New Titans Annual #9 “The Red Hand Blues” – July 1993

We’re all aware of Swamp Thing’s dedication to Earth-it’s abundantly clear by thumbing through the LCA style guide-but sometimes people forget (I know, no one forgets). Sometimes the Titans get reckless in containing a catastrophic Biological Research Facility explosion, and sometimes Swamp Thing is right there for a couple panels to pass judgement.

Like so many random Swamp Thing cameos, this book takes place in Louisiana. The book features Mardi Gras, alien parasites, a cult, Aqualad, spinal fluid, Swamp Thing, and so much more! But, I’ll be focused on Swamp Thing in this post.

Swamp Thing came, he saw, and he didn’t say a word-only silent judgement. I love that he’s described as “unamused”, like an adult watching kids play recklessly. Or, Swamp Thing is in a foul mood due to his marital and family struggles. New Titans Annual #9 was released  the same month as Swamp Thing #133 “Daisy Chain”, in July of 1993. If you recall, in Swamp Thing #133, Swamp Thing battles Thunder Petal, the gigantic, murderous daisy. In Swamp Thing #134, Abby leaves Swampy to move to New Orleans with Chester Williams. Needles to say, it’s a very drama filled time in Swamp Thing’s life and the last thing he needs is to clean up after Steve Dayton’s exploding Biological Research Facility.

To provide more context,  below are a couple pages leading up to Swamp Thing’s appearance in this Titans Annual. Aqualad, Starfire and Red Star play the part of the Captain Planet team. Earth, Water and Fire are utilized to contain the damage and toxins from the Bio Research Facility blast.