "River Run, Chapter Three-The Bad Seed"

"The Secret of Slaughter Swamp," Anne's fourth story, pits Solomon Grundy against Black Box, a superhero whose wife has a terrible secret. Lawrence Rubs (Black Box) and wife Anna live in Moline, Illinois. Their son Michael had a debilitating illness, causing him to need extra care, but he was kidnapped as a child, never to be found. Even now, on the eve of Michael's 40th birthday, Anna cannot forgive herself for letting it happen. Lawrence, a man in his 60s, has been a costumed hero for years, ever since a magic box materialized in their cellar. When he receives a call from Slaughter Swamp, Anna fears he'll learn her secret and begs him not to go―but as a hero, he can't ignore a plea for help. Arriving at the swamp, he sees Grundy attacking a couple named Harold and Maude. Alec enters the story at that moment, joining with Grundy's fragmented mind. The zombie's deranged mind overwrites his ability to reason, and he fights Lawrence with intent to kill. Lawrence realizes something has changed, for he has always been able to defeat Grundy. Curious, he reaches out to the spirits of the swamp, demanding they reveal their secrets. To his shock, an array of dead bodies arise from the bottom, each telling how they died. Among them is Michael, who reveals that Anna drowned him in a fit of depression. Horrified, Lawrence hears one last secret: that of Alec, trapped in Grundy's body, who says the spirits asked him to bring Black Box to hear their secrets and free them from limbo. With a wave of his purple plasma staff, Lawrence does as asked, then heads home. Though he never lets on what he knows, their unspoken secret eventually destroys their marriage.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #155: "River Run, Chapter Four-The Secret of Slaughter Swamp"

The fifth chapter, "Darker Genesis," creates an alternate history for Alec and Linda Holland―this time in the real world, where Swamp Thing is just a comic book created by DC Comics. In Floodwood, Michigan, the Hollands have settled down in their new home, a barn in which the government has set them up so they can work on their experiments. Unfortunately, the search for a biorestorative formula has been unsuccessful, and Alec Holland has taken to drinking to deal with his misery. One night in the swamp, he and Matt Cable find the unconscious form of Swamp Thing and bring him inside, unsure what it is. As Cable goes back out to patrol the area, three thugs (Jaffa, Steph and Dave) arrive; a rival chemical company has hired them to intimidate the couple into leaving, so they beat Holland pretty badly, defecating on his daughter Anna's bed and giving them seven days to pack up. Awakening in this non-magical world, Alec warns the family to take the threat seriously and leave. He realizes his purpose here is to correct the biggest mistake he ever made, and after he departs, Holland decides he's right. However, the thugs return early with orders to kill them and burn the place down. Alec saves Holland and his daughter, but not before the thugs kill Linda. A year later, at the Linda Holland Research Unit, Alec agrees to give up his life for science, in the hope that his body might provide the secret to a true biorestorative formula. To start a new life, Holland relocates to Louisiana, where he buys a home from Abby Arcane. Enamored with this white-haired beauty, hoping to find Anna a new mother, he decides to give her a call.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #156: "River Run, Chapter Five-Darker Genesis"

"Sink or Swim," Anna's sixth and final tale, recounts her own death. Living in Minnesota with her boyfriend Bobby, Anna is a successful comic book writer until one day she refuses to forward on a chain letter she receives in the mail. Cursed with bad luck, she finds her entire life rapidly unraveling. First, the comic book publisher goes bankrupt, leaving her without a job. Then her credit card is inexplicably canceled and the company loses record of her account. Then Bobby vanishes while taking a bath, and strange messages appear on her computer screen and mirrors, threatening and scaring her. What's more, she finds out she's pregnant, then her house sinks into the river with no insurance to pay for it. Her sister takes her in so she can finish a book of short stories she'd been writing, River Run: A Collection of Short Stories. Unable to afford a child, Anna has an abortion. A drunk driver takes her sister's life, however, and the publisher loses interest after several missed deadlines. Depressed, Anna decides to kill herself, first by overdosing on drugs and then, when that doesn't work, by ingesting a mixture of deadly poisons. As the story ends, Anna is surprised to find herself still stuck in limbo with Alec. Before they can ponder what went wrong, she doubles over in pain, then collapses in a column of water and disappears. Stunned, Alec picks up the book to find that a seventh chapter has mysteriously appeared, entitled "Anna and the Parliament of Waves."

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #157: "River Run, Chapter Six-Sink or Swim"

The final chapter (a continuation of chapter six) opens with an argument between the captain of a Naval vessel and his absent-minded cook, Patrick, which halts when a child picks up the boat, confused to find his toy filled with tiny people. In a nearby hospital, two med-techs, Jaffa and Paul, debate the merits of rap music while preparing Anna's poisoned body for autopsy. Meanwhile, Alec journeys to the bottom of the Marianas Trench, a thousand miles from the coast of Japan in the heart of the Philippine Sea, where the Parliament of Waves resides. Since Anna's book states only the Parliament of Waves can set her soul to rest, Alec seeks their help. He realizes the Parliament has used Anna to teach him the importance of purification, fluidity and adaptability. Eight miles down, he finds her waiting, anxious to enter the Parliament's gateway. The pressure proves too much for him, causing his body to implode, so he builds a body from local flora and shells able to withstand such pressure. This is a relief to Anna, for should Alec fail in his trials, it would take a million years for another elemental to be ready to try again. Alec meets the Parliament of Waves, a dazzling line of fountains sprouting from jellyfish. They reveal that Anna is a stillborn wave elemental, that Alec's real purpose is to take her place so she can rest in peace. Having realized she was the one they were waiting for, they inspired her mind to write about elementals, waited until she had a happy life and then washed it away, leaving her the fake memory of having drowned herself. Unfortunately, they erred in pushing her to suicide before she'd written the last page of her book, condemning her to existence as a wandering ghost. She begs him to take her place, not wanting the responsibility being an elemental entails. He accepts, and Anna's spirit travels to Heaven to reunite with her sister. Granting him reign over all waters of the world, the Parliament reveals the existence of two more Parliaments―those of Vapors and Flames―whom they say he will reach in due course. The Parliaments were once as one, they tell him, ruled by a single intelligence, and it is his role to unite them. Chillingly, they tell him humanity has no part in their plans. Back in Louisiana, Jules visits his tree-father to bring jam from his Aunt Janine. When Alec approaches, Jules accuses him of planning to kill everything. Despite Alec's confusion, the boy runs in fear.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #158: "River Run, Chapter Seven-The Parliament of Waves"

NOTE: Alec's inability to survive the high pressure found at the bottom of the ocean would seem to contradict the events of issue #107.

April 12, 1995 A.D.

Ten-year-old Jerry of Motherwell, England, dreams of his dog Scooby, sold for food money by his parents a year earlier, promising to return and protect him from danger.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #159: "Swamp Dog"

April 13, 1995 A.D.

Jerry returns to the location where his parents sold Scooby to an elderly aristocrat named Sir Norman, a member of the Crianlarch Hotel's Gastronomy Society. His parents have supposedly arranged for him to buy the dog back from Sir Norman, but in reality, they've arranged to sell him to Norman for his elitist club to consume. When Sir Norman's horse-drawn carriage approaches, Jerry tries to pay him but is abducted and taken to the hotel.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #159: "Swamp Dog"

NOTE: There is some confusion over the dating of these events, as the issue occurrs on Good Friday, 1995, which was April 14th. Jerry is said to have been adbucted the day before, on the anniversary of Scooby's disappearance. However, Scooby was taken on Good Friday, 1994, which was April 1st. Perhaps Good Friday happens on a different day in the DC universe than in the real world?

April 14, 1995 A.D.

On Good Friday, the Crianlarch Hotel's Gastronomy Society, established in 1888 by a portly Scottish Laird with a craving for food and an obsessive lust for variety, holds its annual meeting. This Laird formed a gentlemen's club for the elite with the most sophisticated tastes, setting down three rules each member must follow or else face expulsion: (1) the club must meet on Good Friday every year, (2) each member must bring a meal no one has ever tasted and (3) each member must eat what the others bring, without exception. This year, Sir James brings Yeti excrement and Sir Edward brings one of Swamp Thing's discarded heads, much to the disgust of Viscount Tennant. The most shocking entry is from the elderly Sir Norman, who reveals a child's live form on a platter, bound and terrified on a bed of fruits and greens. His name is Jerry. Ignoring the boy's protests and the others' disgust, Norman reminds them of the rules. Edward pleads with his fellow club members to let the boy go, but when even the Queen's cousin, Sir Alec, votes to eat him, Edward acquiesces. Jerry's tears awaken the spirit of his dead dog, Scooby. At midnight, as Norman prepares to serve the Swamp Thing salad, the mossy husk suddenly comes alive, re-forming as the shaggy body of Scooby. The Swamp Dog slaughters every last diner to save his former master, and Jerry hugs his old pet in gratitude.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #159: "Swamp Dog"

Alternate Timeline: Family structures and society in America have broken down, not due to any sort of post-holocaust scenario, but rather to post-Cold War terror at the realization that nuclear war is not going to happen, and that America must deal with the future. Earth's so-called "super-villains" try to exploit this uncertainty and disaster for their own gain, prompting the Justice League of America and other metahumans to plot to remove them all. Their efforts are so effective that Americans come to see them as the only effective force for reason and order. This goes to their heads, and to secure their new power base, the heroes pass a motion outlawing aliens on Earth. This decision causes a rift among the ranks, and many heroes go their separate ways. In time, eight ruling Houses arise among the metahuman community, with the House of Secrets containing the only surviving super-villains. It isn't long before rivalries and perceived insults create schisms between the heroic Houses.

Twilight of the Superheroes [unpublished]

NOTE: Alan Moore—fan-favorite Swamp Thing scribe and creator of John Constantine—proposed this 12-issue miniseries to DC Comics around 1986, but DC opted not to publish it. Despite DC's attempts to remove it from the 'Net, the Twilight proposal has been circulating among fans and is available here and on other sites. These events are included here for posterity, paraphrased from Moore's own words. It's interesting to note that this proposal was submitted pre-Hellblazer, and that in it, Moore suggests a spinoff title for John Constantine.

Mid to late 1995 A.D.

Abby ends her relationship with Don Reynard and tries out life on her own for a while.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #161: "Atmospheres, Part 2-Many Happy Returns"

To defeat a demon possessing a child, John Constantine asks the help of a fairy creature named Jack to take him to the mythical land of Abaton. Jack does as he's asked, commenting that the Swamp Thing had warned his kind that Constantine would be "difficult."

John Constantine, Helblazer #93: "Critical Mass, Part Two-Troubled Waters"

NOTE: Oddly, Jack bears a very strong resemblance to former Erl-King Jack-in-the-Green; his face is nearly identical, and even his name is similar. However, dialog in this issue (and in future issues featuring Jack) indicates he is not an earth elemental.

Possessed by a plant-like entity, Killer Crock (Waylon Jones) escapes New Arkhan Asylyum, bent on finding his way to the "wet dark." He hijacks a train to Louisiana, where it derails due to excess speed. Batman pursues the train until the derailment, then tracks Croc on foot to the swamps of Houma.

Batman #521: "Killer Croc-Fast Train to the Wet Dark"

Killer Croc breaks into the Houma Café to steal food, then makes his way to the swamp, where he hopes others will leave him be. However, a cook named Ed calls the Sheriff. Batman, poised above the diner, listens to the conversation and heads south to find Croc. Evicting an alligator from its home, Croc hides to hunt food. Batman arrives in a swamp skiff and confronts him. Croc is far stronger than before and beats him badly, nearly crushing his spine. Their struggle drawns the attention of Alec, who restrains Batman and says he summoned Croc here because he sensed the pain of a fellow swamp creature and offered him a life of peace and solitude. Batman protests that as a criminal, Croc should be behind bars, but Alec says Croc is just a primordial being, lost and tormented anywhere but in the swamp. Emitting halucinogenic dust, Alec joins minds with Batman to share his impressions of the pitiable wrestler-turned-criminal. Batman sees that Alec has changed Croc, removing his fierce anger so that he only kills for food. Though it goes against the grain to let a criminal escape justice, Batman lets Croc stay, guarded by Alec in case he ever again causes a threat to mankind.

Batman #522: "Swamp Things"

When Bane-Mite, Bane's analog in the Dwarf Dimension, tries to take over that entire reality, Bat-Mite journeys to Earth to elicit Batman's help. Unable to find him, he instead seeks help from Arkham Asylum inmate Bob Overdog, granting him special powers to become the superhero known as Overbat. Among those who lend their support to Overbat's cause are Mite versions of the Swamp Thing, John Constantine, the Endless, Deadman, Shade the Changing Man and Etrigan the Demon. Bane-Mite is ultimately defeated, but Overbat falls in battle.

Batman-Mitefall: A Legends of the Dark ~~Knight~~ Mite Special

NOTE: Bob Overdog first met Bat-Mite in Legends of the Dark Knight #38.

Neron, a dark force long banished from this plane, returns to wreak havoc. To keep the supernatural beings of Earth occupied, Neron unleashes a storm of evil upon the world. This prompts Alan Scott (The Sentinel) to descend into Hell to battle Neron and save the soul of his wife, Molly. Among those affected are Alec, who senses a presence in the bayou he cannot full explain, and Constantine.

Underworld Unleashed-Abyss, Hell's Sentinel #1: "Over Dark Evil/nto the Abyss"

The Seed-Gatherer, an interdimensional being resembling a cross between an infant human and Steven Spielberg's E.T., brings the leaders of several Earth corporations under its rule by promising them money and power. The plan: to create a monster in the Gulf of Mexico's Dead Zone, born of industrial toxins, that will weaken the enviro-operating system and allow them to control the very fabric of nature. Mantoson Genomics Corporation (MGC) funds the project, providing the Seed-Gatherer with the unpublished genomic research date of Alec Holland. Other companies, such as Textechcorp, contribute as well. MGC then places a control device and several baby Seed-Gatherers in the ear of Dr. Merrill, dean of the Louisiana University Marine Consortium. The babies incubate inside his body until the time is right to unleash their plan.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #18: "Healing the Breach, Chapter IV-Seeding Madness"

NOTE: MGC's company name changes spelling several times, from Mantoson in issue #16 to "Mantosan" in #17 and "Montosan" in #18.

December 25, 1995 A.D.

On Christmas, Guy Gardner invites the entire superhuman community to a party at his club. Among the attendees are the Phantom Stranger, John Constantine (who spikes the punch), Zatanna Zatara and Deadman. Alec also attends, lending his services as a giant Christmas tree.

Guy Gardner, Warrior #39: "Merriment, Mistletow and Mayhem"

Chester Williams sends Liz Tremayne a book by Al Gore for Christmas, but she loses his address and sends no thank-you card. Only after New Year's Day passes does she realize she filed it under the wrong initials. (Or so she later tells Chester. she may just be sparing his feelings.)

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #168: "Trial By Fire, Part 3-The Last Temptation of Anton"

John Constantine visits an occult bookstore and purchases a bag of books.

The Sandman Presents: Marquee Moon [unpublished]

NOTE: This one-shot comic by Peter Hogan was scheduled to be the first title under the Sandman Presents banner. Slated for a 1997 release, with art from Peter Doherty, it ended up on indefinite hiatus after Vertigo opted not to publish it for reasons never disclosed to either Hogan or Doherty. Ten years later, author Peter Hogan agreed to have the story published on this Web site. (Click here.)

January to March 1996 A.D.

In Old Manhattan, Tickeytarkapolis Trootrust (Tark the Barbarian, last of the Tribe of Szasz) and his sidekick Boz come to Earth to ask rock star Jim Rook, the Nightmaster, to save their world from Warlocks ravaging the continent of Myrra. When Tark is hit by an 18-wheeler, their plans go sour. An ambulance takes Tark to a hospital, but he tries to stand, collapses a moment later and bleeds to death. Outside, Boz cries in the rain, realizing he's all alone. In the swamp, Alec nurses a sick bird back to health while keeping an eye on Killer Croc. The criminal will soon challenge his dominance over this territory, Alec senses. Rook helps a Gotham woman named Maggie find a new apartment. Operating out of an old bar, he makes a living as a problem-solver. Looking outsie, he sees Oblivion, Inc., which he has seen in his dreams of late. It reminds him of the strange adventures he used to take in Fairyland, and how his wife Janet left him in 1971 for an accountant named Maurice. This memory makes him sad, and when Boz says the Traveler sent him to find the Nightmaster, Rook feels useless and old. Seeing Boz jogs his memory of being the Nightmaster, though he thinks he's having an acid trip. Boz promises to make him young and bring Janet back to him, and he agrees to take up the mantle once more. Oblivion, Inc., he learns, is a doorway to Myrra. Rook worries that at age 53 he may be no match for the non-aging Warlocks, but still he brandishes the flaming Sword of Truth. Meanwhile, as Alec ponders the changes he's undergone recently, Croc approaches. Sensing an attack, Alec enters the Blue (the realm of Earth's water) and hits Croc with a great tidal wave that carries him further down the swamp. This increase in abilities worries Alec―once he harnesses the air and fire, what will he become? He gazes at a button from Abby's denim blouse that he found in the swamp, and when he turns, he is stunned to find her standing there.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #160: "Atmospheres, Part 1-Ace of Swords"

NOTE: Tark, Boz, Nightmaster and the other "primitives" debuted in various short-lived 1970s comics. Interestingly, Jim Rook also appeared in a series called Primal Force around the same time this Swamp Thing arc was in stores. Though the two titles jibe for the most part, Rook's appearance in Books of Magic completely ignores this continuity. Maggie last appeared in issue #150 as an un-named homeless woman. The main title, "Atmospheres," is revealed in the letter column of issue #162.

Broichan the Druid tears through the fabric of reality, a harbinger of the coming apocalypse sent to take over Alec's mind and destroy Earth's meta-humans, leaving the planet ripe for conquest. Alec and Abby's reunion is awkward, as Alec isn't sure how to take her unexpected return. She has cut her hair shorter to keep up with the times and is working as a nurse in the psychogeriatric field. She still loves him, she says, despite all that has happened. In Houma, a policeman named Brett Harris gets ready for work, thinking about names for his and his wife Beth-Louise's unborn son. Unaware he is slated to die this day, he stops to bring groceries to Casey the cop; a broken man, Casey dropped out of society after his wife left. Police receptionist Bess Urqhart prepares for work while caring for her ailing mother, unaware this is her last day alive. Across town, a telephone engineer, Jack Plastino, ends a two-day stay in a TV-sized box, where his sadomasochistic wife put him to punish him for being bold. Enjoying the pain, he does not know he will soon die. Abby tells Alec she and Don split up six months back, but she has not felt comfortable in the outsie world and wants to come home. Tthough he loves her, he can no longer put her in harm's way and gently refuses her advances. Both are embarrassed and stunned at his rejection, but his humanity is eroding, his emotions growing abstract, and a blade of grass has told him Tefé is studying in Patagonia for some unknown purpose. She eats one of his tubers and tells of a recent dream involving Uncle Anton. That day, phones at the Houma Police Station malfunction. As Officer Sendak takes a statement from Edward the Confessor, an unemployed blue-collar worker in Black River who thrice weekly admits to crimes he didn't commit, Plastino works to fix the phone lines as Beth-Louise considers names for the baby. Outside, Broichan begins a Driud ritual, fusing every power point in the station and plunging the group into darkness. At that moment, Alec's body dissolves in agony, leaving a tuber-tripping Abby alone with one of his doubles. The Myrra High Priest possesses Alec's spirit, filling the station with vegetation that traps everyone inside. His goal: to set the building afire, sacrifice the occupants, assume Alec's elemental powers as his own and excise him from Earth so the Warlocks can invade the planet.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #161: "Atmospheres, Part 2-Many Happy Returns"

NOTE: Tefé is said to be five years old; having been born in 1989, she should be seven.

Jack Plastino gets the phones working and those in the police station call their loved ones to say goodbye. Bess Urqhart calls the Hero Hotline and is told help will arrive shortly. The last to call home is Officer Sendak, who tearfully jokes with his life-partner, Hilary, that nothing exciting ever happens. The building is fully encased in elemental wicker growth, Alec's spirit trapped in the torture chamber of Broichan's mind. Back in the swamp, Abby runs into Alec's rocky assistant and panicks when it charges at her. She screams and runs, thinking herself in danger, but the helper is quite gentle, intent only on saving her from a prowling alligator. As the double leads Abby to safety, those in the police station grow increasingly agitated. Despite Bess's efforts to cut through the plant growth, she sees no progress. The Hero Hotline promises a superhero named Tim Trench will be there soon, but some are losing hope. At midnight, Broichan lights the fire. Sixteen people die, but no elemental energy enters the Druid's body. A moment later, Alec arrives in a cascade of water, having escaped his prison via the Blue. Removing all moisture from Broichan's body, he crushes the Druid and reforms himself as a giant cloud to rain water on the burning town. The townspeople are relieved, and Alec is exhilerated by his newfound abilities. Trench arrives too late to help and walks off, furious about missing a commission. He gives his card to a man watching the fire. The man, Sendak's lover Hilary, remarks how lame the hero's moniker is. Returning to the swamp, Alec finds his double, who says Abby has gone, leaving only the message that he's becoming more of a monster every day.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #162: "Atmospheres, Part 3-Telephone Calls From the Dead"

In a small village at the northern tip of the swamp, the surviving Cajuns try to get by despite their sad existence. Young Julian "Jules" LaTremouille visits the People-Trees, among them his late father. En route, he stops when he sees Alec crying. Though he fears Bon Gumbo after the recent massacre, he is fascinated to see him so lonely. The two talk, forming an unexpected friendship, and Jules urges him to talk to the People-Trees and explain his actions. In Peru, Don Roberto channel-surfs the unknown frequencies for signs of how the war on Myrra is progressing. He sees horrible carnage; even the Traveller has fled the battle. Only the Nightmaster and Alec stand in the Warlocks' way―which is exactly as the trio had planned. Alec follows Jules to the People-Trees, who shun him, accusing him of wanting to destroy humanity. The Parliaments, they say, have conspired to use him to eliminate humanity so they can introduce a new dominant species to the world. The Cajuns fear him, for they know he secretly looks forward to the destruction. In Houma, Maggie stops at a bar to find Jim Rook, but instead meets el Seňor Blake, who says she will soon be pregnant with a "special little boy." Jules bids farewell to Alec, who assures him he'll never do the things the People-Trees have predicted. The Traveller arrives, bidding him to defeat the Warlocks and inherit the abilities of the Parliament of Vapors. Alec refuses, however, wishing only for his old life with Abby. The Traveller ells Blake they must start anew, casting a spell to make Rook's ex-wife leave her husband Maurice and return to the Nightmaster. This, they believe, will inspire Rook to go along with their plans. Rook, meanwhile, watches in despair as other warriors flee the scene, among them Arion, Starfire, Stalker the Soulless, Isis and Claw the Unconquered. Only he and Boz remain to face the Warlocks, and he prays the Traveller gained the elemental's help. At that moment, Alec reluctantly agrees to enter the battle, discarding Abby's buttons as his last drop of humanity.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #163: "Atmospheres, Part 4- Trees of Knowledge"

In Old Manhattan, police officers Easton and Mallis witness Stalker the Soulless breaking into a Korean hardware store on the Upper East Side but fail to make an arrest. Chasing him for miles, they subdue him and use force when he gets violent. They take him to the Eighth Precinct for interrogation, but none believe his tale of an impending Warlock invasion. His is one of several recent arrests claiming to be from a world called Myrra, which the police blame on drugs. The invasion eventually begins with armies of harpies, trolls, goblins, unicorns, dopplegängers, dragons and other mythical creatures attacking the city. Babies are abducted, buildings fall, people die and a homeless person gains universal understanding after drinking from the Holy Grail. In the swamp, Alec confessses to his double that he fears the future, unsure how to proceed knowing his actions will harm mankind. Manhattan is quarantined as a Federal Emergency Zone, but that doesn't stop Janet Rook, who crashes through Checkpoints Gamma and Delta in her determination to find her ex-husband. Nearby, a demon levels Father Perez's church, and as other make-believe characters come through the shadowy land of imagination, Rook battles them all. He prepares to return to Myrra and fight the Warlocks head-on, but Alec arrives to take up the fight. Entering the book store, Alec picks up a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and communes with the dead tree from which the book was made. He learns that Myrra, the Warlocks and the other creatures are all illusions created by Rook's mind as a retreat from misery. Faced with the truth, Rook drops the illusion, restoring the world to normalcy. Boz, Tark and Janet disappear along with the monsters. Janet returns to her husband and children in Florida, causing Rook to accept and face his unhappiness. Alec ascends toward the clouds, where he meets the Parliament of Vapors. Ignoring his protests, the Parliament grants him their power. Rook retires once more; no longer needing his sword, he sells it to the Traveler to buy furniture for Maggie. The Traveler and Blake watch from afar as romance blossoms between Maggie and Rook. Unbeknownst to her, Maggie is pregnant with the first of the new breed, and the Sword of Truth, Anna's River Run and Sargon's Ruby of Life will all be gifts for her child.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #164: "Atmospheres, Part 5-The Parliament of Vapors"

NOTE: The Holy Grail last appeared in issues #87-88.

April 1, 1996 A.D.

Alternate Timeline: During a potent drug trip, Chester Williams grows disgusted with his hippie ways and denounces drugs, libealism and pacifism. Becoming a cop, he embraces the New Right and becomes a model Conservative Republican. In his newfound conservativism, he proudly extols the virtues of guns, anti-feminism, police brutality and beer-guzzling with "the guys." Heading to Portland, Oregon, he woos Liz Tremayne away from her Lesbian lover, Barb, then weds her and sets her straight on their wedding night with a slap to the face, saying he's against sex, even post-marital. After saving Chelsea Clinton's life in a hostage standoff, he accepts a lunch invitation at the White House despite his distaste for Clinton's stance on Gays in the military. There, he is asked to visit the Swamp Thing, who has issued the nations' leaders an ultimatum: get serious about environmental reform, or face his wrath. Taking time out from a lecture tour on the threat of anal copulation, Chester travels to Louisiana to tell Alec to accept that Big Business is the backbone of America. Life, he says, is a seventy-year opportunity to get rich, and Alec does not have the courage to stand up for his own convictions. Admitting he's been bested by Chester's cleverness, Alec abandons his plan to spread Utopia around the planet and returns to the swamp. Chester goes on to run for President in 1996 and wins, spreading his conservative beliefs to tomorrow's youth. Once his drug trip ends, Chester returns to his usual hippie ways, the imaginary events of this otherworld blissfully forgotten.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #165: "Chester Williams, American Cop"

NOTE: This issue is, of course, an April Fool's Day joke by author Mark Millar and should not be considerd part of continuity. On the other hand, it does set the stage for Alec's actions in the final story arc―plus, in issue #170, Chester does voice a desire to be a better protector and wonders how he'd look in a police uniform. Hmmmm...

Alternate Timeline: In another reality, Abigail Arcane serves as an agent to Doctor Strangefate, the most powerful being in the Amalgam Universe.

Doctor Strangefate #1: "The Decrees of Fate"

NOTE: This issue was produced by Amalgam Comics as part of a merged-universe collaboration between Marvel and DC.

After Alec passes the Parliaments' trials, el Senor Blake guides him toward his final task. He suggests that with his newfound powers, Alec could put an end to the destruction mankind has wrought on Earth by replacing man's way of thinking with a New Order that would make the world a better place. Still influenced by residual human emotions, Alec mistakenly perceives Blake's symbolic suggestion in literal terms and decides to wipe out mankind entirely and start over, replacing all of God's creations with new lifeforms that would live in harmony with the Earth instead of in discord.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #171: "Trial By Fire-The End"

Alec withdraws from society entirely to build a retreat for himself. In a matter of minutes, a beautiful Utopia appears in the middle of the bayou, filled with great architecture, lush vegetation and statues of the friends and foes he made in the course of his lifetime. Outside the grounds of his new home, a cult of followers amasses, hoping to gain his attention and be saved. The outside world ponders the reason for his solitude, wondering what his future plans might be.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #166: "Trial By Fire, Part 1-Golden Days Before the End"

After seven years, U.S. Senator Culler Strand stops molesting his daughter Heather, now age 13.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #11: "Red Harvest, Part One-The Virgin Thorn"

One year after Alec's withdrawal, the U.S. government hires Jason Woodrue to contact him and learn if rumors of his corruption are true. Woodrue sets out on a trip that will take many days. Meanwhile, John Constantine and Timothy Raven, last of the Ravenwind Witches, meet the Phantom Stranger in a cellar beneath a church. Raven distrusts Constantine, but his role in the coming battle is a vital one. Years ago, the opposing magic Lodge (of which Constantine had initially been a member) tricked him into helping Swamp Thing along on his first step to godhood. Later, they also tricked him into helping conceive Tefé. Now, he must make ammends for this mistake. The Stranger gives them their roles: Constantine must meet with Blake to secure a box of wishing matches, while Raven must invoke the spirit of Anton Arcane. The Stranger, meanwhile, will journey to the World Beyond the World to tell God's servant, the Word, that it's time to act. On the second day of Woodrue's trek, he ponders how the Swamp God's recent changes mirror his own when he was still dangerously insane. On day three, he enters Froghollow, home to the bayou's frog population; Ome, a rock-sized world home to thousands of microscopic lifeforms; and other fantastic creations within Alec's new Eden. Day four brings him to the palace gates, where he meets Connie Sunderland. Having come with her cult to worship Alec, she asks Woodrue to tell him he changed her life forever. In New Orleans, while watching Rosemary's Baby, Abby is visited by four mysterious men who warn her Alec and Tefé will soon try to destroy the world. One man, Agent Casey, gives her his card to reach him if she hears anything. The phone number reads "000-000-0000." On the sixth day, Woodrue travels through ever-changing terrains, up ever-twisting stairs and over deadly precipices. On day seven, he reaches the summit to find Alec's form is far different than ever before. The Swamp God confirms his fear that the rumors are true. The first of a new, more intelligent species, Alec says, is already gestating inside Maggie in Manhattan, and after passing his final trial, he will wipe the world clean of all life and start anew. As Raven begins preparations for invoking Arcane, the Stranger bids Constantine farewell before heading down a New York City alleyway leading to the Afterlife. In the twilight area between Heaven and Hell, the Stranger awakens the Word from his eternal slumber.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #166: "Trial By Fire, Part 1-Golden Days Before the End"

NOTE: Timothy Raven first appeared in issue #5 of the first Swamp Thing series. Whether or not Agent Casey is the same man as Casey the cop is unclear, though it seems unlikely.

Realizing humanity has no hope of survival, Woodrue delivers plans of the military's first attack, as he has been asked to do in order to trick Alec into showing up. Alec is un-phased and promises to be there. To Woodrue's shock, he reads the plans without even opening the envelope.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #167: "Trial By Fire, Part 2-The Word of God"

On day fourteen of his journey, Jason Woodrue staggers back to base camp, battered and broken. As the military tend to his wounds, he tells them the Swamp God has turned his back on everything. What's more, the castle itself is his body-and it's getting bigger every day.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #166: "Trial By Fire, Part 1-Golden Days Before the End"

At the Club Bewitched, Woodrue and Raven discuss their progress. Raven works here as a waiter, catering to the snobby demands and insults of the patrons as an exercise in ego deconstruction, but when a customer mocks his cancer, he gives up the charade and transforms the being into a toad. Like his late sister Rebecca, Raven has inherited a weakness toward cancer, and he is dying. When Woodrue says the name "Arcane" too loud, everyone in the occult watering-hole turns to stare at them. Raven hastily leads him outside. An army helicopter will pick him up at 7:00 a.m. the next day, he says, suggesting a nightcap before they depart. Mistaking the offer as a romantic invite, Woodrue declines, which infuriates Raven―though bixesual, he draws the line at "plant-people." Abby calls Chester for help. In downtown New Orleans, they meet at a McDonalds, which he considers an evil corporation. The "men in black" types have also visited him, but he doesn't believe Alec and Tefé could have turned evil. Abby hasn't seen her daughter in three years and has no idea what's going on. She suggests they visit Alec to try to reason with him. Unbeknownst to them, an agent disguised as a clown reports their conversation to his superiors. In Brazil, meanwhile, Lady Jane reports in to the Parliament of Trees regarding Tefé's progress during a task in Buenos Aires. Tefé has grown bitter and wants to return to her parents. Suddenly, Alex Olsen says the Word has sprung into action and that Jane must halt Tefé's training and bring her to Founder's Grove so the Father Tree can give her a new mission. Raven travels to Louisiana, armed with Jason Woodrue's tapes of his journey. On a giant checkerboard within Alec's palace, he sacrifices a bullfrog to form a base, then invites Arcane back to the world of the living to serve as a distraction until the Word attacks.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #167: "Trial By Fire, Part 2-The Word of God"

NOTE: Oddly, Alex Olsen is said still to be the only member of the Parliament of Trees who remembers how to speak, but this completely ignores the "Quest for the Elementals" storyline in issues #104-109 (which, come to think of it, isn't necessarily a bad thing).

The Phantom Stranger tells Alec that Arcane has been summoned to battle him. Alec is unphased, as his power is far above that of demons or angels. Still, he agrees to meet Arcane, who inhabits the body of Tim Raven. Liz Tremayne travels to New Orleans at the request of Abby, who hopes with Chester's help to convince Alec to see reason. Liz still has the flower Alec left her and plans to use it to contact him. Chester is nervous at seeing her again and spends half the day in the bathroom. Meanwhile, the Word visits the Parliament of Stones and offers to spare them if they deliver Alec. When they refuse, he accelerates time by ten billion years, causing them to crumble to dust. Alec confronts Arcane, expecting his usual evil, and is surprised to find that the demon has found God and wants to save Alec's soul. Father Kelly, a Catholic priest trapped in Hell, taught him the error of his ways, and he has repented for his evil. Appealing to Alec's sense of morality, Arcane argues that mankind has value, and that he should use his powers to fix the world rather than destroy an entire race. Alec is un-moved, crushing a bird in his rocky hand to show how little he regards God's creations. The Earth is tired of humanity, he says, and wants it to go away. Therefore, he plans to bring on a second Ice Age that will wipe the planet clean, leaving it ripe to be re-populated with creatures of his own design. Not even Abby matters to him now. Realizing he cannot sway Alec from his path, Arcane asks for a favor before leaving, and Alec grants him that favor. The Word confronts the Parliament of Waves, and the result is again destructive. As he drops their dying forms on the surface sand, the Stranger reminds him that Tefé and the remaining Parliaments still pose a threat. Back at Chester's home, Abby senses something and runs back inside. There, she finds a terrified Tefé hiding under the stairs. Tim Raven awakens in confusion, finding Arcane standing over him. Arcane has a new body, grown for him from Alec's own elements. Having noticed Tim's cancer cells, he has removed them, leaving the mage disease-free as a thank-you for freeing him from damnation.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #168: "Trial By Fire, Part 3-The Last Temptation of Anton"

NOTE: Liz is said to have moved to Oregon four years earlier, but she actually moved in issue #113, set in 1991-six years before the time of this issue.

John Constantine visits Woodrue's apartment, inadvertently infuriating the plant-man by burning a potted ficus Benjamina with his cigarette. The plant kingdom no longer trusts Woodrue and refuse to divulge Tefé's location to him, knowing he has struck a deal with mankind. For years, he has looked forward to studying Tefé, and he has built containment units to hold her during the coming battle. Unfortunately, Constantine has yet to find el Seňor Blake or the wishing matches, which are vital to stopping Alec. He phones Chas, who gives him an address. Back in New Orleans, Tefé says she's been unable to contact her parents though she has been allowed to watch them. She reveals her creation was never intended to bridge the plant and animal kingdoms as the Parliament claimed. Rather, she was made to stop the Word from killing Alec. To hide her true purpose, the Parliament created the lie about her being a flesh elemental, which Tefé admits is a nonsensical notion. Now her only goal is to protect her father so he can carry out his plans. A cab drops Constantine off at a ruined building at 421 11th Avenue. Locating a hidden secret door, he enters an occult bar and sits down to discuss the future with Blake, who has disliked him ever since a past encounter in Hong Kong. Constantine tells him he's switched sides and wants to help Blake in return for a secured spot in Alec's new workd. Blake refuses, still holding a grudge, but Constantine palms the matches before leaving. He visits the swamp palace's Gardens of Remembrance, filled with floating statues of Alec and Linda Holland, Pog, Gregori Arcane, Anton Arcane, the Un-Men, the demon Etrigan, Batman, Nathan Ellery's robot and others who were to his development to Godhood; likenesses of Constantine and Abby are also planned. These statues are intended as an historical archive for his new race. Constantine shows him the matches, lighting a cigarette. Alec mocks him, saying he'd tear the magician apart before he could strike a match, but the mage has already done so and made his wish. Suddenly, Alec reverts to human form, deprived of his powers. Sadly, Constantine leaves a stunned Alec to the mercy of the Word. Though he knows he must do this, still Constantine is wrought with guilt and cries at betraying a friend. Simultaneously, tipped off by Abby, the military abduct Tefé and lock her in Woodrue's containment unit. When the Word arrives, Alec is alone, mortal and helpless.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #169: "Trial By Fire, Part 4-The Judas Tree"

As Tefé is placed in the containment unit, eight-year-old Heather Strand watches from a nearby fence. Her father, Senator Culler Strand, is assigned to the base at the time. The two girls lock eyes. Tefé remembers Heather's face for years, jealous of her freedom and determined to make her pay some day for her father's involvement in Tefé's abduction.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #17: "Red Harvest, Conclusion-Topiary"

Woodrue's containment unit, "the Box," divorces a subject from the planet, the source of an elemental's preternatural abilities. A technician assigned to find another plant creature to serve as a test subject captures Black Orchid and forces her to undergo containment. Unfortunately, she proves non-resilient and is severely injured in the process. The technician's associates are appalled at the outcome, but she holds little compassion for Black Orchid, whom she sees as an inferior plant.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #15: "Red Harvest, Part Five-Burning Bushido"

NOTE: The resurgence of the D.D.I., Matt Cable's employer, is a surprising development. According to issue #79, the organization was dissolved in 1988 to keep George Bush Sr.'s name out of the Iran-Contra scandal, and issue #84 established that all records of its existence were erased by the government. Apparently, it was re-formed over the years. It should also be noted that although Black Orchid seems to die in this story, her 2000 appearance in the V2K special Totems would indicate her wounds here are not fatal.

The government technician responsible for Black Orchid's torture is actually a man-future Senator Culler strand himself-who engages in cross-dressing.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #17: "Red Harvest, Conclusion-Topiary"

In time, Strand comes to suspect the Green may be sentient, and if so, a cripling rebellion against humanity would not be unfathomable. His superiors agree, and he is transfered to the D.D.I., where he works his way to the top over the next five years and assumes the position of director-all the while dressed as a woman to keep his dual identity as senator and government agent a secret.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #15: "Red Harvest, Part Five-Burning Bushido"

At Gillespie's restaurant in New Orleans, Chester and Liz consider the day's events. To his guilt, Chester admits he's glad Abby betrayed Tefé and Alec, for he was too scared to face the elemental. Embarrassed at such cowardice, he wonders how he'd look in a police uniform. Woodrue, guilt-ridden at betraying the Swamp God, takes solace in the fact that he has been granted access to study Tefé's abilities. The Word approaches Alec, saying his fate for daring to rival God's powers is death. Tefé pleads with Woodrue to release her, promising a place in the New Order, but he does not trust her. Before killing Alec, the Word asks why he betrayed God. Alec says the elemental Parliaments have watched in disgust as God's creation, man, has poisoned and destroyed the world with impunity. Knowing they could not battle God alone, they vowed to combine powers so none could stand against them, casting off the shackles of God's enslavement. Since God created man in his image, the elements hoped to use that power against him, selecting suitable humans and inpressing themselves upon those humans' consciousness in the hope one would aspire to Godhood. For millennia, many have come and gone, but until Alec Holland, none had such aspirations. Listening to his own words, Alec recoils, horrified at what he was attempting to do and scared of dying again. Constantine finds Abby on a bridge in New Orleans, contemplating suicide. Like him, she regrets her betrayal. Realizing Alec's destructive plans may have been metaphorical, not literal, he offers her a wishing match and a chance to make things right. When Abby wishes Tefé free, the child slaughters everyone at the base, including Woodrue, then rushes to Alec's side, assumes a form approximating the Voice of God, speaks a sound exactly opposite to the Word and condemns the being to non-existnce. None of this comes as a surprise to Alec, for el Seňor Blake had predicted it would happen this way. To Tefé's horror, he bids her farewell and destroys her body, saying his journey is a solitary one. His spirit ascends to the Sun, where fiery dragons welcome him. They are the Parliament of Flames, the nuclear mother of all Parliaments and older than all the others. Granted their powers, he becomes all of the Earth and prepares to wipe out its human virus. A moment later, a team of astronauts from the Pegasus Seven stop their exploration of the Moon as a fireball begins hurtling toward the Earth.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #170: "Trial By Fire, Part 5-Apocalypse Now"

NOTE: Tefé is said to be seven years old, but since she was born in 1989, she should be eight. Oddly enough, issue #161 indicated she was five years old only a year prior. This child's age is one of the most inconsistent aspects of the entire Swamp Thing mythos.

Alec begins his attack on Earth, and humanity fights back in fear and futility. Spreading his mind out to engulf the whole planet, he becomes every person, every continent, every living thing. Some despair, some are paralyzed with fear and some commit suicide. In Manhattan, unaware of her own importance, Maggie fears for her as-yet-unborn child. Alec hears the last thoughts of the Traveler, Abby, el Senor Blake, Tim Raven and Don Roberto, feeling Constantine's regret at letting Abby free Tefé. As the world washes over in his power, Arcane shields Maggie from the apocalypse. Just before humanity's destruction, however, Alec finds himself in a tiled room, his body painted in the greens and blues of Earth's geography. Around him stand a group of beings with round heads, who welcome him to the Parliament of Worlds. Mars is glad to see him, having monitored Earth's development for billions of years in the hope that Alec Holland would succeed where others failed. Alec's desire to destroy mankind, a leftover emotion from his human existence, is replaced by compassion. Having experienced the world through the eyes of humanity, he sees potential even in the heart of Anton Arcane. Mars says the other worlds all experienced such global consciousness as well. Only the planet Oa, the one-time home of the Guardians, failed to make it this far. This room, Alec learns, is a four-dimensional map designed to help his remaining human spirit find its next incarnation. Though a shade of Alec Holland went to Heaven, part of him still remained within the Swamp Thing to provide the inspiration to unite Earth's Parliaments and reach his planetary brothers. Now Holland is ready to move on, and he and his swampy alter-ego bid farewell, thankful for all their shared experiences. Alec realizes he mistook Blake's symbolic suggestion of replacing mankind in literal terms; there is no new race waiting in the wings, just a new way of thinking. No one will be alone again, he promises, as he enters a room labeled "Maternity."

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #171: "Trial By Fire-The End"

The human spirit of Alec Holland is reincarnated as Maggie's star-child, born to unite the human race.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Lady Arcane"

In that moment, every living thing across the universe is illuminated, becoming everything, everywhere, at once. A new star forms to mark the occasion as Maggie's child is born. The star-child has come not to replace man, but to teach. His arrival has been foretold for years, and careful preparations have been made for his future. Mirroring Christ's birth, three Wise Men (the Traveler, el Seňor Blake and Don Roberto) bring the baby gifts: Sargon's Ruby of Life, Anna's book River Run and the Nightmaster's Sword of Truth; the fourth gift, the Wishing Matches (fire) are unaccounted for. The Phantom Stranger and Constantine also attend the birth, putting aside their usual banter out of joy for the promise Alec has brought mankind. The Wise Men then return to their homelands and are never seen again. Universal illumination changes the world, as the cult outside Alec's palace starts a new calendar and an ever-increasing list of converts joins them in the Gardens of Remembrance. Alec has shown them how the world could be, and they want to make that world a reality.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #171: "Trial By Fire-The End"

As he strolls the swamp, Alec notices that all of nature has stopped its natural activities and is staring at him as if waiting for something. Even predators have stopped preying, so hypnotized are they by his spell. Since he should not be visible now that he is part of the Parliament of Worlds, this surprises him. Curious, he visits a busy city and finds humans acting the same way. An anxious crowd begs him to join the minds of the world once more, so that all pain and suffering can end. Having experienced universal illumination, they want to feel it all the time. Unfortunately, though that is within his power, he realizes upon reflection that the music of the spheres is not alligned to such specific harmony, and that he was unfair to give humanity a glimpse of a world they could never sustain. Removing his influence from their minds, he restores the Earth to its natural predatory ways.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Look Away"

NOTE: The idea that Alec can't be seen since joining the Parliament of Worlds is entirely inconsistent with scenes from the very issue in which he joined that organization, as well as future appearances by Alec in other titles. As such, the concept must be discarded.

Arcane returns to Heaven and learns to craft the raw energy of Heaven's walls, to wield the lightning that holy places hum with. This gives him untold strength, making him increasingly dangerous.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #12: "Love in Vain, Chapter Four "

Although Arcane's turn to the Light had been real, the worm of evil is still in his heart and "someone must be its saint." When he falls, the allegorical God of his casting, given life by the potency of his powers, turns his back on him.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #11: "Love in Vain, Chapter Three"

Arcane regrets falling from the Light and begs God to allow him to stay in Heaven. However, God knows Arcane to be a heretic at heart-imagining something greater, God says, does not change what is. God then instructs the Seraphim to remove him from His realm.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #12: "Love in Vain, Chapter Four"

As the inhabitants of Heaven cheer them on, an army of seraphim escort Arcane back to Hell.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #11: "Love in Vain, Chapter Three"

in Hell, Arcane is sent to the Pits of Xaphan's Furnace to endure eternal torture at the hands of a demon named Josephine.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #10: "Love in Vain, Chapter Two"

NOTE: Xaphan, one of the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan, suggested setting Heaven afire before they were thrown out. For this, he was thrown into the Abyss with the other rebels and made to fan the flames of the furnaces with his mouth and hands.

In time, Arcane and the demon Josephine fall in love.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #9: "Love in Vain, Chapter One"

The Green decides that though it shares the Parliament of Trees' desire to wipe out mankind, it does not agree with the Parliament's methods. In the Green's view, the Parliament had gone mad with power and deserved its final fate. On a spiritual level, the fire continues to burn for several years.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #2: "A Tree Falls in the Forest"

In the weeks following these events, Abby returns to the swamp to view the new paradise. Though she and Alec say nothing, their smile across the marsh communicates much. Later, Anton Arcane visits Abby to apologize for all he's ever done. Despite his evils, she forgives him. Tefé, however, holds a grudge. Before taking his place as the elemental for all of Earth, Alec rights one final wrong: locating the bird he killed to mock Arcane, he breathes new life into it, causing it to awaken unhurt.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #171: "Trial By Fire-The End"

Jason Woodrue's surviving head is taken to S.T.A.R. Labs, where his body is regrown under the influence of marijuana. Thus, the resurrected Floronic Man is constantly "stoned as a bone."

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Jason Woodrue, The Floronic Man"

Swamp Thing and Abby resume their romantic relationship, even though he no longer contains the spirit of Alec Holland. Tefé, meanwhile, still furious at her parents, goes into hiding.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #2: "A Tree Falls in the Forest"

Alternate Timeline: Forming a new body, Tefé discovers her death caused her to miss the moment when every mind on Earth shared her father's revelation. Feeling betrayed and bitter, she is desperate for her parents' love. Disconnected from the soul of Alec Holland, her father is too busy with affairs of the world to have time for her. Tefé grows an adult body, has sex with an industrialist, throws all plants out of his house and manipulates him into damaging the Green. This hurts her as well, but she endures it to punish her father. Still, Swamp Thing repairs the damage and fights the monsters she creates, convinced she'll come around. Unable to hurt her father, she punishes the industrialist and turns her attention to her mother. Desiring a normal life, Abby (who has found a new live-in partner and bore a baby girl) is unhappy to see her. This enrages Tefé, who uses her flesh-molding ability to turn the baby into a series of creatures. Unable to break Abby, she restores the infant's body (which retains Tefé's metamorphic skills) and flees. Tefé visits London to see John Constantine, who tries to be a father but is unsuited to the role. She leaves him but is not angry, knwing he did try. Tefé learns about her inherited demon blood and visits Hell to find Nergal. Delighted at the chance to shape a creature so powerful, he takes her on as an apprentice. Being a demon, however, he cannot love her, so she leaves the underworld. Anton Arcane appears to her. Hoping to atone for his sins, he adopts his grand-niece and takes her back to his former Balkan village. The locals are terrified at his return, but upon seeing the changed man he's become, they take advantage of his and Tefé's powers, seeking their help in healing deformities and other fleshly dysfunctions. Though Arcane is willing to be used, she is not and leaves. Out on her own again, Tefé encounters Arcane's sister Aniela, long thought deceased. Aniela has been living a low-profile life, running an old-fashioned boarding school for girls—very old-fashioned, as Tefé learns when her grand-aunt invites her to become a witch.

Swamp Thing: Series 3 Proposal [Unpublished]

NOTE: Darko Macan pitched this series at the same time Brian Vaughan proposed his own take on Tefé's future in the wake of Mark Millar's concluding second-series storyline. Vertigo opted to go with Vaughan's run, but Macan has agreed to let fans read his proposal, which is posted here.

When Hal Jordan dies, Swamp Thing is among the many metahumans invited to Coast City to attend a funeral for the fallen Green Lantern. Others, like John Constantine, come by uninvited to pay their respects. At the proper moment, Alec grows an Eden-esque park on the ruins of Coast City as a living tribute to those who died here, and to the hero who protected them.

Green Lantern #81: "Funeral For a Hero"

Alternate Timeline: In an alternate reality obliterated by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Ford Motors produces the Basilisk.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #46: "An American Gothic-Revelations"

NOTE: A Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.

Alec forms a body in the underwater realm overseen by Orin of Atlantis (Aquaman). Not recognizing the elemental, the Poseidonis King attacks him. Alec senses no real threat and calms Aquaman, realizing both have come to this spot in answer to the poisoning of the local undersea plant life. Alec goes aboveground to investigate and finds that an ecoterrorist named Toxin has spread chemicals in the sea to blackmail the government for three million dollars. A local mayor, Isaac Fisher, has agreed to the ransom and is in the process of paying it at that moment. Aquaman severs Alec's hand and fires it at the mayor's car so they can track him to Toxin's location. The man throws a briefcase in the sea, which a woman named Patti Matson retrieves with a hydrocraft. Displaying superhuman abilities, the mayor attacks Alec, covering his body in erosive chemicals. Fisher is Toxin; hiding his true nature for years, he lurked in the Green and honed his skills. Alec's powers are superior, however, and he subdues the terrorist while Aquaman captures Matson, his accomplice. Alec senses a darkness corrupting Aquaman's soul, however, and offers to help find the root of his problem.

Aquaman #32: "Sea of Green"

Entering Aquaman's mind, Alec guides him in facing the darkness of his past and opening several locked doors in his mind. This allows Aquaman to set his life aright once more.

Aquaman #33: "Vision Quest"

After Tefé runs away, Alec changes drasticallly. He and Abby again separate, and she goes back to the "normal" existence she'd always thought she'd wanted. After months of living such a life, however, Abby grows bored with her existence and decides she needs her daughter back in her life.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #2: "A Tree Falls in the Forest"

Alternate Timeline: In a universe in which Superman never existed and metahumans are hunted down and killed as criminals, Matt Cable, his wife Abby Cable and a human Alec Holland all work for the president of the United States. Holland, a presidential advisor, is developing a biostorative formula and also testing the blood of superheroes to see if they're human or the enemy. Unfortunatey, all three are killed when Conclave agents destroy the White House and everyone in it.

Justice League of America—The Nail #3: "Book Three"

NOTE: An Elseworlds story.

Abby spends more than a year searching for Tefé, following false leads and urban legends before tracking her to Westlake, Ohio. There, she finds Alec also searching for their daughter. He wants his family back, and with a kiss she agrees to go back to him. They find Tefé in a field of cut-down trees, where she has slaughtered loggers by fusing their hands and feet and stringing them up to bleed to death. Tefé is scared, unsure why she's doing such things. Though equally horrified, Abby protects her as a mother would. Alec and Abby call John Constantine to help remove Tefé's powers. He can't remove them, he says, but he can suppress them. However, it will require the loss of a human life.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #2: "A Tree Falls in the Forest"

NOTE: The "Trial by Fire" story, concluding in issue #171 of the second series, occurs in 1997. The third series states that Abby spent more than a year looking for Tefé, which would mean she was placed in Mary Conway's body in 1998. Tefé is said to have inhabited Mary's body for three years, taking us up to 2001. The problem is that the third series begins in June 2000. Some fudging of the timeline, then, is necessary.

Ironically, the magic Constantine uses to perform this switch is a trick he learned from the Shaman of the Brazilian tribe that once guarded the Parliament of Trees.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #10: "Silk Cut"

Abby offers her life for the switch, but Constantine says another child must be switched with Tefé's. Constantine notices a letter from Jenny and Donald Conway, seeking bone marrow donators for their daughter Mary, who is dying of leukemia. Abby worked with Jenny at Elysium Lawns before her family moved to LaJolla, California, and they've keep in touch since. Constantine does some research and finds that Mary is in a coma, days away from dying. To save Tefé and give the Conways back their daughter, he puts a spell on Tefé to erase her memories. The three rush her to California, where he enters Mary's room and draws three overlapping pentagrams on the floor to encompass both girls. Alec manipulates Tefé's powers to mimic Mary's form, right down to the cellular level. The real Mary goes into a seizure, but Constantine stops Abby from calling a doctor since she'd end up a vegetable if they saved her. Constantine watches over her as she dies that night. The next morning, Mary (Tefé) awakens fully recovered. Everyone deems her recovery a miracle.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #2: "A Tree Falls in the Forest"

What Abby and Alec don't know is that for the spell to work, he must first murder the real Mary. From the other bed, Tefé watches him do this, her first memory as Mary Conway being the murder of herself in the next bed. For years, she tries to make sense of this, ultimately chalking it up to a bizarre nightmare. Constantine later buries the real Mary's body in a shallow grave on the hospital grounds.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #10: "Silk Cut"

Mary Conway (Tefé) begins a new life, her pre-coma memories forgotten. Determined to make the most of this miracle, she studies fencing, horticulture and other hobbies, unaware of her true nature.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #1: "In Lieu of Flowers"

Rekindling his domestic life with Abby, Alec rebuilds their home in the bayou. Knowing the Green considers him a traitor, he severs his connection to it and devotes his life entirely to Abby.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #6: "Killing Time, Part Three-Destiny Manifest"

NOTE: It is unclear how Alec could survive after severing his connection to the Green. One might assume he relies on the other elements' realms for survival, but his form remains that of a denizen of the Green even after he severs the connection.

Sara Madden divorces her husband Bernie when his fascination with conspiracy theories, alien abductions and Y2K becomes obsessive and he begins neglecting her and their daughter Nicole.

V2K-Totems: "Y2K Bug"

Jim Corrigan decides to give up the mantle of the Spectre after more than fifty years as God's servant. Learning of the funeral Corrigan has planned for himself, the Phantom Stranger spreads the word to others in the superhuman community. Among those who come to pay their final respects is the Swamp Thing, who has been asked by Gaea, the Earth-Mother, to act as her emissary and let Corrigan know she welcomes him to the Afterlife.

The Spectre #62: "Final Rites"

Matt the Raven, the Sandman's servant, dreams of a time before he was the Raven―when he was Matthew Joseph Cable. His companion in the Dreaming, Eve, consoles him until a ghostly being drags him back to the land of the living. The perpetrator appears to be Anton Arcane. Matt awakens on Earth, human again and overwhelmed by the change. Naked and freezing in the rain, seeming to others as though on drugs, he is taken by police to a local precinct to sober up. The police identify him and call Abby at her home in Houma, saying her ex-husband is alive once more. Hearing his voice, she hangs up in horror. Dejected, Matt tries to fly away from the police station, only to be reminded, as the police cuff him to a chair, that he no longer has wings.

The Dreaming #22: "The Unkindness of One, Part One"

NOTE: Abby seems confused about Matt's death. She tells a police officer he died in May of 1999, when he actually died on June 14, 1989. Oddly, she also says he's been dead almost ten years, which is correct. The stress of the situation must be getting to her.

Without Matt at her side, Eve feels helpless and alone, so Lucien (the Dreaming's librarian and a Raven himself 10,000 years earlier) becomes her Raven once more. Comforted, she reaches out with her mind to locate Matt. Two days later, Abby visits Matt at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He is heavily medicated, as no one believes his claims of having been a secret agent and a bird. Abby asks how he could be alive, but he knows she'd never believe the answer. Tracking Matt to the waking world, Eve and Lucien visit Vieux Carré, the French Quarter of New Orleans. The volume of human minds prevents her from sensing Matt, so Lucien takes to the skies. Matt begs Abby for a second chance, but after all she's endured, she wants no part of it. Meanwhile, Arcane searches the city for Matt's scent. At the Audobon Zoo, Eve summons thousands of birds to help her find him.

The Dreaming #23: "The Unkindness of One, Part Two"

NOTE:, Abby is even further confused about Matt's death now, as she says he's been gone for twelve years. For the record, Matt went into a coma in 1984, which was 14 years prior, and died in 1989, nine years before this story.

At a bar in New Orleans, a patron named Henry watches a newscast about thousands of birds in the area. Noted ornithologist Thorton McGenee tells a newscaster it's unusual for so many species to flock together, and Henry rants about this being a real-life version of Hitchcock's The Birds. Eve and Lucien follow the birds to Matt's former home in Terrebonne Parish, still vacant after all these years. As Abby bids farewell to Matt at the hospital, the inmates go crazy over reports about the birds. When she tries to leave, the door is locked. Suddenly, Matt senses the presence of Arcane; a moment later, a ghostly presence pours in under the door, taunting them in Arcane's voice. Matt tries to protect her, ignoring her argument that this couldn't be her uncle since Arcane has changed. All the while, Arcane rants about taking Abby back to Hell. Lucien arrives to tell Matt it's all in his head―this isn't Arcane, but a manifestation of Matt's own guilt at having failed Abby, and it's up to him to stop it. The spell broken, "Arcane" disappears and Matt breaks down crying, telling Abby how sorry he is. She comforts him, then Lucien says it's time for him to return to the Dreaming, for Matt Cable is dead. As Abby tries to take it all in, Matt returns to Eve's side and dreams of both women.

The Dreaming #24: "The Unkindness of One, Part Three"

July 17, 1998 A.D.

President William Jefferson Clinton's Secret Service Agents appear before the Grand Jury, ordered to testify regarding the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Though most agents refuse to break the Service's unwritten Vow of Silence, Agent Weymouth testifies as ordered. To punish him for betraying their Code, his bosses assign him to lesser duties such as guarding Heather Strand, the teenage daughter of Senator Culler Strand. Officially, he is removed from his prior assignment because his face has become too recognizable to the public, but everyone knows the truth, including Weymouth.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #11: "Red Harvest, Part One-The Virgin Thorn"

In a posh estate near the New York-Connecticut border, a gatekeeper lies beside an open gate. His uniform is smoldering, the skin beneath burned and pitted. Exposed skin on his hands and face is partially liquified, his eyes burnt white like cooked eggs. Alongside the still gatekeeper are two dogs, their gums toothless, patches of hair scorched from their hides. One of them bears the scars of handprints, burned into the singed fur on its neck and haunches. The tarmac leading from the gate across the palatial spread to the front doors has an odd look to it, as though heated along a specified pathway which meanders up to the front door of the estate. The concrete stairs leading up to an expansive oak front door are unblemished, but the black paint on the cast-iron railing is damaged in an unusual pattern, as if human hands had blistered the paint wherever they touched the rail. The open door shows signs of heat blistering around the lions-mount doorknocker and doorknob, which seem discolored by contact with heat or some caustic substance. Spilling out of the opulent hallway and over the welcome mat is the body of an older man, dressed in what was a silk robe. His hands are bloated and seared, his face barely recognizable as human. The jaws are particularly ravaged, sans lips or chin, as if some corrosive substance had been poured over or into them, eating away even portions of bone beneath the dissolved skin. Nukeface has come calling again. Our narrator and nominal hero is a reporter for a nationwide alternative paper who has been actively i