Changes: Swamp Thing Vol 2 81

Revision as of 01:06, 13 January 2019

"Widowsweed"

Part of the "Invasion!" event.

Cover

Widowsweed

Editors

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Swamp Thing Vol 2 # 80	Swamp Thing Vol 2 # 82

I'm not some Fay Wray who's available to every bug-eyed monster that comes along!

— Abigail Holland

Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #81 is an issue of the series Swamp Thing (Volume 2) with a cover date of Holiday, 1988.

Synopsis for "Widowsweed"

After a vivid sex dream, Abby Holland wakes in a tent with Chester Williams to the harsh reality that the home she built with the Swamp Thing has begun to rot and collapse in his absence. They do not understand the significance of this, but they both fear that it may mean that the Swamp Thing is dead.
Abby and Chester creep inside the dried out husk of the tree house, when Chester suddenly hears a noise upstairs. They investigate, but find nothing. Convinced that the Swamp Thing isn't there, Abby turns to collect some things and go. Suddenly, an alien intruder slaps some cuffs around Abby's wrists and puts a bag over her head.
Elsewhere, at Terrebonne Parish General Hospital a doctor removes the bandages from the newly reconstructed face of TV personality Roy Raymond. After his experience of being trapped in a car with an insane swamp creature, Raymond has given up his cravings for fame and fortune, and believes that he may go back to being a real detective. Suddenly, the press waiting for him outside all rush back to their vehicles and drive off. A nurse informs him that Australia is under full scale attack by aliens.
On the alien's ship, Abby's captor receives a communique from the Dominators. The alien called Widowsweed turns out to be a freelance agent in the Dominators' invasion. They thank Widowsweed for having captured Abby, and in doing so, nullified the threat that the foetus she carries inside her poses to them. When Widowsweed realizes that Abby is pregnant, she has a change of heart, revealing to her captive that she too is a mother.
Widowsweed ignores transmissions from the Dominators, taking her ship deeper into the swamps, where she finds the derelict craft left behind by her mate many years ago. She is horrified to discover that her mate is dead, and has been for many years.
Having found what she truly came to earth for, Widowsweed allows Abby to go free with Chester. She explains that she only agreed to work with the Dominators in the hopes of reuniting with her mate, and now that her hopes are ruined, she has no desire to pursue this mission. She gets back into her ship and begins to fly off.
Moments later, Green Lantern Guy Gardner appears before them. He tells Abby and Chester that he has come to recruit the Swamp Thing to help Earth's heroes against the Dominators. Chester and Abby try to obfuscate Swamp Thing's last known whereabouts, but in truth, they really don't know where he is.
Guy happens to see Widowsweed's space ship arcing upward above the skyline. Perceiving any alien vessel as a threat at this point, he blasts it out of the sky with a bolt of green energy, much to Abby's horror.
Later, Abby decides - despite Chester's protests - to continue living in her rotting tree house, and wait for the Swamp Thing. Inside, she finds the special wedding band that her husband made for her, and it gives her comfort. She is sure that everything is going to be all right.

Appearing in "Widowsweed"

Featured Characters:

Abigail Holland

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Dominators
Widowsweed (Single appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

Guy Gardner
Swamp Thing (In dream sequence only)

Locations:

Louisiana
- Terrebonne Parish
- Houma

Items:

Green Lantern Ring

Vehicles:

Alien vessel

Notes

This issue is an Invasion! First Strike extra, and a tie-in to the larger story told in the Invasion! miniseries. These crossovers take place in between Invasion! #1 and Invasion! #2, largely dealing with the Alien Alliance's assault on Earth and the way heroes around the world were participating in the initial war effort.

Outside of Abby's dream, the Swamp Thing does not appear in this issue. He was supposedly killed by the Dominion in issue Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #80
Swamp Thing originally clashed with Widowsweed's mate in Swamp Thing #9.
Alec created wedding band out of vegetable matter for Abby in issue Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #80.
Roy Raymond is recovering from his ordeal with Wild Thing. His last appearance was in Swamp Thing Vol 2 74.

Trivia

Chester has a bumper sticker on the side of his tent which reads, "Bush/Noriega '88". This is a reference to former President/Vice-President George H.W. Bush and Manuel Noriega.
Chester's recited mantra concerning the Litany of Fear is taken from the Frank Herbert science fiction novel, Dune. The quote was also used in the 1984 film adaptation, directed by David Lynch.
Fay Wray is a Silver Screen actress popularly known for playing the role of Anne Darrow in the 1933 RKO Productions film King Kong.

Links and References

Template:Swamp Thing LinksTemplate:Invasion Links

Invasion! Crossover
The events from this issue or series are related to Invasion!, during which an Alien Alliance led by the hostile super-scientist Dominators invades the Earth in an attempt to exterminate humanity. They wish to eliminate the metagene, for fear that the unpredictable nature of earthlings could destroy them in the future.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the Invasion! Crossovers category.

Core Issues

Invasion! #1 • Invasion! #2 • Invasion! #3

First Strike!

Adventures of Superman #449 • Animal Man #6 • Captain Atom Vol 2 #24 • Checkmate #11 • Daily Planet Special #1 • Detective Comics #595 • Doom Patrol #17 • Firestorm #80 • Flash #21 • Justice League International #22 • Manhunter #8 • New Guardians #6 • Power of the Atom #7 • Spectre #23 • Starman #5 • Superman #26 • Swamp Thing #81 • Wonder Woman #25

Aftermath

Adventures of Superman #450 • Captain Atom Vol 2 #25 • Checkmate #12 • Doom Patrol #18 • Firestorm #81 • Flash #22 • Justice League International #23 • Manhunter #9 • New Guardians #7 • Power of the Atom #8 • Starman #6 • Superman #27 • Wonder Woman #26

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 | StoryTitle1         = Widowsweed
-| Synopsis1           = [[Abigail Arcane (New Earth)|Abby]] and [[Chester Williams (New Earth)|Chester]] discover that the tree house that [[Alec Holland (New Earth)|Alec]] created is now wilting and rotting away. They do not understand the significance of this, but they both fear that it may mean that the Swamp Thing is dead. This, in combination with her pregnancy, causes Abby great stress and she begins to have dreams of Alec and she rolling about in a grassy field.
+| Synopsis1           = After a vivid sex dream, [[Abigail Arcane (New Earth)|Abby Holland]] wakes in a tent with [[Chester Williams (New Earth)|Chester Williams]] to the harsh reality that the home she built with the [[Swamp Thing (New Earth)|Swamp Thing]] has begun to rot and collapse in his absence. They do not understand the significance of this, but they both fear that it may mean that the Swamp Thing is dead. <br/>
+Abby and Chester creep inside the dried out husk of the tree house, when Chester suddenly hears a noise upstairs. They investigate, but find nothing. Convinced that the Swamp Thing isn't there, Abby turns to collect some things and go. Suddenly, an alien intruder slaps some cuffs around Abby's wrists and puts a bag over her head. <br/>
+Elsewhere, at [[Terrebonne Parish|Terrebonne Parish General Hospital]] a doctor removes the bandages from the newly reconstructed face of TV personality [[Roy Raymond, Sr. (New Earth)|Roy Raymond]]. After his experience of being trapped in a car with an insane swamp creature, Raymond has given up his cravings for fame and fortune, and believes that he may go back to being a real detective. Suddenly, the press waiting for him outside all rush back to their vehicles and drive off. A nurse informs him that [[Australia]] is under full scale attack by aliens. <br/>
-They creep inside the dried out husk of the tree house and Abby comes upon an [[alien]] invader. The creature uses a device that binds Abby's hands and places a translucent hood over her head. It then takes her to its space craft. The alien is a scout for the [[Dominators]] known as Widowsweed. She analyzes Abby and discovers that she is pregnant. Widowsweed empathizes with Abby’s situation, citing that she too is a mother.
+On the alien's ship, Abby's captor receives a communique from the [[Dominators]]. The alien called Widowsweed turns out to be a freelance agent in the Dominators' invasion. They thank Widowsweed for having captured Abby, and in doing so, nullified the threat that the foetus she carries inside her poses to them. When Widowsweed realizes that Abby is pregnant, she has a change of heart, revealing to her captive that she too is a mother. <br/>
-Widowsweed then takes her ship deeper into the swamps where she finds the derelict craft left behind by her mate many years ago. She is horrified to discover that her mate is dead, and has been for many years.
+Widowsweed ignores transmissions from the Dominators, taking her ship deeper into the swamps, where she finds the derelict craft left behind by her mate many years ago. She is horrified to discover that her mate is dead, and has been for many years. <br/>
+Having found what she truly came to earth for, Widowsweed allows Abby to go free with Chester. She explains that she only agreed to work with the Dominators in the hopes of reuniting with her mate, and now that her hopes are ruined, she has no desire to pursue this mission. She gets back into her ship and begins to fly off. <br/>
+Moments later, Green Lantern [[Guy Gardner (New Earth)|Guy Gardner]] appears before them. He tells Abby and Chester that he has come to recruit the Swamp Thing to help [[Earth]]'s heroes against the Dominators. Chester and Abby try to obfuscate Swamp Thing's last known whereabouts, but in truth, they really don't know where he is.<br/>
-Chester arrives at the derelict just as the alien decides to let Abby go. It explains that she only agreed to work with the Dominators in the hopes of reuniting with her family. Now that her hopes are ruined, she has no desire to pursue this mission. She gets back into her ship and begins to fly off.
+Guy happens to see Widowsweed's space ship arcing upward above the skyline. Perceiving any alien vessel as a threat at this point, he blasts it out of the sky with a bolt of green energy, much to Abby's horror. <br/>
+Later, Abby decides - despite Chester's protests - to continue living in her rotting tree house, and wait for the Swamp Thing. Inside, she finds the special wedding band that her husband made for her, and it gives her comfort. She is sure that everything is going to be all right.
-Moments later, Green Lantern [[Guy Gardner (New Earth)|Guy Gardner]] arrives. He tells Abby and Chester that he has come to recruit the Swamp Thing to help [[Earth]]'s heroes against the Dominators. Chester and Abby try to obfuscate Swamp Thing's last known whereabouts, but in truth, they really don't know where he is.
-Guy sees Widowsweed's [[Space Ship|space ship]] arcing upward above the skyline. Perceiving any alien vessel as a threat at this point, he blasts it out of the sky with a bolt of green energy.
-Afterward, Abby goes inside the ruined tree house and finds the vegetative wedding band that Alec had created for her. The ring gives her comfort and she believes that everything is going to be all right.
 | Appearing1          =
@@ Line 44: / Line 39: @@
 * {{a|[[Chester Williams (New Earth)|Chester Williams]]}}
 * {{a|[[Roy Raymond, Sr. (New Earth)|Roy Raymond]]}}
-'''Villains:'''
+'''Antagonists:'''
 * {{a|[[Dominators]]}}
 * Widowsweed {{Only Dies}}
 '''Other Characters:'''
 * {{a|[[Guy Gardner (New Earth)|Guy Gardner]]}}
-* {{a|[[Alec Holland (New Earth)|Swamp Thing]]}} {{Dream}}
+* {{a|[[Swamp Thing (New Earth)|Swamp Thing]]}} {{Dream}}
 '''Locations:'''
 * {{a|[[Louisiana]]}}
-:* {{a|[[Terrebonne Parish]]}}
+** {{a|[[Terrebonne Parish]]}}
-:* {{a|[[Houma]]}}
+** {{a|[[Houma]]}}
 '''Items:'''
 * {{a|[[Green Lantern Ring]]}}
 '''Vehicles:'''
-* {{a|[[Space Ship|Alien vessel]]}}
+* Alien vessel
 | Notes               =
 * {{Invasion First Strike}}
+* Outside of Abby's dream, the [[Swamp Thing (New Earth)|Swamp Thing]] does not appear in this issue. He was supposedly killed by the [[Dominion]] in issue {{c|Swamp Thing Vol 2 80}}
+* Swamp Thing originally clashed with Widowsweed's mate in {{c|Swamp Thing #9}}.
+* Alec created wedding band out of vegetable matter for Abby in issue {{c|Swamp Thing Vol 2 80}}.
+* Roy Raymond is recovering from his ordeal with Wild Thing.  His last appearance was in [[Swamp Thing Vol 2 74]].
+| Trivia              =
-* Outside of Abby's dream, the [[Alec Holland (New Earth)|Swamp Thing]] does not appear in this issue. He was supposedly killed by the [[Dominion]] in issue [[Swamp Thing Vol 2 80|#80]].
+* [[Chester Williams (New Earth)|Chester]] has a bumper sticker on the side of his tent which reads, "Bush/Noriega '88". This is a reference to former President/Vice-President [[George H. W. Bush (New Earth)|George H.W. Bush]] and Manuel Noriega.
+* Chester's recited mantra concerning the Litany of Fear is taken from the [[Wikipedia:Frank Herbert|Frank Herbert]] science fiction novel, ''[[Wikipedia:Dune (Novel)|Dune]]''. The quote was also used in the [[1984]]  film adaptation, directed by [[Wikipedia:David Lynch|David Lynch]].
 * Fay Wray is a Silver Screen actress popularly known for playing the role of Anne Darrow in the 1933 RKO Productions film ''King Kong''.
-* Swamp Thing originally clashed with Widowsweed's mate in ''{{c|Swamp Thing #9}}''.
-* Alec created a vegetative wedding ring for Abby in issue [[Swamp Thing Vol 2 80|#80]].
-* Chester's recited mantra concerning the Litany of Fear is taken from the Frank Herbert science fiction novel, ''Dune''. The quote was also used in the [[1984]] David Lynch film adaptation of ''Dune''.
-| Trivia              =
-* [[Chester Williams (New Earth)|Chester]] has a bumper sticker on the side of his tent which reads, "Bush/Noriega '88". This is a reference to former President/Vice-President [[George H. W. Bush (New Earth)|George H.W. Bush]] and Manuel Noriega.
-| CustomSection1      = Related Articles
-| CustomText1         = {{Swamp Thing RA}}
 | Recommended         = {{Swamp Thing RR}}
@@ Line 82: / Line 70: @@
 }}
 {{Invasion}}
-{{QA Nom}}