Comment: This issue's cover is probably purposely deceptive. It looks like ST battling the Hulk from Marvel Comics.
1:1 "5000 Maniacs" was the proposed title for the film "2000 Maniacs" which is part of the "Blood trilogy" of horror films by H.G. Lewis, known as the Godfather of Gore.
1:2 There's a 1990's band called Blood Box, but "Blood Box" refers to the boxed set of the above-mentioned trilogy.
Arkham Asylum is where Woodrue and many of Batman's foes are incarcerated. Arkham has been seen in issues 30, 52 and last issue.
1:3 Posters:
Spider Baby (a.k.a. the Liver Eaters) was a 1964 film starring Lon Chaney, Jr. (from the classic The Wolfman) who sings the theme song (!) and directed by Jack Hill. Artist Steve Bissette publishes his own work under the name Spiderbaby Grafix.
Re-Animator (1985) based on a story by H.P.Lovecraft.
Ilsa: She-wolf of the SS (1974) (Part of a series of sadistic "Ilsa" films)
Blood Sucking Freaks (1978)
On the left shelf:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (Series of films began in 1984. (Director Wes Craven also did the Swamp Thing film.)
I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
Let Them Die Slowly (1981) a.k.a Cannibal Ferox, Make Them Die Slowly and Women from Deep River, the uncut version is said to be one of the most violent films ever made.
Kill!Kill!Kill! was a 1972 film starring James Mason (but I don't think it really qualifies as a "gore" film)
(I couldn't find any references for any film called 13)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Axe (1977, a.k.a. California Axe Massacre)
Snuff (1974, a.k.a. The Slaughter)
(I couldn't find any references for any film called Kulam)
Basketcase (1982)
Right shelf:
Let Them Die Slow (see above)
(I couldn't find any references for any films called Zabid nor They Cut Him)
The Fly (no doubt the gorier 1986 Cronenberg version)
The Thing (no doubt the gorier 1982 John Carpenter version)
Several of these films were mentioned in issue SWAMP THING #42.
1:4 That's Woodrue. He went nuts in issue SWAMP THING #24, but still has some psychic connection to the world of plants. Paraquat is a plant killer.
1:5 *Heh-heh* The Swamp Thing movie (1981, see poster at left ) actually helped revive interest in the comic book series, which gave us the opportunity to witness what Alan Moore could do. Adrienne Barbeau played Swampy's love interest "Alice" Cable and Louis Jourdan was a handsome Anton Arcane. Dick Durock played the Swamp Thing under a heavy costume. Heather Locklear played Anton's blonde stepdaughter "Abigail" Arcane in the unbearable sequel, "Return of the Swamp Thing". This spawned a TV series from 1990-1993. An animated show ran in 1992 and resulted in a line of related toys. If you want to annoy people, go to the CBR TV themes website and look up "Swamp Thing" and play the songs.
Creator Len Wein recently said on the UGO website that a new SWAMP THING film is planned. Let's hope it'll stick close to the comic book version!
2:1 Link from 1:6 = "wasteland"/picture of a wasteland
2:4 So it was Grundy's white hand which we saw turning green in issue 62 (page 21)!
3:2 "Jade": In the pages of the 1980's series INFINITY, INC., Jade, the super-powered green-skinned daughter of the golden age Green Lantern, became Grundy's only friend.
"Gold": Grundy was resurrected from the corpse of a miser named Cyrus Gold.
6:1 link from 5:3= "found his soul"/"find me"
7:1 ST went a little nutty in SWAMP THING ANNUAL #3 as an effect of Gorilla Grodd's mind control.
7:2 ST enabled Abby to visit Heaven in last issue.
7:3 Heaven
8:1 The spirit of the next Swamp Thing (later referred to as "The Sprout") first appeared in issue
#65.
8:5 Liz and Chester moved into Abby's old place as of issue #64.
9:3 ST visited Heaven and Hell in Annual #2 and ST #50, and explored outer space in issues 56-62.
11:1 ST refused to nip the life of the Sprout in #65.
12:4 Roy Raymond and his assistant, Lipchitz, showed up in SWAMP THING ANNUAL #3 and play supporting roles in the next several issues.
12:5 "N'est-ce pas" is French for "Isn't it so?"
Labo first appeared in SWAMP THING #64, in which he was similarly offered money and responded the same way.
13:1 Dogpatch is the home of the hillbillies in the L'il Abner comic strip.
13:3
"Janu the Jungle Boy" was found in Africa and raised by Congo Bill, a naturalist/trapper who could change into Congorilla. When he grew up, Janu convinced Congo Bill to become an industrialist to help the people and resources of Africa. Eventually Janu became head of the company. (See SWAMP THING Annual #3.)
Morgan Edge is the head of Global Communications in Metropolis and a supporting character for a number of years in Superman's books.
13:6 Bull Durham was a brand of tobacco originally from Durham, North Carolina. The 1988 film "Bull Durham" starring Kevin Costner was about the local minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls. The term "bull pen" comes from the fact that baseball players would chew this tobacco at the side of the field.
"Flying A" gas stations were absorbed into the "Getty" chain of stations in 1966. We saw one on page 13 of issue #54.
14:4 A "Ski-Doo" is a brand of snow mobile.
14:5 ST decided not to force humanity to conserve the environment #64.
 | Art by Steve Yeowell
from STARMAN #49. |
17:2 Swampy teamed up with Superman against Grundy in DC PRESENTS #8 (April 1979). Since that occurred before the Crisis on Infinite Earths however, it is unclear how/if that adventure took place from the perspective of our characters here.
23:6 Constantine picked up the tuber at the end of issue 65.
23:8 Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor helped the DDI disrupt ST's bio-magnetic essence in issue 53.
24:4 Constantine's exit here leads directly into the first issue of his own series, HELLBLAZER.
Click here to learn about other swamp beings.
 | In next month's INFINITY, INC Jade wonders what Grundy is doing
in the Louisiana swamp.That's a good question, especially since we
see in this issue of SWAMP THING that Grundy is in Slaughter
Swamp outside Gotham City. |
COMMENT: Woodrue and Solomon Grundy appear in INFINITY, INC #46, published in the same month as next issue. Swamp Thing also makes a cameo appearance.
In that story, Grundy helps Jade's team, who are sent by Guardians Herupa and Nadia to capture Woodrue, who was busted out of Arkham Asylum by a Manhunter posing as Dr. Jaeger in MILLENNIUM #3. (Simple, isn't it?) Herupa, Nadia and Jaeger also briefly appear in SECRET ORIGINS #23, in which Woodrue's breakout also takes place between scenes of his story.
COMMENT: Solomon Grundy (in a gentler incarnation) was a supporting character in many issues of James Robinson's excellent STARMAN series. He re-appears in STARMAN #48-49 (1998) on the planet which ST visited in issue #56, "My Blue Heaven".
COMMENT: In 2004, DC Comics collected issues 65-70 in the trade book "Swamp Thing: Regenesis".
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