Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing Issue 9

## "Love and Death"

"*I... I know who you* are! *I... Oh God... Look, please, what do you want me to* say? Hhuhh*...*"
―Abby Cable
## Synopsis

### "Love and Death"

Abby Cable reunites with the Swamp Thing, after he had sent her away in a rage weeks before. Despite having yelled at her about it the last time they met, he allows her now to call him Alec. Prior to this, after his revelation about his true identity of not being Alec fundamentally, he feels that he should not be referred to as such. She had been afraid that he hated her, and that she would lose her good friend, but they embrace, as good friends as ever.

Later, she and her husband Matt go for a drive, and he announces that he has three surprises for her. After some playful teasing, he reveals that he has made a down payment on an enormous mansion. As he gives her a tour, she is overwhelmed by how great it looks. However, in the bedroom, she catches a faint odour of burning insects, but it fades.

He takes her for a second surprise, showing that he's found a job at Blackriver Recorporations under a man named Eric Loveday. Inside, she has visions of Matt's coworkers as disgusting, decaying corpses, but a moment later, they appear normal. She doesn't mention what she saw to Matt, nor does she ask what "recorporations" means. Instead, she asks what the third surprise is. Matt opts to save that one for later.

She was happy to go back to the mansion, and was pleased (though somewhat suspicious) of the change in Matt's personality. They went to the bedroom, and made love. Afterwards, she went to the library to look up books on autism for her job. In the psychology section, she discovered a book about one of Matt's co-workers suggesting that she was a murderer. She returned home, and read it frantically, discovering that the woman called Sally Parks had killed 15 people for no reason at all, and was finally shot dead by police 22 years ago.

Abby recalls that Matt had been different since the strange events at Elysium Lawns, her workplace. In fact, he had been acting strangely since they were last in West Virginia. Suddenly, she realizes what the significance of Matt's job is, and who he really is. She understands, finally, that for months she has been married to her uncle, Anton Arcane.

After this disturbing revelation, Abby tries to burn her clothes, and uses up all of the soap trying to wash a horrible stink from herself. Finally, she turns to a steel brush used to scrape potatoes, and uses it on her own skin, eventually passing out from pain and blood loss after 20 minutes.

She wakes naked in the kitchen, and searches for her clothes, trying to get out before Matt returns. Unfortunately, he discovers her, and along with all of his "coworkers". They drop their facade when Anton Arcane mutters to her, "*Just say* uncle*,*" as he grabs her by her hair.

## Appearances

### "Love and Death"

#### Individuals

* Swamp Thing
* Abby Cable
* Matt Cable
* Eric Loveday
* Gus Pritchett
* Betty Montclair
* Sally Parks
* Mark Newell

#### Locations

* Louisiana
	+ Houma

## Notes

* This issue reprints *Saga of the Swamp Thing* #29 in black and white.
* At the time of its original printing, *Saga of the Swamp Thing* #29 was not part of DC's Vertigo line of comics.

## External links

* *Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing* Issue 9 on DC Wiki
* *Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing* Issue 9 on Comic Vine