The Swamp Thing enters the Green once more and, over the next seventeen days, grows a new body in the swamp, from a single seed into which he's inserted his mind. On the fourth day Abby, using her intuition, discovers his tiny, vaguely humanoid form and does her best to tend him as he gradually develops a mouth, nose, eyes, and arms in turn. Between visits, the Swamp Thing notes that for the first time he's regenerated himself using vegetation not treated with Holland's bio-restorative formula, and realizes he no longer needs it. He ponders what sort of being he truly is, and what possibilities lie untapped within him.
Meanwhile, John Constantine, a London-based occult detective, makes the rounds of his English and American contacts, all of whom inform him that something, or someone, of immense destructive power is returning to the world within a year or less. However, they differ on what that is. In London, the drugged-out clubber Judith says it's a giant cosmic energy field. In Wisconsin, the shut-in Benjamin Cox says it's Cthulhu, even though everyone else considers Cthulhu fictional. In Washington, the nun Sister Anne-Marie claims it's Satan.
Whoever or whatever it is, a conversation between Constantine and his New York-based artist girlfriend Emma reveals that some "South American people" are trying to bring it back by increasing the occult belief levels of humankind. To do this, they'll trigger outbreaks of horror, such as vampires, werewolves and haunted houses. As they chat, Emma sketches one of her nightmares: a loincloth-clad man with his head on backwards and one hand stitched to his back.
On the thirteenth day, Abby leaves the swamp for her job as usual, only to find Constantine suddenly appearing in her car en route. Blackmailing her with a threat to tell her employer about her relationship, he has her take him to meet the Swamp Thing. Disregarding the creature's anger, as he's still rooted, John introduces himself and suggests they can help each other. After all, he tells the Swamp Thing, "I know what you are, mate...and you don't." By way of example, Constantine notes that he's only just now discovered he can regenerate, and still doesn't realize that he can exploit that ability for transport, by regrowing himself anywhere on Earth. He also refers to the Swamp Thing as the "last plant elemental" in the world, then walks away, claiming to have wasted his time.
The Swamp Thing takes Constantine's bait and begs him to come back and tell him more about himself. John tells him he may be able to do so if the Swamp Thing will meet him in Rosewood, Illinois in a week.
Meanwhile, in New York, the nightmarish sketch comes to life, leaves the canvas and corners Emma. As Constantine's other contacts remotely see what she sees and react in terror, Emma flings herself out the window, to her death. The being then returns to the canvas as a lifeless drawing.
On the seventeenth day, the Swamp Thing is now fully regrown and mobile. Abby suggests they have a long-overdue "honeymoon" the following weekend. She turns away in sadness when he indicates he hasn't been listening, preoccupied as he is with trying to remember why the name Rosewood sounds so familiar.
This is the first installment of the "American Gothic" story arc, which runs through Issue 50.
Tropes
- Apocalypse Cult: The "South American people" who are working on bringing back the mysterious entity. More will be revealed about them in Issue 46.
- Art Initiates Life: Emma's drawing comes to life and frightens her right out the window.
- Body Horror: The nightmare drawing has its head twisted the wrong way around and a hand sewed to its bare back.
- Daydream Believer: Benjamin claims that the cosmic threat expected to manifest within a year is Cthulhu: "Everyone thuh-thinks Lovecraft muh-made Cthulhu up...buh-but I know."
- Doom Magnet: Emma is the first person (in publication order) whose association with John Constantine results in her death. She will not be the last, by a long shot.
- Elemental Embodiment: Constantine tells the Swamp Thing he's the world's last plant elemental.
- From a Single Cell: The Swamp Thing regenerates his entire body from a seed.
- Good Is Not Nice: John Constantine. Although, as long-term DC readers know by now, he's firmly on the "saving the world" side, already in his debut appearance he resorts to breaking and entering, blackmail, psychological manipulation and smoking when told not to.
- Happily Married: Abby's mention of a "honeymoon" is the first indication that she and the Swamp Thing now consider themselves de facto married. In later issues, he will refer to her as his wife and she'll give her last name as Holland, not Cable or Arcane.
- Hikikomori: Benjamin Cox, perhaps because he's ashamed of his stutter and Convulsive Seizures, or perhaps because (as John puts it) he's "crackers," lives with his elderly mother and apparently doesn't get out much.
- The Insomniac: Exaggerated. Judith claims not to have slept in three weeks.
- Occult Detective: Constantine not only investigates occult matters, but is implied from the start to have some degree of magical power himself, as he introduces himself to Abby by apparently materializing in the back seat of her car.
- Psychic Link: John's contacts all seem to have one with each other. When Emma comes under attack, they all experience it mentally, and painfully.
- Reverse Psychology: Constantine stokes the Swamp Thing's interest in his schemes by claiming to have lost interest himself. Abby even lampshades this.
- Secret Relationship: Implied with the Swamp Thing's and Abby's romance, given Constantine's threat to tell her boss about it.
- Self-Constructed Being: When the Swamp Thing came into existence, he formed his body from vegetation semi-consciously. Now, for the first time, he regenerates consciously, and without the bio-restorative formula previously assumed to be a key component (along with fire and the swamp) in his genesis.
- Trespassing to Talk: Constantine enters Abby's car uninvited so that she can direct him to the Swamp Thing.
- Vagueness Is Coming: What or who is it? No one agrees. What will it do when it returns? (More specifically, that is, than presumably end the world?) No one knows. When's it coming? In a year or less.
