Swamp Thing Giant #1 is an issue of the series Swamp Thing Giant (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 2019. It was published on February 17, 2019.
Synopsis for "Desert of Ash"
Briar while driving talks to herself about how she got arrested once for stealing fourteen bags of fertilizer, leading the authorities suspected she was planning a terrorist attack. She tried convincing them that her mother's rhododendron told her to do it and that she had talked to flowers all her life, which is why she understands they're chasing their arsonist. As she comes upon a scene of a huge wildfire, she tells Swamp Thing that they've found their target and he states he heard her talking to herself. As the two run to find their man, she states it's better as she doesn't talk to plants anymore.
Meanwhile inside a cabin in the woods, a man berates three forest rangers for having him sent to a mental asylum after he told them that the fire talked to him. However, the fire talked to him again and promised power in return for burning people. Swamp Thing however attacks him before he can kill anyone and tells Briar to look after the rangers, before knocking Char Man out of the cabin. A log however falls upon one of them, leading Briar to state she may have jinxed the situation. As Swamp Thing, the Char Man proceeds to burn his body and he feels just like when Alec Holland was burnt to death.
As two of the rangers struggle to lift the log from their companion, Briar states that it's better if they just leave him. An ember however falls upon her hand and she realizes what the fire wants of her. As Swam Thing's body is reduced to a charred husk, Char Man states he'll make the Barren burn as well but finds his flames soon extinguished. He soon finds out that Swamp Thing has returned in a new form which exhales out a lot of carbon dioxide and he's taken form of a sequoia tree that is fire-resistant.
While attacking Char Man, Swamp Thing sees the cabin explode and rushes to check on Briar, who he finds is mysteriously unharmed along with the rangers. Briar states that the firefighters are coming and they should leave unless he wants to help more. As he gets baffled as to how she or the rangers survived, she reveals that the elemental forces of fire realized that their current avatar Char Man was insane and agreed to her deal of not harming anyone in the cabin in exchange for Swamp thing taking down the Barren.
Appearing in "Desert of Ash"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Twiglet
Antagonists:
- Char Man
Other Characters:
- Alec Holland (Flashback only)
- Mark
- The Barren (Mentioned only)
- Brock (Mentioned only)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (Mentioned only)
- Mister E (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Synopsis for "The Hunt, Part One: Warning from the Red"
This story is reprinted from Animal Man (Volume 2) #1.
Buddy Baker pores over the recent issue of The Believer for which he gave an interview regarding his recent return to acting in an indie film. He worries aloud to his wife Ellen that he might have come off as arrogant, but she is distracted by the need to make dinner before their children Maxine and Cliff get in. Once he gets her attention, Ellen seems a little more concerned about when and whether he'll get paid for the film appearance.
Maxine appears, hoping to get her father's attention, but he brushes her off. In response, she screams loudly for attention, and once she has it, she reveals her plan that the family needs to get a dog. Sadly, Buddy has to let her down, because owning a pet of any kind would affect his powers to the extent that he would have difficulty using any animal ability that came from a different animal than the pet. Under her breath, Ellen notes that Buddy hasn't used his powers much in a while, and that he seemed happier when he was still playing superhero.
As a disappointed Maxine returns to her room, Cliff pushes past her and tells his dad about a newscast he saw about a gunman holding an entire children's cancer ward at the local hospital hostage. Reluctantly, Buddy decides to do something about it, despite Ellen's complaints that dinner is ready. In fact, Buddy loves being Animal Man. The feeling of flying and the action is just too much fun to give up.
Buddy reunites with Detective Krenshaw, who is in charge of dealing with the situation. He fills Animal Man in on the fact that the gunman, Lyle Edwin, lost his daughter to cancer in that ward three weeks ago, and is now demanding to have his daughter back. Buddy thinks of his own children, and sympathizes. He demands to be allowed to go in alone and handle the situation.
Buddy tries talking Lyle down, but the man becomes agitated and fires his gun. Quickly, Buddy uses the thick skin of a rhinoceros to deflect the bullets, and then charges the gunman with the strength of an elephant, the reflexes of a fly, the speed of a cheetah, and the bark of a dog. After knocking Lyle Edwin down with one punch, the man regrets his actions. As Buddy leaves, he asks that Lyle be given some help for his depression. However, Detective Krenshaw is horrified by the fact that after using his powers, Buddy is now bleeding heavily from his eyes.
A doctor examines him, but finds no wounds, so Buddy returns home to his family. Ultimately, he realizes that he would do almost anything for his kids, and his wife is the one person who grounds him to who he is, even with all of the changes in his life. Ellen and the children have already gone to sleep when he gets home, so he uses his power to assume the napping capabilities of a cat and falls right to sleep.
However, he suffers a terrifying nightmare in which his son Cliff is disembowelled, claiming that Maxine did it to him. Buddy then confronts three monsters who claim to represent "The Rot in The Red" and that they - the Hunters Three - are the true fathers of his child. Buddy awakens to hear Ellen calling him from outside of the house. When he gets outside, he finds Maxine sitting surrounded by the animated corpses of several small animals. She apologizes, saying that she had only wanted a pet of her own.
Appearing in "The Hunt, Part One: Warning from the Red"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Hunters Three (1st appearance; dream)
- Lyle Edwin (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Detective Krenshaw (First appearance)
- Pandora (Cameo)
Locations:
Concepts:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Swamp Thing: "Raise Dem Bones"
This story is reprinted from Swamp Thing (Volume 5) #1.
Across the United States, strange occurrences are happening. In Metropolis, Clark Kent notices that birds are spontaneously dying in mid-air. In the Batcave, Batman notices bats dying. And Aquaman finds the corpses of several fish floating in the ocean. The three of them contact each other, via their JLA communicators.
Meanwhile in Louisiana, a disgruntled Alec Holland is trying to lay low as a construction worker; trying hard to forget how obvious it has become to him that the wood he is cutting was once alive. Despite his efforts to hide his past as a botanist, he can't help but give drop hints to his coworker Paul, who he gives a plant-based home remedy for a sore knee.
Somewhere in Northwestern Arizona, an excavation site has unearthed the full skeletal remains of a mammoth. Suddenly, a strong wind gusts up, and carries the bones away in a crashing tornado.
Alec recalls his life as a botanical scientist. His life's work was the Bio-Restorative Formula, a chemical compound which could encourage plant growth in even the most desolate climates. That life, however, had ended abruptly with his death. That is, until six weeks ago, when he woke up alive in a Louisiana swamp. In addition to returning to life, Alec retains memories that are not his; memories of being the Swamp Thing.
Superman surprises Alec with a visit, and draws the man's attention to the recent natural disturbances. Alec is already well aware of the situation, and suggests that they are nothing to be concerned about. Superman indicates that as the Swamp Thing, Alec would have been more in tune than others with the earth's problems. Alec tells Superman that he was never the Swamp Thing - he was merely the template. He demands to know why Superman is really there.
Superman admits that he has come to check on Alec, because he himself knows what it's like to die and come back to life; how hard it is to go back to one's old life. Alec states that he really tried to go back to his old life, and even resumed work on the Bio-Restorative Formula, but ultimately, he didn't come back as his old self. He came back with the Swamp Thing's memories, including puzzling feelings he has for a "white-haired woman." After completing a batch of the formula, he had a vision of a world covered in green, and destroyed the forumula, throwing it into the swamp behind his hotel. Alec appreciates the concern, and does feel a little lost, but he frankly does not want to be found.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, three paleontologists discover that their find has disappeared. Their leader Gil believes that the bones have been stolen, until he hears a thump over a nearby hillock and climbs up to investigate. They encounter the missing bones, reanimated and surrounded by flies. A fly gets in Gil's ear and twists his head around on his neck until it points back the other way. The possessed corpse pulls a knife and pursues the two other men, who attempt to escape in their jeep, but flies get into their ears as well and they too are possessed.
Alec Holland is plagued by nightmares of his death, where he was caught in a dynamite blast, and covered in his own formula. He stumbled out into the swamp, and when his body died, a new creature emerged in his stead: The Swamp Thing. He wakes from his dream to find his bed covered in plants. Annoyed by the harassment of vegetable life, he grabs a canister of the Bio-Restorative Formula, and motions as if to toss it into the swamp, figuring that it is what the plants want from him. He is prevented from doing so by the Swamp Thing.
Appearing in Swamp Thing: "Raise Dem Bones"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gil
- Ben
- Sethe (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Calbraith A.H. Rodgers (Swamp Thing) (First appearance)
- Lois Lane (Cameo)
- Perry White (Cameo)
- Batman (Cameo)
- Aquaman (Cameo)
- Paul
- Pandora (Cameo)
Locations:
Concepts:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Death in a Small Town"
This story is reprinted from Shadowpact #1.
One Year Ago:
Superman discovers a large globe of pure hemoglobin surrounding the small suburban town of Riverrock, Wyoming. Green Lantern and the Phantom Stranger arrive to assist Superman, but are thus far unable to penetrate the bubble. Inside Riverrock, an evil group of villains known as the Pentacle hold the entire town hostage. The Pentacle's leader, Strega, demands that the community give up select individuals as part of a human sacrifice.
The Phantom Stranger sends an astral projection of himself to the various members of the Shadowpact, enlisting their aid in investigating this mystery. With the Stranger's help, they succeed in piercing the barrier and begin investigating the town. Almost immediately, Nightshade runs afoul of Pentacle member, Sister Shadow.
The Present:
The Shadowpact disappeared into the bubble over a year ago, and nothing has changed. Phantom Stranger and his allies have been watching over it, and he asks Valda to take over.
Appearing in "Death in a Small Town"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Rex, the Wonder Dog
- Valda, the Iron Maiden
- Charlie Magnus (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Oblivion Bar
- Mexico
- Yucatan Province
- Wyoming
- Riverrock
- Happy Elephant Gas Station
- River Rock Cafe
- Riverrock Town Square
- Riverrock
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Wal-Mart exclusive.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
