History Recap / SwampThingVolume2Issue38StillWaters

-> "Shut out the killing day, and leave us to this weightless twilight. We breathe in stagnant water. We breathe out roses."\\

--> "Shut out the killing day, and leave us to this weightless twilight. We breathe in stagnant water. We breathe out roses."\\
'''-- The Rosewood vampires'''

!!Tropes

* DeathByChildbirth / OutWithABang: The Mother and her partner die as a natural consequence of mating.

* [[WasOnceAMan Was Once a Woman]]: While all of the first-generation Rosewood vampires were once human, the story gives a more detailed glimpse of the Mother's previous life in particular. She was once Charlene, a teenage supermarket employee who was concerned about her acne and felt "no man would ever want her." Now, however, she apparently finds happiness in her valued (albeit [[SacrificialLamb sacrificial]]) role within her new community.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the previous issue, John Constantine said he'd like to "chin" Emma's father for insinuating that he's gay. In this issue, when a biker calls him a "fruit loop," John stares at him in TranquilFury while repeating "What did you say?" and crushing his glass in his fist. Taken together, these scenes suggest Constantine is homophobic. This is very much at odds with his subsequent characterization in Jamie Delano's opening ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'' run, in which he has an old, very close CampGay friend, Ray Monde, whom he comforts when learning he has AIDS and whose death at the hands of Christian {{Knight Templar}}s he mourns. Later, John Smith, a guest ''Hellblazer'' writer, hinted that John's had "the [[BiTheWay odd boyfriend]]" amongst his history of relationships with women, and Creator/BrianAzzarello ran with that, having him seduce a man as part of a scheme. Writers in the ComicBook/{{New 52}} and DC You eras have further embraced John's bisexuality, and WordOfGod says that had the ''Series/{{Constantine}}'' TV series continued, his bi orientation would've been touched on there as well.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the previous issue, John Constantine said he'd like to "chin" Emma's father for insinuating that he's gay. In this issue, when a biker calls him a "fruit loop," John stares at him in TranquilFury while repeating "What did you say?" and crushing his glass in his fist. Taken together, these scenes suggest Constantine is homophobic. This is very much at odds with his subsequent characterization in Jamie Delano's opening ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'' run, in which he has an old, very close CampGay friend, Ray Monde, whom he comforts when learning he has AIDS and whose death at the hands of Christian {{Knight Templar}}s he mourns. Later, John Smith, a guest ''Hellblazer'' writer, hinted that John's had "the [[BiTheWay odd boyfriend]]" amongst his history of relationships with women, and Creator/BrianAzzarello ran with that, having him seduce a man as part of a scheme. Writers in the ComicBook/{{New 52}} and DC You eras have further embraced John's bisexuality, and WordOfGod says that had the ''Series/{{Constantine}}'' TV series continued, his bi orientation would've been touched on as well.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the previous issue, John Constantine said he'd like to "chin" Emma's father for insinuating that he's gay. In this issue, when a biker calls him a "fruit loop," John stares at him in TranquilFury while repeating "What did you say?" and crushing his glass in his fist. Taken together, these scenes suggest Constantine is homophobic. This is very much at odds with his subsequent characterization in Jamie Delano's opening ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'' run, in which he has an old, very close CampGay friend, Ray Monde, whom he comforts when learning he has AIDS and whose death at the hands of Christian {{Knight Templar}}s he mourns. Later, John Smith, a guest ''Hellblazer'' writer, hinted that John's had "the [[BiTheWay odd boyfriend]]" amongst his history of relationships with women, and Creator/BrianAzzarello ran with that, having him seduce a man as part of a scheme. Writers in the Comicbook/New52 and DC You eras have further embraced John's bisexuality, and WordOfGod says that had the ''Series/{{Constantine}}'' TV series continued, his bi orientation would've been touched on as well.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the previous issue, John Constantine said he'd like to "chin" Emma's father for insinuating that he's gay. In this issue, when a biker calls him a "fruit loop," John stares at him in TranquilFury while repeating "What did you say?" and crushing his glass in his fist. Taken together, these scenes suggest Constantine is homophobic. This is very much at odds with his subsequent characterization in Jamie Delano's opening ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'' run, in which he has an old, very close CampGay friend, Ray Monde, whom he comforts when learning he has AIDS and whose death at the hands of Christian {{Knight Templar}}s he mourns. Later, John Smith, a guest ''Hellblazer'' writer, hinted that John's had "the [[BiTheWay odd boyfriend]]" amongst his history of relationships with women, and Creator/BrianAzzarello ran with that, having him seduce a man as part of a scheme.

Meanwhile, Nicky's friend Howard goes back to look for him. Howard, now a vampire himself, drags him into the water, where others set upon him.

* ShoutOut: The title is an ironic allusion to [[Literature/BookOfPsalms Psalm]] 23:2: "He [the Lord] leadeth me beside the still waters." (King James Version) In this story, still waters harbour vampires and thus are--for human beings--a source of danger rather than safety and comfort.

* PalmBloodletting: An [[RuleOfSymbolism ominous]] instance, when Constantine crushes his bar glass in his fist while staring down the biker.

* PalmBloodletting: An inadvertent but [[RuleOfSymbolism portentous]] instance occurs when Constantine crushes his bar glass in his fist while staring down the biker.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the previous issue, John Constantine said he'd like to "chin" Emma's father for insinuating that he's gay. In this issue, when a biker calls him a "fruit loop," John stares at him in near-pathological TranquilFury while repeating "What did you say?" and crushing his glass without so much as a wince. Taken together, these scenes suggest Constantine is homophobic. This is very much at odds with his subsequent characterization in Jamie Delano's opening ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'' run, in which he has an old, very close CampGay friend, Ray Monde, whom he comforts when learning he has AIDS and whose death at the hands of Christian {{Knight Templar}}s he mourns. Later, John Smith, a guest ''Hellblazer'' writer, hinted that John's had "the [[BiTheWay odd boyfriend]]" amongst his history of relationships with women, and Creator/BrianAzzarello ran with that, having him seduce a man as part of a scheme.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the previous issue, John Constantine said he'd like to "chin" Emma's father for insinuating that he's gay. In this issue, when a biker calls him a "fruit loop," John stares at him in near-pathological TranquilFury while repeating "What did you say?" and crushing his glass without so much as a wince. Taken together, these scenes suggest Constantine is homophobic. This is very much at odds with his subsequent characterization in Jamie Delano's opening ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'' run, in which he has an old, very close CampGay friend, Ray Monde, whom he comforts when learning he has AIDS and whose death at the hands of Christian {{Knight Templar}}s he mourns. Furthermore, subsequent authors, such as John Smith and, most blatantly, Creator/BrianAzzarello, wrote Constantine as bisexual.

* CannotCrossRunningWater: The reason why most of the original Rosewood vampires died when the dam exploded.

Constantine, in a Chicago biker bar, learns of Emma's death--said to be a suicide--from his contact Frank North, and creepily intimidates a hoodlum much bigger than him into leaving him alone.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: This story, inspired by the 1954 Creator/RichardMatheson novel ''Literature/IAmLegend'', establishes that vampirism is a [[TheVirus viral]] condition[[note]]bacterial, in the Matheson novel[[/note]] and that staking is lethal to vampires because it lets oxygen into their bodies. Going further, it also has vampires capable of thriving underwater, provided the water is stagnant and thus oxygen-free. This in turn provides a new explanation for the CannotCrossRunningWater trope.

* [[WasOnceAMan Was Once a Woman]]: While all of the first-generation Rosewood vampires were once human, the story gives a more detailed glimpse of the Mother's previous life in particular. She was once Charlene, a teenage supermarket employee who was concerned about her acne and felt "no man would ever want her." Now, however, she apparently finds happiness in her valued (albeit [[SacrificialLamb sacrificial]] role within her new community.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: This story, inspired by the 1954 Creator/PeterMatheson novel ''Literature/IAmLegend'', establishes that vampirism is a [[TheVirus viral]] condition[[note]]bacterial, in the Matheson novel[[/note]] and that staking is lethal to vampires because it lets oxygen into their bodies. Going further, it also has vampires capable of thriving underwater, provided the water is stagnant and thus oxygen-free. This in turn provides a new explanation for the CannotCrossRunningWater trope.

At that moment, under the water, the vampires are preparing to do just that. They escort an enormous pregnant woman vampire to her male partner, who fertilizes the many eggs she releases, whereupon they both die.

The Swamp Thing grows impatient with Constantine's "warnings of Armageddon" in lieu of knowledge about himself, and lifts him threateningly off his feet. But John stands his ground and tells him he'll have to see to the vampires first. The Swamp Thing sets him down and goes underwater, leaving his "manager" to breathe a sigh of relief.