History Recap / SwampThingVolume2Issue20LooseEnds

* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Swamp Thing has seen his ArchEnemy "die" enough times realize that, even though he saw Arcane's airship crash and burn, he can't assume he's dead until he's seen the corpse firsthand. [[spoiler:Arcane ''still'' comes back, in Issue 29.]]

!!Tropes

* UnrequitedLove: Dennis for Liz.

--> "Maybe the world has run out of room...for monsters...or maybe...they're just getting harder to recognize."\\
-- '''The Swamp Thing'''

* ShellShockedVeteran: Dennis, who served in the Vietnam War, is [[{{Trigger}} triggered]] when he hears the explosion and finds Liz raving incoherently:

* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Swamp Thing has seen his ArchEnemy "die" enough times to become GenreSavvy and realize that, even though he saw Arcane's airship crash and burn, he can't assume he's dead until he's seen the corpse firsthand. [[spoiler:Arcane ''still'' comes back, in Issue 29.]]

* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Swamp Thing has seen his ArchEnemy "die" enough times to become GenreSavvy and realize that, even though he saw Arcane's airship crash and burn, he can't assume he's dead until he's seen the corpse firsthand. [[spoiler:Arcane ''still'' comes back.]]

* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Swamp Thing has seen his ArchEnemy "die" enough times to become GenreSavvy and realize that, even though he saw Arcane's airship crash and burn, he can't assume he's dead until he's seen the corpse firsthand. [[spoiler:Arcane ''still'' comes back...]]

* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Swamp Thing has seen his ArchEnemy "die" enough times to become GenreSavvy and realize that, even though he saw Arcane's airship crash and burn, he can't assume he's dead until he's seen the corpse firsthand.

* TwistedEchoCut: A favourite tool of Moore's 1980s work, it appears several times in this and nearly every other issue throughout his run on the title. For example, in the last panel of page five, Sunderland, referring to Swamp Thing and friends being unprepared for his assault, says, "They're in for a rude awakening, Dwight..." The caption for the first panel of page six completes his sentence: "...a very rude awakening, indeed." This is juxtaposed with Liz waking up from her tryst with Dennis, which leads to another sort of "rude awakening" for the latter.

* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Swamp Thing has seen enough death to become GenreSavvy and realize that, even though he saw Arcane's airship crash and burn, he can't assume he's dead until he's seen the corpse firsthand.

Swamp Thing, in the wake of Anton Arcane's airship crash in the previous issue, returns to the crash site in the mountains in order to find the body and verify his ArchEnemy is truly dead. When he succeeds in doing so, he feels a sense of loss for two reasons.. First, he reflects that he and Arcane were two sides of the same coin in terms oat his ArchEnemy is truly dead. When he succeeds in doing so, he feels a sense of loss for two reaf having lost their human nature. Second, he fears that the modern world may be acting to rid itself of "shadow" creatures like him and Arcane.

Swamp Thing, in the wake of Anton Arcane's airship crash in the previous issue, returns to the crash site in the mountains in order to find the body and verify thsons. First, he reflects that he and Arcane were two sides of the same coin in terms oat his ArchEnemy is truly dead. When he succeeds in doing so, he feels a sense of loss for two reaf having lost their human nature. Second, he fears that the modern world may be acting to rid itself of "shadow" creatures like him and Arcane.

Swamp Thing, in the wake of Anton Arcane's airship crash in the previous issue, returns to the crash site in the mountains in order to find the body and verify that his ArchEnemy is truly dead. When he succeeds in doing so, he feels a sense of loss for two reasons. First, he reflects that he and Arcane were two sides of the same coin in terms of having lost their human nature. Second, he fears that the modern world may be acting to rid itself of "shadow" creatures like him and Arcane.

Dennis Barclay, having slept with Liz Tremayne in the previous issue, assumes they're now a couple, but Liz disabuses him of that notion, saying that "All we have in common is the horror in our lives." Dennis doesn't take that well, and the two of them return to their hotel in silence to get his medical bag and then go their separate ways. At the hotel, oil mogul Hec "Dallas" Brandon, who had tried coming on to Liz in Issue 16, now offers to retrieve the bag for her, unaware that Sunderland Corporation agents have just planted a bomb in their room. Just outside, Dennis hears the explosion and rushes inside to find Liz, in the lobby, babbling to herself in shock. Reasoning to himself that maybe things can work out between them "so long as they never ran out of horrors," he drags her along with him, smiling ominously.

Meanwhile, Matt Cable confirms for his wife, Abby, that the various monsters lately surrounding him were unconscious creations of his brain, a result of the [=DDI=]'s electroshock treatments. He claims, however, that he's finally fought them and made them go away for good. Matt then tries to initiate lovemaking, but between this revelation and his alcoholism, she's not ready. He claims to be okay with this, but soon afterwards, drinking alone, he creates a tiny blue woman to dance for him, thus revealing that he hasn't really rid himself of his dark paranormal ability, but has merely learned to control it.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Dennis, who served in the Vietnam War, is [[{{Trigger}} triggered]] when he hears the explosion and sees raving incoherently:

* ShellShockedVeteran: Dennis, who served in the Vietnam War, manifests this trope when he finds Liz, having narrowly escaped an explosion, raving incoherently:

** The hotel receptionist, trying to recall the name mentioned by the "friends" (so she assumes) of Liz and Dennis who'd just been in their room, comes up erroneously with "Sutherland." This reminds her of [[Creator/DonaldSutherland Donald Sutherland's]] role in the horror film ''Film/DontLookNow'' (although she misstates the title as ''Now Don't Look'' and then ''Don't Watch Now''). She then proceeds to recount the film's horrific climax--thus adding to the suspense of the in-comic scene--just before the bomb goes off.

** Dwight Wicker, discussing Sutherland's planned cover story, references ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind.'' The irony is that whereas in the [[Creator/StevenSpielberg Spielberg]] film the government tries to ''discourage'' belief in the existence of extraterrestrials, Sutherland intends to ''encourage'' such belief, so as to hide the [=DDI=]'s real motive behind its swamp hunt.

Dennis Barclay, having slept with Liz Tremayne in the previous issue, assumes they're now a couple, but Liz disabuses him of that notion, saying that "All we have in common is the horror in our lives." Dennis doesn't take that well, and the two of them return to their hotel in silence to get his medical bag and then go their separate ways. At the hotel, a friendly stranger offers to retrieve the bag for Liz, unaware that Sunderland Corporation agents have just planted a bomb in their room. Just outside, Dennis hears the explosion and rushes inside to find Liz, in the lobby, babbling to herself in shock. Reasoning to himself that maybe things can work out between them "so long as they never ran out of horrors," he drags her along with him, smiling ominously.

* ShoutOut: The hotel receptionist, trying to recall the name mentioned by the "friends" (so she assumes) of Liz and Dennis who'd just been in their room, comes up erroneously with "Sutherland." This reminds her of [[Creator/DonaldSutherland Donald Sutherland's]] role in the horror film ''Film/DontLookNow'' (although she misstates the title as ''Now Don't Look'' and then ''Don't Watch Now''). She then proceeds to recount the film's horrific climax--thus adding to the suspense of the in-comic scene--just before the bomb goes off in their room, killing the friendly stranger who'd gone to retrieve Dennis's bag.

--> He's heard that kind of talk before, in Danang, in Phnom Penh...And all of a sudden, he isn't thinking Virginia anymore. He's thinking jungle. He's thinking night patrol. He's thinking incoming mail...

* TwistedEchoCut: A favourite tool of Moore's 1980s work, it appears several times in this and other issues. For example, in the last panel of page five, Sunderland, referring to Swamp Thing and friends being unprepared for his assault, says, "They're in for a rude awakening, Dwight..." The caption for the first panel of page six completes his sentence: "...a very rude awakening, indeed." This is juxtaposed with Liz waking up from her tryst with Dennis, which leads to another sort of "rude awakening" for the latter.

* RealityWarper: Matt gains control of his formerly unconscious power to make thoughts real. However, being a sexually-frustrated, relapsed [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], he now uses it for his own erotic entertainment.

Meanwhile, Matt Cable confirms for his wife, Abby, that the various monsters lately surrounding him were unconscious creations of his brain, a result of the [=DDI=]'s electroshock treatments, but that he'd finally fought them and made them go away for good. He then tries to initiate lovemaking, but between this revelation and his alcoholism, she's not ready. He claims to be okay with this, but soon afterwards, drinking alone, he creates a tiny blue woman to dance for him, thus revealing that he hasn't really rid himself of his dark paranormal ability, but has learned to control it.