History Recap / SwampThingVolume2Issue30AHaloOfFlies

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Arcane's ripple effect makes SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker stop laughing.

* WorldWreckingWave: Arcane unleashes a wave of malevolent psychic influence that causes people and animals throughout the continent to turn homicidal.

--> "There are better ways to loose one's grip from off the throat of life."\\
'''-- Anton Arcane'''

!!Tropes

* SnowMeansDeath: A snowstorm, which in real life is almost unheard-of in southern Louisiana's sub-tropical climate, heralds Arcane's murder of Abby.

Their job done, Arcane's zombie companions are free to reassume their living human guises and go out looking for victims. Meanwhile, his influence reaches Arkham Asylum, giving the staff a busy night. It even attracts, from space, the attention of the Monitor and Harbinger in one of their early, cross-title appearances PreCrisis. And it causes various evildoers to head for Louisiana.

* MysteriousWatcher: The Monitor. As in his other PreCrisis appearances in various DC titles, he's mostly concealed from view, and his motives for observing the Earth via satellite are not yet clear.

** TheSwarm: A town suffers a plague of ladybugs.

* SignsOfTheEndTimes: As a result of Arcane's psychic shockwave (or "my Apocalypse" as he calls it):

* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Arcane, through the power in Matt's brain, awakens the latent (or not so latent) evil and destructive impulses in living things throughout the continent:
** [[ImAHumanitarian Cannibalism]] / {{Autocannibalism}}: Tropical fish in a pet shop eat each other, then themselves.
** DisposableVagrant: A man sets fire to an unconscious, drunken homeless person in an alley.
** FryingPanOfDoom: A housewife prepares to murder her husband this way.
** [[MicrowaveTheDog Microwave the Cat]]: Two little girls do this as an act of hostility against their new stepmother.
** TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: A guide dog attacks its mistress.

* MonochromaticEyes: As he no longer needs to conceal his evil nature, Arcane's eyes go completely white and remain so for the rest of the issue.

* MisplacedRetribution: One of Arcane's motives for returning and stealing Matt's power[[note]]the other being causing mayhem on a global scale ForTheEvulz[[/note]] is to avenge his death on the Swamp Thing and Abby, even though it wasn't they who caused it, but his would-be henchman Harry Kay's HeroicSacrifice, as Arcane himself acknowledges by implication.

* SnowMeansDeath: A snowstorm, which in real life is almost unheard-of in southern Louisiana's sub-tropical climate, herald's Arcane's murder of Abby.

* PietaPlagiarism: The final panel shows Swamp Thing mournfully carrying the deceased Abby. Bear in mind that this came well before the famous, often-imitated image of Franchise/Superman doing so with ComicBook/Supergirl in ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''.

** {{Cannibalism}} / {{Autocannibalism}}: Tropical fish in a pet shop eat each other, then themselves.

** Cannibalism / Autocannibalism: Tropical fish in a pet shop eat each other, then themselves.

Over Abby's objections, Arcane reveals her husband's dirty secret: that, under the influence of alcohol, he squandered his power on creating erotic fantasy women, thus damning himself before Arcane had a chance to. Sensing an opportunity, he used his own psychic influence to make Paul's parents summon the Monkey King, so as to distract Abby and the Swamp Thing while he caused Matt to crash his car. Thus, Matt, psychologically and physically weakened, surrendered his body to him. Arcane basks in his new, apparent omnipotence as hands rise from the floorboards and pull Abby in after them.

Their job done, Arcane's zombie companions are free to reassume their living human guises and go out looking for victims. Meanwhile, his influence reaches Arkham Asylum, giving the staff a busy night. It even attracts, from space, the attention of the Monitor and Harbinger in one of their early, cross-title appearances pre-[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]. And it causes various evildoers to head for Louisiana.

Arcane, no longer needing to pose as Matt, takes on a progressively more demonic appearance as he goes out, shirtless and barefoot, into a blizzard. (Presumably, doing so is another demonstration of his power, as is the otherwise extremely rare phenomenon of snow in southern Louisiana.) There he reveals himself to the Swamp Thing, and promises his upcoming demise. The Swamp Thing is relatively unmoved, until Arcane says he has Abby. He follows Arcane back to their house and up the stairs, finding her lying in bed. Cradling her in his arms, he tearfully asks his laughing arch-enemy, "HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN DEAD??"

Their job done, Arcane's zombie companions are free to reassume their living human guises and go out looking for victims. Meanwhile, his influence reaches Arkham Asylum, giving the staff a busy night. It even attracts, from space, the attention of the Monitor and Harbinger in one of their early, cross-title appearances pre-[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]].

Arcane, no longer needing to pose as Matt, takes on a progressively more demonic appearance as he goes out, shirtless and barefoot, into a blizzard. (Presumably, doing so is another demonstration of his power, as is the otherwise extremely rare phenomenon of snow in southern Louisiana.) There he reveals himself to the Swamp Thing, and promises his upcoming demise. The Swamp Thing is relatively unmoved, until Arcane says he has Abby. He follows Arcane back to their house and up the stairs, finding her lying in bed. Cradling her in his arms, he walks back down and tearfully asks his laughing arch-enemy, "HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN DEAD??"