The Saga of Swamp Thing Issue 1
By RoninReviews
I dream. I have dreamed a lot. I was a man dreaming of being a plant. I was a plant dreaming I was a man. As a plant I met amazing people, went to amazing places and did amazing things and now. I don't know what I am.
Alec Holland lies in a padded cell in a Cadmus lab. His eyes are motionless and he is drooling from the mouth. He is wearing a tight straight jacket. A group of scientists watch him from the small window on the door. Dr Leo Quintum leads the tour explaining the exhibitions as they pass them.
Dr Leo Quintum: And this is one of the strangest cases I have ever come across ladies and gentlemen. Alec Holland was once a brilliant botanist working on a bio restorative formula that would be able to create plant life in barren landscapes. Whilst working in a Louisiana swamp a rival scientist who wanted to sabotage Holland's experiment planted a bomb in his lab. The explosion caused Holland to be doused with the formula. To escape the resulting fire, he ran into the nearby river. A week later something emerged as a gigantic swamp creature. It was completely made out of the plant life but had Alec's consciousness. Alec Holland was recently brought back from the grave by an unknown entity. The 'Swamp Thing' as the media have christened him, did battle and Holland lost. We haven't heard from Swamp Thing as of late and he has not been found in his usual swamp but Alec Holland was found at the same swamp screaming manically and attacking passersby. The police arrested him and he eventually ended up here after... after the Louisiana mental institution scanned his brain. At... at the moment his brain pattern does not resemble a human's. It resembles a plant's.
Suddenly large vines start breaking from the floors and ceiling of Holland's cell moving towards him, pushing the heavy structure away in their wake. Alec stands up, admiring them with a huge grin across his face.
Alec: Y-yes... you... have come... for- for- for... meee. Yess. Thank... you my ... fri-fr- friends.
One of the scientists: Who's he talking to?
Dr Leo Quintum: He has been having strong hallucinations since we brought him here. His hallucinations are irregular and can vary from slight spikes in his mind pattern or the almost full on mental breakdowns. I wouldn't be surprised if the pressure didn't kill him but he keeps on living. It asks the question. If Holland has the mind of a plant are all plants mad? Do all plants have these hallucinations? Or is something causing plants to go mad?
Out skirts of Gotham city
A small abandoned shack stands in a lonely forest. The shack is covered in vines and exotic plants that could never grow in Gotham. Inside the shack sits Pamela Isley a.k.a Poison Ivy. She is badly bruised and is held to the wall with vines. She is crying and pleading with her captor.
Pamela Isley: I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I thought I understood y-you...
Captor: Understood us? You thought you understood us? You called us babies, children, other derogatory names! You made us do what you wanted. You thought you controlled us! A human controlling the most violent force of life on the planet, give me strength. With every command you made us hate you more and more and now we are free from you, bitch! You no longer have your powers and no you will rot away and die of withdrawal.
The captor turns to leave.
Pamela Isley: No! No please no! I'll do anything! I'll serve the green. Please, please, please, pleeehus.
Captor: There is one thing you can do my pretty.
The captor turns and reveals herself to be Poison Ivy made completely out of plants.
The Poison Ivy: Scream as loudly as possible.
Vines wrap around her neck and squeeze. The Poison Ivy laughs as they leave the shack.
Pamela Isley begins to black out as her wind pipe closes when the vines stop constricting. Her eyes open to see Anton Arcane, Swamp Thing's nemesis saving her from the vines with a chainsaw. He is a lot younger and looks to be in his early thirties.
Pamela: Hu—who?
Anton: Shh shh sh. It's alright.
He frees Pamela Isley from the vines and the two escape into the wood with Pamela leaning on her shoulder. The plants return to the shack to find her gone. The Poison Ivy shriek and the ground is torn up by thousands of vines and roots searching for them. Anton Arcane takes Pamela to a van parked outside the woods. Anton sits Pamela in the passenger seat and throws a blanket on her. He is about to get into the driver's seat when a vine finds them. Anton pulls out a pistol and shoots the vine down, but as the bullet pierces the vine smaller vines pour from the wound. Anton jumps in the car and the two are off.
Pamela: Who... who are you?
Anton: I am Anton Arcane. Famous Botanist, even more famous giant evil monster that fights Swamp Thing.
Pamela: Why do you talk like that? You sound like a 1950's comic book.
Anton: I was born in the 1920's, give me a break.
Pamela: I read about your studies in college. Your breakthroughs are amazing in the world of Botany but I thought you were like 90?
Anton: Being aborted from my own body will do things to you my dear.
Pamela: What your big evil zombie body spat you out?
Anton: Yes. Same thing happened to you and its going to happen again to Dr Jason Wood rue.
Pamela: Oh great.
Anton: Yes, he made you Poison Ivy I know. But now you're free from that. I guess you know about him being an evil plant man also right?
Pamela: Yes.
Anton: All plants on earth are now going insane, plants already were evil but now they're insane and obviously plants cannot do anything to kill humanity but there are a few plants that can. One being your plants, two being me, three being Dr Wood rue and four... Alec Holland, Swamp Thing. We're all people who have connections to the green and are foot holds for whatever it is that is taking a bite out of the planet.
Pamela: But my children always loved me.
Anton: Like a moth to a flame but one day the moths stole a light bulb. Every piece of the green is struggling for 3 things; light, dirt and water and when you came along you were just another source for them. A piece of power as long as they didn't mind being babied, they played along, made you feel powerful but all they ever wanted was power.
Pamela: That... that can't be. I've spent my entire life trying to protect them, save them.
Anton: Flower child, your children will always try to kill
The Atlantic Ocean
Swamp Thing lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. His eyes are closed and he is calm. A hungry looking shark passes by Swamp Thing as he lies there. A small fish swims into his grassy shoulder and lays its eggs. Then it swims off again. His body blends into the ocean floor making him look like a large chunk of sea weed. Two large feet land on the floor next to Swamp Thing. It kicks Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing's eyes open to see Arcane looking up at him. (Monster Arcane)
Arcane (Telepathically): Cosy down there? Get up you bastard.
Swamp Thing (Telepathically): Yes, it is time to destroy the humans.
Next: The Justice League Guest star! Plants are destroying the planet or are they? Meet The Guardians Of The Green!
