Cover:Steve Bissette
 Unused cover sketches by Bissette. Right version notes: 'Chakra' cover - colorful, 'psychedelic' design |  |
2:1 Metron first appeared in Jack Kirby's NEW GODS #1 (volume 1) in 1971. He is more interested in knowledge and exploring time/space in his Mobius Chair than in morality. Thus Metron has assisted both the New Gods and Darkseid in their war against eachother. These giant figures are some of an untold number of Promethean Giants who form the unpenetrable Wall at the edge of the universe. Kirby also created the Source, the Mother Box and pretty much the whole freaking New Gods mythology.
5:4 Himon, the only "good" New God on Darkseid's evil world of Apokalips, was the discoverer of the X-Element and worked with Metron on various scientific projects.
5:5 The Celestials are the "good" New Gods who inhabit the planet of New Genesis.
5:6 Highfather is the leader of the Celestials.
10:3 Power and ego indeed preceded ST's predicament of being lost in space. He remembered the Parliament of Tree's warning too late, at the end of issue 53.
11:1 ST learned to control his electro-magnetic frequency from an alien Green Lantern in last issue.
11:6 ST was able to travel to the afterlife in Annual 2.
15:6 Who is Metron's father?
15:8 Reference to the CRISIS on INFINITE EARTHS.
16:6 This memorable scene occurred in the classic issue 50.
16:7 The blind genius in Buenos Aires is Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986). He was an author fascinated with time paradoxes and parallel realities and some of his stories dealt with glimpsing infinity, as Swampy is experiencing here. Borges wrote a short story called "Aleph". In Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose, the character of the blind monk Jorge of Burgos was inspired by Borges.
16:8 The San Francisco 49'ers did not play in the 1986 nor the 1987 Super Bowl. They DID play in the 1985 Super Bowl, but that was more than two years before the original publication of this story. On the 1985, 1986 and 1987 teams there was no player wearing number 70 as shown in this panel. Neither were any of the players on either team in the 1986 Super Bowl.
The 1986-87 tight ends for San Francisco were John Frank, Russ Francis, Ron Heller, Chris Dressell and Brent Jones.
16:13 The world's first paved highways were built by the Roman empire.
16:15 Here we see the 1970's SANDMAN with Brute and Glob. They starred in a short-lived and silly Jack Kirby series, but were used in Neil Gaiman's excellent SANDMAN #11-12.
17:12
"Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six."(Revelation 13:16-18 RSV)
18:1 Darkseid is one of the most powerful and evil characters of the DC universe. Created by Jack Kirby, Darkseid first appeared in JIMMY OLSEN #134 (1971).
19:2 Darkseid's use of the word "legend" is in reference to the 1986 DC Comics mini-series and crossover story LEGENDS, which involved a plot by Darkseid.
That's not Swamp Thing in the background - Only one of his empty husks.
20:3 We saw this flashback in issue 59
20:4 Abby tried to scrape herself clean of the Evil at the beginning of issue 29.
20:5 Abby met the residents of the nursing home she works at in issue 59.
20:6 We saw this scene in issue 61, 21:2.
20:7 This scene probably occurred prior to issue 20???
20:8 This scene happened way back in an old old ST issue???
20:9 Abby read "The Secret Life of Plants" (1973) by Peter Tompkins & Christopher Bird in issue ???. Issue 70 is also titled "The Secret Life of Plants". Stevie Wonder had a 1979 album called "Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants".
21:10 This confrontation happens in issue 65.
20:12 Swamp Thing rescued Abby from hell in ANNUAL #2.
21:4 The hand turning green will be explained in issue 67.
21:5 Swampy goes "diving for pearls" in issue 65.
21:6 This scene happens in issue??.
21:7 This scene happens in issue 65, page 19 but has foreshadowings of what Abby's doing with Constantine in issue76.
21:9 This scene happens in issue 74, page 14.
21:17 Alec Olsen was the human identity of an earlier Swamp Thing, as shown in issue 33.
COMMENT: In the letter column of issue issue 80, editor Karen Berger says that the preminatory images of burning people on page 21 of this issue were "meant to be ambiguous and applicable to a number of random scenes prevalent in the 'Creation' storyline."
