Roots Of The Swamp Thing: Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, The Un-Men And More

The Herero tribe of Africa's Kalahari Desert is annihilated by German colonials in an attempt to steal their land. More than 80% of the Herero are murdered. Those not killed in battle are marched barefoot across the burning sands with their wives and children; any who refuse are shot on the spot. The Germans poison the few wells in the area, forcing the Herero to drink from the breasts of new mothers. Children are forced to rip open their dead fathers to find the water in their bellies. Only a few thousand Herero survive the genocide; their descendants relocate to Namibia. This massacre lays the groundwork for the Nazi Holocaust, yet few in the Western world ever hear of this atrocity.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #19: "Rootless"

early 1900s A.D.

Aniela Arcane is born to Transylvanians Ana�s and Josip Arcane. Her older brother Anton sexually abuses her as she grows older, causing her to fear and loathe him. Sadly, her parents never know.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

Augustine "Ya-Ya" Dupin is born. He will later be known as "the father of Cajun Zydeco music."

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #111: "Zydeco Ya-Ya"

Dr. Alex and Linda Olsen are wed. Alex's scientist partner, Dr. Damian Ridge, pretends to be happy for them but is secretly furious that his best friend has married the woman he, too, loves.

The House of Secrets #92:"Swamp Thing"

NOTE: The issue was reprinted as both a Millennium Edition and in Series 2, issue #33.

Damian Ridge toasts Alex and Linda Olsen's first wedding anniversary, still hiding his anger at their joining. Soon thereafter, an explosion in their lab leaves Alex dead. No one realizes Damian arranged the explosion and dumped Alex's battered, chemical-soaked body in the swamp so he himself could be with Linda. After consoling Linda through her mourning period, Damian eventually marries her.

The House of Secrets #92:"Swamp Thing"

Abraham Monroe releases M'Nagalah the Eternal from its extra-universal exile using a spell-book written by his ancestor, Dr. Malcomb Monroe, entitled Visions of a Dead Priest.

Challengers of the Unknown #83: "Chapter 3-The Gods Crawl Closer"

This action condemns the town of Perdition, Pennsylvania, to seventy years of demonic control.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #8: "The Lurker in Tunnel 13"

A Cajun female named Dorisca, future wife of Adras Mouton, is born near Houma, Louisiana.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #92: "La Terre qui Dispara�t"

The muck-encrusted mockery of a man once known as Alex Olsen stares at a mansion in the Louisiana swamps. Pining for his lost life, he recalls the explosion that led to his condition. After six months of marriage, meanwhile, Linda has begun to suspect Damian's guilt in Alex's death. To keep her silent, Damian prepares to inject her with a deadly poison, but Alex crashes into the room and kills his former friend. He tries to explain who he is, but seeing her horror at his mossy appearance, he shambles sadly back into the swamp without saying a word.

The House of Secrets #92:"Swamp Thing"

NOTE: The date for these events is revealed in Swamp Thing (Series 2) #47.

Alex Olsen eventually learns his true nature and begins his reign as Earth's next Erl-King. In time, he befriends the Cajuns of Louisiana and teaches them much about being one with Nature. They refer to him as Bon Gumbo.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #33: "Abandoned Houses"

Occultist Aubrey Trask is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #18: "Village of the Doomed"

Gregori Arcane, father of Abby Arcane, is born to Ana�s and Josip Arcane of Transylvania.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

Thomas Constantine-father of John Constantine-is born, one of seven sons of a poor stevedore (a laborer who loads and unloads ships). His mother dies when he is young.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

c. 1914 to 1918 A.D.

During World War I, Pilate's great-grandfather loses an eye in the service of his country.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #4: "Killing Time, Part One-The Pride"

July 12, 1914 A.D.

One month after the start of World War I, Ana�s Arcane and her two youngest children, Aniela and Gregori, stay with her war hero cousin, Baron Hans von Hammer (Enemy Ace). Her husband, Vice-Count Josip Arcane of Transylvania, has gone to war to defend their homeland against Austria-Hungary's invasion. Thus, it is no longer safe for the family to stay at Castle Arcane in Transylvania. Ten years Ana�s' junior, Hans is a gracious host but unsociable, and has little to do with the Arcane family, spending his time either piloting his beloved Jagedstaffel or else pondering the war.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

July 28, 1914 A.D.

Ana�s Arcane and her children are nearly killed in a French strafing run at Hans von Hammer's Jagedstaffel. Hans comes to their rescue, shooting the French flier out of the sky. The wreckage kills one pilot and badly burns another, and Hans decides to treat the survivor's injuries out of respect. Ana�s fetches an ambulance from Corporal Schmidt. She is horrified at the killing, but Hans has seen much death and is coldly stoic. Meanwhile, sent back in time by the Claw of Aelkh�nd, Alec Holland's spirit enters the dead pilot's burnt body and incoherently rises from the rubble, half-human, half-elemental. Ana�s writes a letter to Josip telling him of these events.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

July 29, 1914 A.D.

Austria invades Belgrade, Serbia. Josip Arcane is killed in the battle while leading his mounted cavalry against a squad of armored tanks. His eldest son, Anton, is expelled from the Hamburg School of Medicine for unethical surgical experiments, sadism, drug addiction, necrophilia, moral turpitude, depravity, debasement, decadence and attempting to re-animate dead flesh. Anton joins the German Army, and when Ana�s visits him on the Western Front, she finds him experimenting on the mortally wounded. He has found his calling but is intrigued when she asks him to come check on a strange man whose wounds have grown stitched to plant material. His return frightens his siblings, who recall his years of abuse. Anton examines Alec, who recognizes has old enemy despite his brain damage. Unaware of Josip's death, Ana�s writes to him of these events.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

As a ritualistic magician, Anton Arcane can access the twin disciplines of communication and control. Though unable to channel the mana stream himself, he can reach out across the stream and make contact with potent otherworldy and extraterrestrial entities.

DC Heroes Role-Playing Game—Magic Sourcebook

August 12, 1914 A.D.

Many Serbians evacuate their home to flee the Austrian invaders. Intrigued by the half-plant pilot, Anton remains at the Baron's estate to study him. He grows fascinated by von Hammer's collection of occult artifacts, among them Abdul Al-Hazred's Necronomicon, von Snacht's Human Anatomy, Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, and the Claw of Aelkh�nd. He resumes his molestation of Aniela and torture of Gregori, sewing one of the boy's dolls into a patchwork mockery. Spending time plotting with young Corporal Adolf Hitler and other future Axis leaders, he convinces Hans to take Alec up in his plane as a form of therapy. Alec sees Ana�s and mistakes her for Abby, but his damaged mind cannot sort it out. Obsessed with Alec's recuperative powers, Anton grows convinced Alec is the key he has long sought to unlock the power of immortality. Putting aside all other work, he begins torturing the soldier's body to see how fast Alec's powers can rejuvenate him.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

late August, 1914 A.D.

Hans von Hammer earns a warrior reputation and the nickname "The Hammer of Hell." While he is off on a sortie, Anton holds vigil over Alec, using occult powers to elicit his secrets. However, Alec reveals nothing. Anton taunts him with the Claw of Aelkh�nd, which burns his flesh, but to no avail. Ana�s hears Alec's screams and discovers Anton's actions, disavowing him as an evil man. Anton tries to stab his mother as a blood-sacrifice, but Hans enters and shoots a hole in Anton's chest. Alec comes to and asks them to show him the Claw. They do, and he feels his body slip out of time once more, thanking them and telling Ana�s she is as beautiful as her granddaughter. His next stop: the Old West, 1872. Hans ponders Alec's connection to the Claw but vows to keep it a secret, walled up in the castle dungeon. To their astonishment, Anton's body is gone, a seeming impossibility given his wound. Ana�s chooses to leave Castle von Hammer, taking the children to stay with Uncle Wladyslaw in Krakow until it is safe to return to her home, Castle Arcane. As she leaves, a messenger delivers a telegram announcing Josip's death. Like a good soldier, she doesn't cry at the news.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #83: "Brothers in Arms, Part One"

Surviving the near-fatal wound using sorcery and science, Anton Arcane resumes his military career.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #82: "Brothers in Arms, Part Two"

Carlton Avery H. Sunderland, future general and founder of Sunderland Corporation, is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #121: "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rulers"

NOTE: The Swamp Thing issue of Vertigo Secret Files & Origins gives Sunderland's name as Carlton, even though his name had already been established in issue #6 of the second series as Avery H. Sunderland. I have simply combined the two names.

Petty criminal Jack Constantine (Thomas Constantine's brother, John and Cheryl Constantine's uncle) is born to Lance Corporal William Constantine and his wife, Alice.

The Dreaming #32: "London Pride"

NOTE: Jack's birth year is never given, but since his father, William Constantine, is said (in Hellblazer #69) to have died on July 1, 1916, that narrows down the range considerably. Given that he appears in his mid-20s, I assume that his father died around the time Jack was born.

July 1, 1916 A.D.

Lance Corporal William "Bill" Constantine, a member of the British Army, fights on the scarlands of the Somme under the command of Sergeant Fletcher. Constantine is a regular guy, lacking the penchant for magic shared by many of his kin, such as future mage John Constantine. Amid a battlefield of corpses, Constantine finds the legless body of his dying comrade, Private Ken Wilson, and promises to find water. Upon his return, however, he sees a man standing over Wilson, blood dripping from his mouth—it is the King of the Vampires, a denizen of Hell. Enraged, Constantine stabs the vampire with his bayonet, only to die a gurgling death as the undead leader opens his throat with a finger.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #69: "Rough Trade"

As World War I rages in Europe, thousands die at the Battle of the Somme in Germany. The King of theVampires, delighting in such a feast, dines on the dying soldiers each night, whispering in their ears that they were fools to trust their leaders.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #50: "Remarkable Lives"

After serving alongside Adolf Hitler for three years, Anton Arcane convinces him of his destiny to rule the world, not out of any loyalty to the man (indeed, he abhors Hitler's flatulence problem), but rather from a desire to start a second land-war in Europe. He has begun building an army of deformed man-creatures he calls Un-Men, but World War I will end too soon for him to have an adequate supply. With Hitler in control, he knows the body count will be staggering, providing unlimited resources. However, once on the path to becoming F�hrer, Hitler disavows Arcane and joins the Nazi Party. Arcane later serves the Nazis, but only to further his work.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #82: "Brothers in Arms, Part Two"

Composer Joseph John Davilla writes "The Mysterious Axman's Jazz (Don't Scare Me, Papa)."

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #94: "The Mysterious Axman's Jazz"

In Egypt's Valley of Ur, archeologist Sven Nelson takes his son Kent on an expedition to determine who really built the pyramids, as he believes they were built by aliens, not the Egyptians. Finding a new temple, he searches its Chamber of History for evidence to support his theory. However, a trap emits poisonous gas, killing him. Young Kent discovered the immobilized form of Nabu, a man of magic who was born on the planet Cilia half a million years ago, and has remained alive because of his ability to molecularly control his own body. Helping Kent bury his father, the man promises to make up for his loss by teaching Kent all he knows. In time, Kent becomes known as Dr. Fate.

More Fun Comics #67: "The Origin of Doctor Fate"

NOTE: This issue is included in the timeline because it reveals the first appearance of John Constantine's demonic nemesis, Nergal. Since Nergal does not return until Hellblazer's debut four decades later, many fans have forgotten the demon's initial Golden Age appearance.

Author H.P. Lovecraft creates his most famous character, Cthulhu. Unbeknownst to others, he bases Cthulhu on an actual creature he learned about from contact with M'Nagalah the Eternal.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #37: "An American Gothic-Growth Patterns"

A union activist and brewery wage slave outside of Chicago is beaten, set afire and thrown into a vat of fermenting hops. He is reborn to take vengeance as Earth's next Erl-King, the Kettle Hole-Devil.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #68: "Reflections in a Golden Eye"

NOTE: Oddly enough, Alex Olsen is still the reigning Swamp Thing at this point. Why the Green would choose to create a second champion is unrevealed.

A young Cajun couple, Adras and Dorisca, fall in love and plan their life together. Adras trains to be a traiteur, or faith-healer, and the couple befriend Alex Olsen, the reigning Swamp Thing.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #92: "La Terre qui Dispara�t"

c. 1920s or 1930s A.D.

Young Samuel "Sammy" Morris receives a punch in the nose, causing a nosebleed. For weeks thereafter, he sucks the blood out of his coat collar-an early indication of emotional instability. On another occasion, Sammy's dog Samson becomes very ill and in pain. To his horror, his father kills it to end its suffering. Sammy thinks his father evil until the man explains that when you love something, that sometimes means being cruel to be kind. Later that night, his mother Fleur and his father go out for the evening, leaving him alone for the first time. He is scared, but his mother promises they'll be back by midnight. They fail to return at that time, however, and he convinces himself they must be dead. When they show up at 4:00 a.m., he overhears them saying they can't wait until he goes back to boarding school so he won't be around anymore. The pain pushes him over the edge, and since he's already mourned their loss, he decides they might as well be dead.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #30: "Fatality"

NOTE: This placement is conjectural, based on Sammy's appearance as a man in his 70s in 1989.

Young Sammy Morris waits until his parents go to bed, then enters their room. Finding them naked and asleep, he kills his father, George, by crushing his skull with a hammer. His mother Fleur awakens, but the darkness keeps her from seeing the gore around her, so she tells her son to go back to sleep. Responding only that he loves her, he hammers her head in as well. Thus begins his life as a serial killer. In later years, he will become known as Homo Familiaris, aka the Family Man.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

NOTE: This placement is conjectural, based on Sammy's appearance as a man in his 70s in 1989.

Jamie Kilmartin, future pilot in the British Air Force, is born.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #71: "Rough Trade"

October 3, 1923 A.D.

Mary Anne Constantine (maiden name unknown)-future wife of Thomas Constantine, and future mother of Cheryl and John-is born.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #31: "Mourning of the Magician"

Gregori Arcane studies in the best German universities and builds his own successful business. At the same time, his brother Anton leaves a trail of carnage across Europe with his unethical and horrible experiments. As a result, the name Arcane becomes synonymous with distrust and not even Gregori can escape such prejudice.

DC Heroes Role-Playing Game-Swamp Thing Sourcebook

Augustine "Ya-Ya" Dupin buys a used Zydeco (accordion) and plays for the poor townsfolk. A woman named Rosalie asks him to sing about bad times in her life, infuriating her lover into busting the Zydeco with a bottle. Jean Theriot, the finest fiddler in Acadiana, offers him a place in the band, and with the advent of records and radio, the Jean Theriot Band becomes quite popular. Bound for Nashville, they play at a rich man's daughter's coming-out party. Though talented, he makes the mistake of accepting her handkerchief to wipe his sweaty face. Several racists in attendance lynch and kill him to remind him of his place. Ya-Ya's ghost later returns to the estate with a zydeco from Hell. Not only able to produce beautiful music, it also sets his killers ablaze.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #111: "Zydeco Ya-Ya"

Nelson Strong, future champion of the Parliament of Stones, is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #145: "Big Game"

Future mass-murdering priest Esau Tocsin is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #125: "Family Reunion"

Thomas Comstantine, father of John and Cheryl Constantine, manages to survive the Great Depression years by taking odd jobs when he can, then goes to work in Liverpool as a stevedore (a laborer who loads and unloads ships) like his father before him.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

Ray Edwin Hayley is born to Aaron and Meg Hayley of Okalahoma.

Swamp Thing: Roots

Future serial killer Sally Parks is born.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #29: "Dark Messiah-Love and Death"

Alex Olsen retires as the reigning Swamp Thing and welcomes eternal rest with the Parliament of Trees. Having grown weary of the problems of the world, and still full of sorrow over losing Linda, he longs to lose himself in the group mind of the Parliament. Before leaving, he bids farewell to a young Cajun couple, Adras and Dorisca, whom he has befriended.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #92: "La Terre qui Dispara�t"

John Constantine's psychic friend and future nun Anne-Marie is born.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #11: "Newcastle-A Taste of Things to Come"

c. 1939 to 1945 A.D.

A battleship sunken during World War II finds its final resting place a mile below the Marianas Trench, a thousand miles from the coast of Japan in the heart of the Philippine Sea. Over the next half-century, the debris of war and lost souls will be cleansed by the dark, freezing waters, never to be seen again until Alec finds it in 1995.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #158: "River Run, Chapter Seven-The Parliament of Waves"

During World War II, Pilate's grandfather loses a leg in the service of his country.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #4: "Killing Time, Part One-The Pride"

1930s or 1940s A.D.

A young Black man in Houma named Ray finds his father hanging from a noose on Breeze Avenue. The sight of his dead father hung to death stays with Ray for the rest of his life.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #13: "Measure of Faith, Chapter One"

NOTE: This placement is conjectural, based on Ray's apparent age in 2005. There is not enough evidence available to choose a more specific date.

Katie Hayley is born to Aaron and Meg Hayley of Okalahoma.

Swamp Thing: Roots

A year into World War II, a German bomber crashes near Morningstown Crescent, a town outside Camden, England. The crash blocks the road, preventing an ambulance from bringing a woman in labor to a local hospital. Therefore, the driver takes her to the Northampton Arms, a pub in Camden and one of the few buildings in the area still standing. The woman gives birth in the pub and names the child Laura.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #47: "The Pub Where I Was Born"

Jamie Kilmartin, an 18-year-old British Air Force pilot, serves as Blue Flight wingman to a pilot named Nichols. A comrade, Frankie Thompson, is shot down, his last request that Kilmartin take care of his dog Tigger. The war rages on, and Kilmartin finds his commanding officer, Squadron Leader Grant, drinking one night beneath a plane. Grant offers him a drink, mourning the number of good men he's seen die. When the youth says everyone must accept death, Grant loses his cool, telling him it's vital to fight death as long as possible. The next day, German pilots shoot Kilmartin down. Inspired by Grant's words, he vows to survive, but his plane is too damaged to land and crashes along the bank of the River Thames, not far from Hornchurch. Kilmartin dies on impact, his body unrecovered.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #71: "Rough Trade"

Gregori Arcane, now in his thirties, gets married.

DC Heroes Role-Playing Game-Swamp Thing Sourcebook

Gregori's beautiful wife is named Anise, and Gregori's brother Anton loves her as well, never forgiving Gregori for taking the woman he feels should have been his.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #125: "Family Reunion"

A young child named Eric, whose parents are killed during the Nazi Holocaust, discovers a portal to the children's paradise known as Free Country. With no one to watch him in the adult world, he crosses the threshold and meets a woman named Grandma, who cares for him and other children.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) Annual #7: "A Child's Garden Revisited"

NOTE: A Children's Crusade crossover.

Occultist Aleister Crowley tries to steal a secret artifact from the Vatican's vaults―the apple Adam gave to Eve, expelling mankind from paradise―but is thwarted by the Justice Society of America.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #148: "Feeding Habits"

Two years later, John Sergeant (Sargon the Sorcerer) succeeds where Aleister Crowley failed, stealing Adam's apple from the Vatican's vaults and hiding it in Germany's Schwarzwald Black Forest. Staring at his prize, Sargon feels tears well up in his eyes as he holds in his hand man's first desperate grasp at the illumination of the soul. Burying the apple in the ancient Earth, he whispers a prayer to a force much older than God. Never again, he knows, will he fear an eternity in the Pit, shackled forever to the physical plane, for this is his passport to Heaven. From the buried apple grows a huge oak tree, the Devil's Oak, which in time will be known as the Bleeding Tree.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #149: "The Roots of All Evil"

NOTE: Sargon says this occurred "more than thirty years ago," but given Crowley's death in 1947, and that his attempt preceded Sargon's by only two years, he must be under-stating the span of time involved.

A battleship sinks in the Philippine Sea during World War II, a thousand miles from the coast of Japan. Half a century later, Alec Holland will discover its rotting hulk, stripped clean of war debris.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #158: "River Run, Chapter Seven-The Parliament of Waves"

The fallen angel Dekker, cast out of the court of the Archangel Michael for putting forth the outrageous idea that humanity constitutes an elemental force, tries to regain entrance to God's Kingdom by proving his theory. Determined to find one being who embodies the human element and bring him under his aegis so he can pull the human's strings while posing as his servant, Dekker concludes (after millennia of failed searching among noble and common men) that the elemental force he seeks must reside with the monsters of the human race. To that end, he comes to serve Adolf Hitler during World War II, but the German dictator fails to display the elemental force he seeks.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #8: "Missing Links, Conclusion"

Teenager Samuel Morris kills his parents with a hammer to punish them for staying out late. Finding them naked and asleep in their bed, he first kills his father, George, which awakens his mother. Unable to see the hammer or her dead husband's crushed skull, she sees her son and tells him to go back to sleep. Telling her he loves her, Sammy brings the hammer down upon her head as well. In later years, he will be known as the serial killer Homo Familiaris (aka, the Family Man).

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

Two years into World War II, occultist Ernst von Ruhnstedt helps Adolf Hitler carry out his Holocaust against the Jews. Secretly recruited by Heinrich Himmler to aid the Third Reich, he is imprisoned at Dachau after Hitler orders all occultists purged from his Inner Circle. The Nazis neutralize a mystical pendulum that is the source of his power, then sentence him to a concentration camp at Dachau, where he dies alongside the Jews he once persecuted. His pendulum becomes highly sought by those wishing to resurrect Hitler's Final Solution.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #10: "Number of the Beast"

Among Hitler's S.S. is Otto Mueller, who later avoids prosecution in the N�rnberg trials.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #11: "Heart of Stone, Feet of Clay"

Jewish physician Helmut Kripptmann, na�vely believing he might be able to help his fellow Jews from within, cooperates with Nazi doctors, an action he will regret the rest of his life.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #12: "And Yet it Lives"

Kent Nelson, a.k.a. Dr. Fate, meets a woman named Inza Cramer in Alexandria, Egypt. Falling in love, the two begin roaming the world together, fighting those who would practice sorcery. One night, at a party, they meet a man who says shadows are stalking him, trying to steal his lfie essence. With Inza at his side, Dr. Fate descends into the Netherworld to confront a demon named Black Nergal, who has been sending the shadowy spirits to the world of the living. Threatening to destroy Nergal if he doesn't stop this practice, Dr. Fate prevents the demon's shadows from overrunning the world.

More Fun Comics #67: "The Origin of Doctor Fate"

May 10, 1941 A.D.

Petty criminal Jack Constantine (Thomas Constantine's brother, John and Cheryl Constantine's uncle) plans a heist to loot medicines from bombed-out chemists in London. A police officer, Sergeant Bert White, vows to catch him and his cronies in the act. Later that night, as Jack perpetrates the crime, an air raid levels several buildings, including the one he's looting. White enters to arrest him just as the building collapses, killing them both. As their spirits arise from their deceased bodies, the cop arrests him anyway-dead or not, he must still nab his prey.

The Dreaming #32: "London Pride"

NOTE: Jack's birth year is never given, but since his father, William Constantine, is said (in Hellblazer #69) to have died in 1916, he must be at least 25 at the time of his death.

Matt Higgins, a British soldier in the 7th Armored Division (the so-called "Desert Rats"), fights at Alamein in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II, then returns home to find that peacetime life is not as exciting as the war. Turning to smoking and drinking to pass the time, he begins a downward spiral that eventually culminates in his getting lung cancer.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #41: "Dangerous Habits, Part One—The Beginning of the End"

Matt Higgins' superior officer is Carstairs, a man hated by his troops for his snobbery. After the Alamein scrap, he is killed when his soldiers abandon him during a raid on an Arab village. Blown to pieces as his explosives-filled Panzer truck detonates, Carstairs is sent hom in a matchbox.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #43: "Dangerous Habits, Part Three—Friends in High Places"

December 1942 A.D.

German pilot Albert H�llerer is shot down during World War II and emerges as the next Erl-King, the Heap. He wanders aimlessly for ten years before joining the Parliament of Trees in 1953.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #47: "An American Gothic-The Parliament of Trees"

NOTE: The Heap originated not with DC Comics, but in a 1940s Hillman title, Airboy. He is not called the Heap in this issue; rather, this is writer Alan Moore's homage to that series.

c. early 1940s A.D.

Scientist Larry Holland and his wife Alice have a son, whom they name Edward. The family lives in Stamford, Connecticut.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #22: "The Solomon Plague"

NOTE: This placement is conjectural, based on his appearing a few years older than Alec in 1974.

Jim Rook, future superhero known as the Nightmaster, is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #160: "Atmospheres, Part 1-Ace of Swords"

Cheryl Constantine is born to Thomas Constantine, a poor stevedore (a laborer who loads and unloads ships) in Liverpool, and his wife Mary Anne. Cheryl is John Constantine's sister, 10 years his elder. When she is very young, a careless accident causes Thomas to lose an arm at work, earning him the nickname "One-Arm Tom." With little work available to him, Thomas goes hungry for ten years so Cheryl can eat.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

NOTE: Cheryl's birth year is an assumption, based on Thomas' statement that he went hungry for 10 years efore John was born (which occurred in 1953) so she could eat.

Meg Hayley leaves Oklahoma to escape the abuse of her husband Aaron. She takes their children, Ray Edwin and Katie, with her. Aaron joins the U.S. Air Force but is shot down over the East China Sea in World War II. He awakens to find a Chinese man watching over him. To his horror, he learns he is dead, and it is the other's duty to prepare him for life as the next plant elemental.

Swamp Thing: Roots

NOTE: The Chinese man's purpose is unclear, for at no other time has an Earth elemental been shown to require preparation prior to assuming the role. It's possible the scenes with him in it are merely in Hayley's mind, intended to be perceived as a dream or metaphor.

Six months later, Aaron Hayley tries to find his family, who have settled in Hegdegrow, a Midwest city in Posey County. Meg is now a teacher, and among her students are Russell and Payton Butchie, the bully sons of local racist Owen Butchie. 62-year-old Black farmer Te Burnett (short for his full name, Take Me Home My Lord) finds an injured man in his root cellar, among the roots of an old tree. He tends to the man's wounds, unaware it's the Devil come to corrupt his good nature. When Te befriends 7-year-old Ray Edwin, Butchie forms a posse to punish him for consorting with Whites. Evil soon takes hold of the town: a startled horse tramples Mr. Dalton, leaving his lover, Miss Pearson, heartbroken; lightning strikes the Gillam Barn; the Clayborns' handyman sets fire to their grain house; and the wind blows a church steeple clear off. Swamp Thing Aaron Hayley arrives at Hedgegrow to confront the Devil. Assaulted with memories of his own sins, he takes strength from his love for his family and rushes through the Green to stop Te's hanging. The mob disperses and Te survives, but Aaron is cut down in the fight, his brief reign as Swamp Thing over but his soul redeemed.

Swamp Thing: Roots

NOTE: Albert H�llerer still reigns as Erl-King. Why the Green would require two champions at once, or take such interest in the affairs of mankind for that matter, is unclear.

After fifty years of decaying within the water and debris of Slaughter Swamp, murdered miser Cyrus Gold re-emerges as Solomon Grundy, an angry, brutish, undead creature endowed with limited intelligence and inhuman strength. Though destined to become a plant elemental, Gold instead becomes Grundy because a vital ingredient is missing at the time of his death: namely, fire.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #67: "The Wisdom of Solomon"

NOTE: Once again, Albert H�llerer still reigns as Erl-King. Why the Green would require a third champion is even more unclear. The 1940s sure are an active period for elementals!

Jim Corrigan (the Spectre) visits a pregnant Alice Holland in her Stamford, Connecticut home, warning that her unborn second son will become a monster and, fifty years hence, rise up to destroy the world. He urges her to terminate the pregnancy or else millions will die and "an older power" will be the agent of her son's doom. Though shaken, she ignores his advice and gives birth to a son, Alec.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #147: "Amsterdamnation"

NOTE: The year of Alec's birth is a source of some confusion. Although the year is established as 1945 in issue #16 of series 2, issue #147 claims he was born in 1951, while the Vertigo Secret Files & Origins Swamp Thing timeline places his birth in 1952. Issue #169 sets his birth in the 1950s but is not more specific than that. I have gone with the first reference since his wife Linda will be born in 1949 and he is older than she. The Stamford reference is from the Secret Files timeline.

Edward Holland and his brother Alec form a fast sibling rivalry and continue not to get along throughout their lives.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #22: "The Solomon Plague"

Twelve-year-old Nelson Strong, future champion of the Parliament of Stones, gives in to peer pressure from other children to sample wild mushrooms. His parents are stationed in England at the time because of World War II. The kids claim the mushrooms will let him see the Green Man, and to prove he's not afraid, he eats over 200. This overdose evokes a terrifying vision of the Swamp Thing killing him in the future, a vision that will haunt him the rest of his life.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #145: "Big Game"

NOTE: One has to wonder why eating mushrooms would give someone visions of Swamp Thing. As Doug Wheeler established in his "Quest for the Elementals" saga, mushrooms aren't part of the Green; they're from the Grey. Thus, Nelson should have seen visions of the Grey's champion, Matango, rather than Swamp Thing, who represents the Green.

After his overdose, Nelson Strong awakens to find his parents and a physician named Dr. Pimm looking him over. Unable to separate dream from reality, he insists the experience really happened.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #147: "Amsterdamnation"

NOTE: Abby Holland will also come under Dr. Pimm's treatment some fifty years later.

Determined to be ready when the day of his execution comes, Nelson Strong spends the rest of his life training as a hunter, becoming one of the best on the planet. Knowing what evil lurks in the shadows, he develops a great fear of darkness that continues on into adulthood. Though an expert killer, he sleeps with the light on for the next fifty years, until the prophecy finally comes to pass.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #145: "Big Game"

April or May 1945 A.D.

As World War II ends (with Germany on the losing side), Hitler's top aide, Martin Bormann, sends a submarine to South America containing two billion dollars' worth of treasure stolen from Nazi victims. The booty is lost, however, when the U-boat sinks, only to turn up years later in Latin America.

World's Finest #219: "The Prisoner of Rogues' Rock"

May 1, 1945 A.D.

Alec Holland begins a trek through time after being hit by an alien matrix disruptor. His first stop: May 1, 1945, at the end of World War II, fighting alongside Sergeant Frank Rock's Easy Company in the body of dead soldier Alexander Holland. His recovery earns him the nickname "Lazarus." The war ends when the Allied Forces take Berlin, and Easy is sent to wipe out a German meat-packing factory. Sensing more than cattle-slaughter within, Alec volunteers. He and Rock kill a Nazi and come face-to-face with a bull branded with a pentagram on its forehead. To Rock's amazement, Alec calms the beast. A Nazi Colonel searches the castle ruins of Baron Hans von Hammer, hoping to unearth a prize for Hitler in a last-ditch effort to win the war. He finds the corpse of a Frenchman holding the Claw of Aelkh�nd and sheds a tear for his defeated F�hrer. He also holds the Krystallnacht Skull, Caesar's Obsidian Scepter, a Yeti pelt, Empress Josephine's jewelry box (containing Napoleon's foreskin), the Spear of Destiny and a horde of reference books including Comte D'erlette's Cultes des Goules, The Sussex Fragments, von Jontz's Unau�prechlichen Kulten, and Abdul Al-Hazred's Necronomicon. Only one item is missing for the spell: the Rhineland Stud. General Anton Arcane has procured the prized bull. Arcane holds Hitler in disgust; for he encouraged the man to seize power while serving with him in World War I, but was disavowed in favor of the Nazi Party. The Colonel is horrified at his mockery of Hitler and shoots him as a traitor. Arcane, however, has attained near-immortality and is unharmed. The Colonel opens fire, but Arcane deflects the bullets and takes the Claw from him. Arcane has been experimenting in combining body parts from deceased soldiers to create an army that will blindly follow him. He calls them Un-Men, and he grounds up the Colonel's body to feed them. Leaving Alec to free the stud, Rock returns to his men and learns that Easy will be relieved once a team of B-17s arrives to bomb the plant. He rushes back to retrieve Alec, who has shed Holland's body to track down Arcane. Arcane recognizes him from an incident in von Hammer's dungeon, twenty years prior, and uses the Claw to trap him in its amber gem. As Alec vanishes, the bull's horns impale Arcane, who vows to hunt Alec down and learn the secret of his immortality―a vow that will take thirty years to fulfill. As the Un-Men rush him to a hospital, Rock's team confiscate the artifacts with help from the Unknown Soldier, ending the Nazi occult option. Next stop: 1914.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #82: "Brothers in Arms, Part Two"

Otto Mueller, a member of Adolf Hitler's S.S., narrowly avoids prosecution in the N�rnberg trials.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #11: "Heart of Stone, Feet of Clay"

A Russian farmer named Staj emigrates to the U.S. and buys a plot of land to farm. Forty-two years later, his garden starts growing mysterious sweet potatoes bearing the face of the Swamp Thing.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #70: "The Secret Life of Plants"

Alan Bolland, a sociopath almost chosen to replace Alec Holland as Swamp Thing in 1988, is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #68: "Reflections in a Golden Eye"

June 2, 1948 A.D.

Matthew Joseph Cable-future D.D.I. agent, future husband to Abigail Arcane-Cable and Sandman companion Matt the Raven-is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #92: "La Terre qui Dispara�t"

NOTE: Although this issue provides Matt's exact birth and death dates, his grave (seen in issue #125) later records his birth and death years as 1952 and 1990. The Dreaming #23 incorrectly gives his middle name as John-perhaps it's a confirmation name? On the other hand, he is medicated at the time he gives this name, so it might be entirely wrong.

Linda Olsen Ridge, future scientist and wife of Alec Holland, is born.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #16: "Stopover in a Place of Secret Truths"

NOTE: Linda's maiden name is revealed in the Vertigo Secret Files & Origins Swamp Thing timeline, the implication being that she is descended from Linda Olsen (Alex Olsen's wife) and Damian Ridge (Olsen's killer). No author has yet explored this fascinating concept.

Linda Olsen Ridge's mother is Agnes Asherman. Her father's name is unrecorded.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #144: "A Hope in Hell"

NOTE: Whether Asherman is Agnes' maiden name or that of a second husband is unclear.

Alice Holland leaves her son Alec alone on his first day of school, which terrifies him. This early trauma of separation stays with him on into his adult life.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #170: "Trial By Fire, Part 5-Apocalypse Now"

NOTE: No date is given for this event, but since children in the United States begin school at age five, I have assumed this age, given a birth year of 1945.

Future journalist Lizabeth "Liz" Tremayne is born.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #9: "Prelude to Holocaust"

NOTE: Liz's birthyear is based on a newspaper headline establishing that she will be 32 years old in 1982.

The British government builds a research center in Stokesley, a small farming town north of Yorkshire, so it can conduct chemical tests, food-safety checks, water purification experiments and other research. For the next four decades, the facilitiy provides low-paying jobs to the locals.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #57: "Mortal Clay"

Early 1950s A.D.

Alice Holland dies when Alec is young. Her scientist husband Larry buries himself in work, ignoring him. Turning to science and art, Alec locks away the pain his parents caused; as he grows older, he still sees his father in every face he meets. Only his dog―and, later, his wife Linda―help him heal.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #139: "The Mind Fields, Part Two"

His father's rejection may well account for Alec Holland's inability to bond with his older brother, Edward, who also follows Larry's footsteps in becoming a scientist.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #22: "The Solomon Plague"

In science, Alec seeks an escape from pain, dreaming that he can change the world for the better.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing

Future Viet Nam War soldier "Reef" is born.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #8: "Here's Lookin' at You, Kid"

Future Cajun murderer Merlin "Merle" Everett Layton is born in Louisiana.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #125: "Family Reunion"

Nathaniel Broder, future founder of Broder Electronics, is born.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #14: "Crystal Visions, Shattered Dreams"

Ruth Monroe, future lover of Alec Holland, is born. Her mother, an activist for women's liberation, urges Ruth and her brother to stand on their own and be the best they can be.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #23: "Rebirth and Nightmare"

German pilot Albert H�llerer (the Heap) steps down as the reigning plant elemental, taking his rightful place among the Parliament of Trees in the rain forests of Patagonia, Brazil.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #47: "An American Gothic-The Parliament of Trees"

Albert H�llerer's replacement as Erl-King is Alan Hallman, who dies a fiery death while working to find a formula to repair damaged crops, then emerges as the next Earth elemental.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #103: "Exodus"

May 10, 1953 A.D.

At age 29, Mary Anne Constantine goes into labor for her second child. She and husband Thomas travel to the hospital, unaware she is actually carrying twins. Inside the womb, future occultist John Constantine—a sick, shriveled fetus—senses that only one baby will survive the birth. To ensure his own survival, he ties the umbilical cord around his healthier brother's neck and ruptures his placenta. Hemorrhaging kills Mary and the healthier baby, while John survives. Had the other lived, he would have become a magus far greater than John. Upon learning of his wife's death, a devastated Thomas shuns his surviving son as evil and ugly, much to the doctors' condemnation.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #39: "Twins—The Hanged Man"

NOTE: "Twins," the title of this two-part storyline, does not appear on the title page, which simply contains the subtitle "The Hanged Man." The title "Twins" is stated in this issue's letters column. John Constantine's birth date is provided in Hellblazer #63. His mother's name and birth date are given in Hellblazer #31.

Thomas Constantine raises John (and older sister Cheryl) by himself in Liverpool, England, blaming John for Mary Anne's death. Keeping the dead twin's existence a secret, he eventually tells John his large size caused Mary Anne to die during birth. In later years, the two never get along as a result.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

Alternate Timeline: The John Constantine of the "real" world dies in childbirth, giving the Golden Boy, his twin, a chance at life. Also named John, this child is loved by all and considered beautiful, unlike his sickly, mistrusted counterpart before him.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #40: "Twins—The Magus"

NOTE: "Twins," the title of this two-part storyline, does not appear on the title page, which simply contains the subtitle "The Magus." The title "Twins" is stated in the letters column to issue #39.

1953 to 1968 A.D.

Alternate Timeline: The Golden Boy—John Constantine's stillborn twin in the "real" world, given a chance at life and the same name-grows up an admired, respected child, and in time comes to see the rest of the world as beneath him. In his early years, his teachers praise him as a credit to their school, but though he smiles at their comments, he has no use for the praise of fools. He is the pride of his family, though they secretly fear him. Some say he has grown old before his time.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #40: "Twins—The Magus"

Chester Williams, future activist and friend to Alec and Abby Holland, is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #127: "Project Proteus"

On weekend mornings, nine-year-old Alec Holland gets up by himself and makes his own breakfast, then watches cartoons alongside his stuffed monkey doll, waiting for his mother to wake up.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #19: "The Holland Mind"

Some time before 1955 A.D.

Transylvanian businessman Gregori Arcane marries a woman named Anise. His brother, Count Anton Arcane, secretly loves her as well and vows some day to avenge their betrayal.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #125: "Family Reunion"

Unaware of his brother's anger (and despite Anton's many past evils), Gregori somehow deludes himself into believing Anton is a good brother who is there for him.

The House of Secrets #140: "Reprise-The Patchwork Man"

Abigail "Abby" Arcane, future wife of both Matthew Cable and Alec Holland, is born to Gregori and Anise Arcane in the Balkan city of Transylvania, Romania. The birth occurs at Castle Arcane, her family's ancestral home.

The House of Secrets #140: "Reprise-The Patchwork Man"

NOTE: The timeline in the Swamp Thing issue of Vertigo Secret Files & Origins places Abby's birth in 1960, though that placement does not fit what's been established in other tales. Issue #21 of the fourth series takes place on her 50th birthday, moving her birth back five years, to 1955 (a much more sensible placement). It should be noted that the Swamp Thing Sourcebook erroneously places Castle Arcane in Bavaria, not the Balkans.

To punish Gregori for marrying the woman he loves, his brother Anton convinces villagers to burn Anise at the stake as a witch. Gregori watches helplessly with baby Abby in his arms as Anise dies.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #125: "Family Reunion"

Following Anise's death, Gregori, now a prosperous European businessman, raises Abby with only the help of his evil brother Anton and a string of nannies frightened by Anton's sorcery.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Lady Arcane"

Her noble heritage earns Abby the birth-title of Baroness Arcane, though the title and family name mean little to her in light of the evil perpetrated by her Uncle Anton.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #125: "Family Reunion"

Earl Hobart of Gatorberg, Florida, is born.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #20: "The Mirror Monster"

A Russian farmer named Staj buys a plot of land in America. For 33 years, he tills his plot without incident, until his crop begins growing out of control as a result of imbalances in nature.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #73: "The Fire Next Door"

Early to mid 1950s A.D.

As a child, Alec Holland and friends find a pornography magazine in the woods. One Christmas, his parents buy him a bicycle and he chips his tooth when thrown over the handlebars. These events are significant enough to young Alec that he still recalls them as an adult.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #170: "Trial By Fire, Part 5-Apocalypse Now"

NOTE: No date is given for these events, so I have estimated given a birth year of 1945.

Late 1950s to early 1960s A.D.

Young Abby Arcane often awakens to the darkness of her room and senses something crouched behind her. Each occasion, after stifling a scream and closing her eyes for a period of time, she opens them again to find nobody there. The memory of this feeling haunts her on into adulthood.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #22: "Swamped"

Because of her white hair, Abby is often picked on by other children in her home town. Whenever they see her walking alone, they chant, "Crazy Abby! Crazy Abby! Crazy Abby!"

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #23: "Another Green World"

Gregori Arcane often sits with Abby beneath the shade of a tree to read her favorite book, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. He knows it to be inappropriate for one so young, but he cannot help indulging her. One day, she expresses frustration at the book's non-happy ending, so he imagines an ending in which the monster swims across the ocean to America, where a doctor imprisons and tortures him until he finally escapes and seeks shelter with a cab driver until being forced to flee once more. Little does he know how closely his own life will mirror those events in years to come.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #59: "Reunion"

Young John Constantine spends many childhood hours climbing rock outcroppings at the beach. One day, he loses his balance on the wet black rock and falls into a pool of crabs, sand-ticks and jellyfish. The incident continues to terrify him on into adulthood.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #34: "The Bogeyman"

A future comic book collector is born in New York City. He will die thirty years hence when the hunger demon Mnemoth forces him to gorge himself on his comics.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #1: "Hunger"

1957 or 1958 A.D.

John Constantine, age four or five, visits his mother's gravesite with his father, Thomas. A sickly child, dressed in shabby clothes and considered sneaky by the neighborhood mothers, John grows up feeling blamed for everything—including his mother's death. The glowing form of a young boy steps out from behind a cross, and John wonders if he's Jesus. Amazed at the boy's shimmering beauty, John decides his father would love him if only he could absorb some of the boy's strength and cleanness. John feels love for the boy, mixed with hatred for making him feel inadequate in contrast. Insulted, the boy rebuffs him and leaves. John throws a tantrum of disappointment until his father smacks him for disrespecting the dead. Though he does not know it at the time, the "Golden Boy" is the spirit of his stronger, more powerful twin brother, whom he killed in the womb.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #39: "Twins—The Hanged Man"

NOTE: "Twins," the title of this two-part storyline, does not appear on the title page, which simply contains the subtitle "The Hanged Man." The title "Twins" is stated in this issue's letters column.

c. 1957 to the Late 1960s A.D.

As a child, John Constantine continues to see the "Golden Boy" (his stillborn brother, unbeknownst to him) whenever he is feeling down. However, the boy refuses to be his friend, no matter how much John wishes otherwise. As he grows older, John sees hints of him in the faces of athletes, choirboys, school prefects and others who make him feel inadequate. In time, John grows to despise the boy, jealous of the love he believes his father has denied him for not being as good as the "Golden Boy."

John Constantine, Hellblazer #39: "Twins—The Hanged Man"

Ernie Kempler begins working as a security guard at Stacy's Department Store.

The House of Secrets #140: "Reprise-The Patchwork Man"

Policeman Geoffrey Talbot poses for a portrait with his fellow policemen, with whom he is very proud to serve. That same year, his wife buys him a new razor for his birthday. Both the photo and the razor still remain in their possession thirty years hence.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #18: "The Fear Machine, Part V-Hate Mail and Love Letters"

NOTE: Oddly, the photo is clearly labeled 1958, though Talbot tells Constantine in issue #18 (set in 1989) that he's been on the Force for 29 years, which doesn't add up.

A Houma, Louisiana, couple get married. The marriage lasts until the husband's death in 2005.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #11: "Love in Vain, Chapter Three"

Laura, a 20-year-old woman in Camden, England, visits a pub called the Northampton Arms. There, she meets barman Freddie Collins, and the two fall in love.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #47: "The Pub Where I Was Born"

When Thomas Constantine goes to jail for stealing clothes off a clothes line, John and Cheryl go to live with their Aunt Dolly and Uncle Harry. Having no mates there, John plays by himself, wishing he could go back to Liverpool. His uncle belts him for misbehavior and routinely beats his wife. John takes refuge in fantasies of being a Lost Boy in Never-Never Land, using plastic figures of pirates and American Indians to create the adventures of Captain Death, a mercilous pirate. One day, he seees Cheryl kissing herself in the mirror, in preparation for a visit from a boy named Ron Simons. She bribes him to give them privacy, and he visits a flooded quarry that the local kids fear to enter. Three teenage hoods (one named Whitey) tease him about his mother's death, his father's poverty and his Scouse accent. He asks to join their gang, but first they make him steal "dirty books" from the shack of a hermit the local kids call the Bogeyman. Pretending to be Uncas, a Mohican tracker, he heads for the shack, but they betray him by making noise, alerting the Bogeyman. The hermit chases John, and he hides. He finds the buried remains of a dead animal and thinks it's a murdered child. He pockets its petrified heart, thinking it magic, and sees a couple making out in the woods. The man, Keith, threatens him, and the girl teases him by offering to let him watch them have sex. Scared, John runs back to the thugs, who rough him up. When he gets back to his aunt's house, Cheryl lies that he went out without asking, and his uncle beats him. That night, he holds the "dead boy's heart" for comfort, trying to ignore the sounds of Harry raping and hurting his wife. In the morning, he hugs his aunt and offers to heal her pain with the heart, but she scoffs at such foolishness and heads to church. He goes outside to build a prison for insects, showing sociopathic tendencies as he tortures the bugs and crushes them with the petrified heart. Cheryl calls him "nasty and bad," and he realizes she's right. Returning to the quarry, he throws the heart back so he can put its evil behind him.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #35: "Dead-Boy's Heart"

As a child growing up in the Carpathian Alps, Abby Arcane gains a talent for mountain-climbing.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #1: "Bad Seed, Part One"

The demon Nergal observes John Constantine's early behavior and considers him "an insolent child." Eventually, he decides to teach Constantine a lesson in manners.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #8: "Intensive Care"

NOTE: This placement is conjectural, based on Constantine having been a child at the time.

Young John Constantine notices a truck making regular runs of offal and cow heads from a local abattoir to Bates' Boneyard. One night, from atop a bus, he spies the gory contents of the truck and suffers a week of sleepless nights as a result. The memory of the stench stays with him for life.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #11: "Newcastle-A Taste of Things to Come"

Each summer as a child, John Constantine visits his Aunt Beatt for two weeks with his father and sister, at her home near Clacton Pier, Clacton-on-Sea. Constantine's time is largely spent by himself, reading such British comics as TV21, Look & Learn, Lion and Eagle. During these vacations, he and his sister eat beans on toast, watch Rawhide on television, and visit the Fun Fair, where his favorite ride is the Spider. One night, he stays at the beach too late, overcome by the beauty of the sunset. He cuts his foot on a piece of glass buried in the sand, but instead of going home, he stays a while longer, watching the ocean as his foot bleeds into the water.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #13: "On the Beach"

NOTE: The beach's name is specified in Hellblazer #11. This is an actual beach, in a town called Clacton-on-Sea, England.

John Constantine builds a shanty hut of bricks and old doors on a bombsite in Liverpool, intending to run away and live in it. He never does so, however.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #14: "The Fear Machine, Part I-Touching the Earth"

As a child, John Constantine fears the Chamber of Horrors at the local fair. And yet, though it makes him sick, he always goes in anyway, too thrilled to pass it by.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

John Constantine and other youths torment Robert Huntoon, a creepy, toad-faced paranoid child they call "Piggy." As a result, Huntoon grows up resenting Constantine on into adulthood, blaming the other for his own feelings of inadequacy.

DC Heroes Role-Playing Game—Magic Sourcebook

NOTE: For some reason, Huntoon's name changes between stories, from "Robert" to "Roger."

Early 1960s A.D.

Godfrey Bayliss, an ex-pilot of Britain's Royal Air Force, turns his back on the RAF to become an anti-nuclear activist. In time, he becomes parson of the town Thursdyke.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #25: "Early Warning"

Freddie Collins, a barman at the Northampton Arms pub in Camden, England, weds his girlfriend Laura, born in the pub in 1940.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #47: "The Pub Where I Was Born"

Early 1960s to 1991 A.D.

Freddie Collins, a barman at the Northampton Arms pub in Camden, England, and his wife Laura share a happy, loving marriage for nearly thirty years until his death in 1991. Throughout their marriage, the Northampton remains the protective, nurturing center of their love, and he often promises he'll always be around to look after her and their bar.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #47: "The Pub Where I Was Born"

Jason Woodrue tries to take over his homeworld, Floria, a planet inhabited by wood nymphs, dryads, nereids, sprites, satyrs, centaurs, minotaurs and humans. His generals betray him to the restored matriarch, Maya the Merciless, who banishes him to Earth, in a parallel dimension. Outraged by Earth's industrial damage to the plant kingdom, Woodrue tries to dominate that world as well, but Maya finds out and asks Ray Palmer (the Atom) to keep an eye on him. The two become bitter enemies, resulting in Woodrue's frequent incarceration. Woodrue later returns to Floria and stages a coup d'�tat, but with the Atom's help, Maya defeats him, and he again finds himself in prison.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #24: "Roots"

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing

Secret Origins #23: "Floronic Man-Shine on, You Crazy Diamond"

26-year-old Sally Parks kills fifteen people over a three-month period for no reason at all, including her employer, his wife and teenaged daughter Tammy, her boyfriend and his mother, two police officers and a newsboy, using a gun, letter-opener, tire iron, wire coat hanger and other weapons. The killings end when police shoot her dead on the night of August 7th. Dr. Niles Richy later chronicles these events in his book, Deadlier Than the Male: The Facts About Sally Parks.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #29: "Dark Messiah-Love and Death"

In Kenya, hunter Congo Bill receives a Spirit Ring from a tribal witch-doctor named Chief Kawola. When rubbed, the ring allows him to switch places with a legendary golden simian named Congorilla. Bill/Congorilla earns a reputation for his amazing exploits, eventually meeting a wild orphan named Janu. Taking the "Jungle Boy" under his wing, Bill sends him to America to earn an education.

Swamp Thing Annual #3: "Distant Cousins"

Colin Morgan, future Falklands War veteran, is born. A psychic, he will ultimately meet his fate in 1989, working for a clandestine ESP-related experiment called the Fear Machine.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #18: "The Fear Machine, Part V-Hate Mail and Love Letters"

Joan Talbot takes a photo of herself, which she gives her husband, policeman Geoffrey Talbot. He holds onto it for the remainder of his life, as he truly loves his wife.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #21: "The Fear Machine, Part VIII-The God of All Gods"

Thomas Constantine builds his ten-year-old son John a catapult (slingshot) with which to shoot birds. The future magician fails to hit anything, though, so his father mocks his lack of coordination.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #31: "Mourning of the Magician"

Songwriter Sydney Carter writes the popular song "Lord of the Dance," describing the dance of the Nazarene. No one, however, knows the truth: The song had actually been written long ago. Carter adopts and changes the original tune, which he then destroys to hide the truth. This saddens the being known as the Lord of the Dance, for the original version of the song had described him, not Jesus, in honor of his tradition of visiting ancient pagans each Saturnalia to dance with them in the celebration of winter.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #49: "Lord of the Dance"

NOTE: The song "Lord of the Dance" really exists and was written in 1963; the inaccurate myth of its pagan origin has fooled people for years into believing it to be older than it really is. The song's author, Sydney Carter, is not mentioned by name in this story.

Don Roberto Esteban, much-beloved owner of a Brazilian rancho called La Comparsa, is murdered by a cold-hearted entrepreneur named Don Ernesto Rivera and his lawyer partner, Molina. Ernesto frames Esteban's daughter Carlotta for the murder, and she is sentenced to life in prison at an island penitentiary called Rogues' Rock. As a reward for exposing her "crime," Don Ernesto is given the rancho and turns it into a mining company, oppressing the ranchers and forcing them to live in poverty and work for him in the mines. For the next 10 years, Carlotta remains at the Rogues' Rock prison, pretending to be male to honor her father's wish that he'd had a son.

World's Finest #219: "The Prisoner of Rogues' Rock"

NOTE: While not an actual Swamp Thing tale, this two-parter (continued in #220) is so reminiscent of early Swamp Thing stories that it deserves to be included here�it just seems to fit. Carlotta's last name changes from "Estaban" to "Esteban," so I've used the latter spelling throughout since it appears most often. I won't comment on the inplausability that her gender-bending would remain a secret in prison. Carlotta's story (and eventual transformation into an elemental creature known as El Monstro) continues in 1973.

June 11, 1963 A.D.

Secret Agent Romero (first name unknown) of the D.D.I. (Defense Department Intelligence) is born.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins- Swamp Thing: "The D.D.I. Secret Files"

August 28, 1963 A.D.

Clark Johnson, future political science professor at Tulane University and founder of the Bon Temps Rulers Political Discussion Group and Marching Society, marches on Washington D.C. alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., in the largest civil rights demonstration in history―nearly 250,000 people.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #122: "The Eye of the Needleman"

Luther and Janey Galen purchase a home in Lacroix, Louisiana, and plant a magnolia tree. They carve their initials into its bark as a sign of their love.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #23: "Another Green World"

Gus Pritchett, a plump and fatherly-looking fellow, is sent to the electric chair for preying upon young children in school yards and smothering them in abandoned refrigerators.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #31: "Dark Messiah-The Brimstone Ballet"7

Jeff Lombard, owner of the Lombard Coal Mine in Blossomville, Pennsylvania, dies of pneumonia.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #35: "The Nuke-Face Papers, Part 1"

The child molester known as "the Bad Man" is born to a father who sexually abuses him and a mother who lets it happen. He endures the abuse for seventeen years before running away in the 1980s.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #119: "The Bad Man"

Defeated by Dr. Fate, Hourman and the Green Lantern, aborted Earth elemental Solomon Grundy is imprisoned in space. He drifts for decades in an imprisonment globe before dying in space, causing a new Grundy to be born on Earth in his place.

Starman #49: "Stars My Destination, Part Two-Fighting With Grundy, Talking With David '99"

Alan Hallman's reign as Erl-King ends, but he is captured by the Grey before he can take root in the Parliament of Trees. The Parliament is saddened by his loss and speaks little of it thereafter.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #104: "The Quest for the Elementals I-Matango"

During years of imprisonment, Jason Woodrue grows bitter and demented. Upon his release, he puts his science expertise to work as a college botany professor, all the while plotting his revenge.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing

Secret Origins #23: "Floronic Man-Shine on, You Crazy Diamond"

As a child, John Constantine is a rabid Dr. Who fan, while his sister is devoted to Paul McCartney. Young Constantine experiences incestual thoughts toward his sister during his formative years; at night, when she comes home from her job at Woolworth's, he surreptitiously climbs atop a coal shed to watch her change out of her uniform and into sexier clothes for a night out at a disco in Leeds.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #7: "Ghosts in the Machine"

The demon Nergal observes John Constantine's early behavior and considers him "an insolent child." Eventually, he decides to teach Constantine a lesson in manners.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #8: "Intensive Care"

On Abigail Arcane's tenth birthday, her father Gregori learns the government wants to take custody of Abby since his constant business trips make him an unfit father. Refusing to give her up, he is grateful when his brother Anton offers to help him secure a lawyer when he returns from his next trip.

The House of Secrets #140: "Reprise-The Patchwork Man"

NOTE: Issue #21 of Swamp Thing's fourth series establishes that Abby was born in 1955, placing her tenth birthday in 1965.

Two weeks later, as Gregori rushes to Anton's Balkan castle to formulate a plan for retaining custody of Abby, he steps on a landmine near the castle left over from World War II and is terribly injured.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #3:"The Patchwork Man"

NOTE: The Swamp Thing Sourcebook places these events when Abby is fifteen, claiming she tried to run away and Gregori stepped on the landmine running after her. Since that explanation contradicts other evidence, it has been discarded in favor of this placement.

For two weeks, Anton Arcane puts his surgical skills to work, repairing his brother's body by grafting various rotting and ill-fitting body parts onto his basic human shell.

DC Heroes Role-Playing Game-Swamp Thing Sourcebook

One month after Abby's 10^th birthday, Gregori awakens to find that Anton has made him into a misshapen monster: a Patchwork Man of sorts. Furious, Gregori thrashes about in fury until Anton sedates him and locks him away in a dungeon, where he remains for the next eight years.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #3:"The Patchwork Man"

Driven mad by Anton's evil, Ana�s Arcane fakes her own death and moves to a shack in the woods to practice witchcraft. There, she earns a reputation among the local villagers as a mystic herbal healer, having little contact with her sons or granddaughter. Anton never speaks of his mother to Abby again.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Lady Arcane"

Research begins in South Florida on the construction of Serenity Village, a geriatric home run by Aubrey Trask. Backers deem it "the ultimate in retirement facilities."

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #18: "Village of the Doomed"

At age fifty, General Carlton Avery H. Sunderland founds Sunderland Corp., a hugely successful but ruthless mega-corporation with ties to both the government and the criminal underworld.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #121: "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rulers"

c. 1965 to 1975 A.D.

During the Vietnam War, Pilate's father loses his mind while serving his country in Da Nang.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #4: "Killing Time, Part One-The Pride"

Future Swamp Thing, Alec Holland, meets Linda Olsen Ridge while studying botany in college.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing

NOTE: Issues #15-18 of the fourth Swamp Thng run contain an account of Linda and Alec's relationship that varies from established history. In that version, the two do not meet until 1972 while campaigning for George McGovern to replace Richard Nixon as president. Since all other evidence indicates they'd known each other for years and were already married at that point, the accounts are difficult to reconcile. Discussing this dilemma at Vertigo's message boards ((click here), author Josh Dusart explained, "I sort of see my run as happening in some quasi-dream state for the characters, in a realm strangely outside they're own histories. That might account for the time distortion."

At the time, both are attending Harvard University.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #145: "Big Game"

Alec is 21 years old at the time, and Linda is 17. One night, while admiring her youthful beauty, he predicts she'll still look as beautiful at age 25. Ironically, that is the age she will eventually die.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #28: "The Burial"

John Constantine's friend Benjamin Cox, future boy genius and expert on arcana, is born.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #11: "Newcastle-A Taste of Things to Come"

Clark Johnson, future political science professor at Tulane University and founder of the Bon Temps Rulers Political Discussion Group and Marching Society, marches alongside Black Panther Party Prime Minister Stokely Carmichael in the James Meredith March Against Fear.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #122: "The Eye of the Needleman"

Abby Arcane dates her first boyfriend, Peter. He is short and stocky, with a wide gap between his front teeth, but strong and kind, bringing her roses every day. One Sunday, she smells lilacs on his body. The only person who sells lilacs in their village is Anna, a beautiful young girl from whom Abby buys eggs every Monday. Heartbroken, Abby realizes Peter has cheated on her. From that day forward, lilacs always symbolize betrayal to her.

Swamp Thing (Series 3) #1: "In Lieu of Flowers"

Famed "kounter kulture kartoonist" Johnny Dogg and wife Angie produce a weekly comic strip, The Adventures of Freddie Freelode, preaching free food, free love and free drugs. Hugely popular, Freddie Freelode is said to rival Mr. Natural and The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Titles include Acapulco Freddie, Freddie and the Humongous Fungus, Freddie Freelode Hits the Road and Outlaw Psycho 12. Alec Holland reads the strip in college, intrigued by the healing power of plants. Though girlfriend Linda Olsen Ridge mocks him for embracing "flower power," Holland's inventiveness and eye for possibilities connects with the theme of Dogg's comics, teaching him that anything is possible but that humanity is too hidebound by rigid modes of thought. This epiphany changes Holland's life, setting him on a quest to develop a bio-restorative formula that can help humanity.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #126: "The Big Picture"

NOTE: The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was created by International Underground Comix legend Gilbert Shelton, who, with help from Rip Off Press partners Jack Jackson, Fred Todd and Dave Moriarty, published the strip from 1968 to 1986. Todd later revived the strip, creating more issues until 1997. A total of thirteen volumes were released over thirty years (marijuana tends to slow the mind). Mr. Natural by Robert Crumb, created in 1976 as an ongoing strip for The Village Voice, was collected in 1977 by Kitchen Sink Press.

Alec Holland and Linda Olsen Ridge study botany under college Professor Jason Woodrue. Their fellow students include Pamela Lilian Isley, whom Woodrue eventually transforms into eco-terrorist Poison Ivy; and Philip "Bilko" Sylvian, future creator of Black Orchid.

Black Orchid, Book One: "One Thing is Certain..."

NOTE: This presumably took place at Harvard given issue #145's statement that Alec and Linda went to Harvard together. Issues #15-18 of series 4 indicate that Alec and Linda met at Louisiana University in 1972, but that claim contradicts other established facts and is suspect.

In those years, Woodrue is working on his Doctorate and teaching in his spare time.

Black Orchid, Book Two: "Going Down..."

Alec cheats on Linda by sleeping with Pam Isley, something Isley holds over his head many years later. It is unclear whether or not Linda knows of Alec's infidelity.

Vertigo anthology: "Daphne" [unpublished]

NOTE: This story, written and illustrated by David Sexton, was slated for an anthology edited by Neal Pozner. Following Pozner's 1994 death, the project was shelved. Placement is approximate, leaving room for debate regarding when (and if) it happened.

Alec Holland and Philip "Bilko" Sylvian forge a close friendship in college, both determined to save the world. Alec dreams of creating fertile deserts to feed the poor, while Sylvian hopes to combine the plant and animal kingdoms, allowing people to breathe carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen.

Black Orchid, Book Three: "Yes..."

As a young biologist, Alec Holland rejects all religions, touting existentialism as the only philosophy that makes sense. As he gets older, his views change and he stops dismissing other possibilities so closed-mindedly. This willingness to expand his horizons leads to his success.

Black Orchid #5: "The Mind Fields, Part One"

In time, Alec even comes to revere Christ as a deity.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #88: "Morning of the Magician" [unpublished]

NOTE: This tale, illustrated by Michael Zulli, was slated for issue #88 but was canceled following a conflict between Rick Veitch and DC Comics. Since issue #90 and Swamp Thing Secret Files & Origins reference these events, they must still occur in some form. Having obtained a copy of the script, I am including the events of this story for posterity.

Alec and Linda Holland decide to marry shortly after graduating from Harvard.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing

NOTE: Issues #15-18 of the fourth Swamp Thng run contain an account of Linda and Alec's relationship that varies from established history. In that version, the two do not meet until 1972 while campaigning for George McGovern to replace Richard Nixon as president. Since all other evidence indicates they'd known each other for years at that point, the accounts are difficult to reconcile. The Secret Files issue actually says they marry after Harvard, but I have adjusted that to their deciding to marry in order to make the differing accounts work.

Jason Woodrue goes on to work at Ivy University.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing

Marj, future lover of John Constantine, is left alone overnight for the first time. When her mother returns home, she finds half the local chapter of the Satan's Slaves motorcycle club passed out in the front garden, the other half in her bed with Marj.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #38: "Boy's Games"

While still in school, John Constantine has a crush on a fellow student named Karen Laing, at whose chest he often finds himself staring. Around this same time, he often receives detention from a teacher named Brownlee.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #51: "Counting to Ten"

Time Master Rip Hunter mysteriously disappears, his whereabouts unknown for the next decade.

Challengers of the Unknown #85: "The Creature From the End of Time, Chapter 2-Monsters and Men"

George Foster, a future acquaintance of John Constantine, is born to a Black couple in England.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #64: "Fear and Loathing, Part One—For God and Country"

Summer 1967 A.D.

A California motorcycle gang called the Mongrels, led by Percy "Hound Dawg" Chandwick, Jr., beat up a group of hippies at the Haight-Ashbury to mock their non-violent way of life. After the thugs leave, Nick "Brother Paul" Cranston, Paul "Brother Nick" Cymbalist and a fellow hippie named Cindy return to their abandoned tailor shop pad to clean up their wounds. Hanging their wet clothes on a tailor's dummy, they knock over a can of machine oil. The blood-stained dummy slips behind the radiator and lays forgotten until the Winter, all the while absorbing dust, rain and oil.

Brother Power, The Geek #1: "Chapter One-A Thing is Born"

NOTE: Issues #1-2 of Brother Power, The Geek were published in October and December 1968. However, dialog in Swamp Thing Annual #5 places them in 1967. The annual also establishes the setting as the Haight-Ashbury, the success of which peaked in 1967. Therefore, using internal evidence to track the passage of time within the two issues, I have set the beginning of the story in 1967, the ending in 1968. It should be noted that the names of the two hippies seem to have been reversed, as Nick Cranston is called Brother Paul and Paul Cymbalist is called Brother Nick.

During the so-called "summer of love," 14-year-old John Constantine is expelled from school for organizing an "Out Demons Out" chant during assembly. Furious and unable to relate to his hippie son, his father (Thomas Constantine) burns all his magic books. Constantine recsues an article entitled "Practical Magic: To Wreak Slow Death Upon Your Enemy" from the fire. He then shoots a cat with a slingshot his father had made him, curses the cat with slow death, binds his father's spirit to the animal's and buries it. This causes his father to grow old and weak, which first elates the teen, then scares him-he wants Thomas to love him, not die. Therefore, he digs up the cat, preserves it in formaldehyde and buries it near his mother's grave. With the cat's decomposition halted, his father spends the rest of his life a feeble, slowly dying man.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #31: "Mourning of the Magician"

December 1967 A.D.

A bolt of lightning strikes an airplane flying over the Haight-Ashbury in California, entering the window of the abandoned tailor shop occupied by Nick, Paul and Cindy. Striking the doll, clad in blood-stained clothing covered in spilled machine oil and rust, it infuses life into it. At that moment, Hound Dawg's Mongrels crash the pad to rough up the Hippies. The dummy, now a living puppet elemental, enters the fray, beating the bikers until they run scared. Excited, the Hippies name him Brother Power, or "Pow." Due to his resemblance to a circus performer, some call him "the Geek," though he dislikes that name and asks them not to use it. Though Pow melds well into the Hippie community, he craves more excitement, determined to savor every moment of life.

Brother Power, The Geek #1: "Chapter One-A Thing is Born"

December 1967 to early 1968 A.D.

Impressed by Brother Power's strength, the Hippies educate him to make his mind equally powerful. This takes several months, but Pow is a fast learner and is soon talking like a real-life Hippie.

Brother Power, The Geek #1: "Chapter Two-The Mind Blowers of P.S. 23"

between March 21, 1967 and August 9, 1969 A.D.

The fallen angel Dekker, cast out of the court of the Archangel Michael for putting forth the outrageous idea that humanity constitutes an elemental force, tries to regain entrance to God's Kingdom by proving his theory. Determined to find one being who embodies the human element and bring him under his aegis so he can pull the human's strings while posing as his servant, Dekker has concluded (after millennia of failed searching among noble and common men) that the elemental force he seeks must reside with the monsters of the human race. To that end, he joins Charles Manson's "family" in San Francisco, California, but the cult fails to display the elemental force he seeks.

Swamp Thing (Series 4) #8: "Missing Links, Conclusion"

NOTE: Manson was in prison until 1967; he and his "family" committed their infamous killings on August 9, 1969. That gives Dekker a window of about 18 months to have lived among them.

In Blossomville, Pennsylvania, an explosion at the Lombard Coal Mine starts a coal-seam fire that burns for decades. Many townspeople relocate, leaving behind piles of broken machinery.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #35: "The Nuke-Face Papers, Part 1"

Henry Wambach begins a twenty-year assignment as Supervisor of the Greenwich Village Post Office in New York. Never once in two decades does he betray the sanctity of the U.S. mail.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #1: "Hunger"

15-year-old John Constantine begins dabbling in magic and the occult, just for "laughs and sex." Only later in life will he realize the depths to which such a life can take a man.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #9: "Shot To Hell"

Alternate Timeline: The Golden Boy—John Constantine's stillborn twin in the "real" world, given a chance at life and the same name-moves out on his own at age 15.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #40: "Twins—The Magus"

Freddie Collins, a barman at the Northampton Arms pub in Camden, England, becomes the manager of the establishment.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #47: "The Pub Where I Was Born"

1968 to 1975 A.D.

Alternate Timeline: The Golden Boy—John Constantine's stillborn twin in the "real" world, given a chance at life and the same name-spends seven years experiencing the world and seeking knowledge of the ancient magic arts.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #40: "Twins—The Magus"

Spring 1968 A.D.

Having taught Brother Power to speak, Nick and Paul enroll him in school. At first, he is put off by the kids' laughter, but in time he becomes fascinated with the science lab and spends all his time there, trying to find out what makes him tick. Still, Pow wonders how long he'll be able to enjoy life. To cheer him up, Nick and Paul take him to see the Psychedelic Circus Parade, filled with a variety of "freaks." The owner captures Pow in chains and drives off, but the Hippies think it's the work of the Mongrels and round up fellow Flower Children to rescue him. The bikers make quick work of them, denying they had anything to do with Pow's abduction. Recalling the circus, Nick and Paul return to the freak show and find Pow chained up alongside freakish creatures named Sam and Marvin. Taking out the guard with shovels, they trip over a spotlight, causing it to electrocute Pow, filling him with enough energy to break free of his bonds and destroy the circus. Pow and the Hippies return to their pad, where Cindy stitches Pow back to health. When she sews a special emblem for his sweater, Pow falls in love with her. Inspired to make himself someone a girl could be proud of, he runs for Congress.

Brother Power, The Geek #1: "Chapter Two-The Mind Blowers of P.S. 23"

The police arrest Brother Power for destroying the circus (overlooking the fact that it was clear self-defense in light of the abduction), but he breaks free and runs for cover. The Mongrels spot him but are no match for his strength as he steals a motorcycle and drives off. The public panics as word gets around, thinking him a menace to society. The police chase the elemental to the Golden Gate Bridge, where, trapped by a roadblock and unwilling to be chained up again, Pow drives off the side of the bridge as his friends watch in horror.

Brother Power, The Geek #1: "Chapter Three-Dragnet in Hippie Land"

Brother Power floats lifelessly in San Francisco Bay. A teen named Marvin fishes him out of the water and hangs him out to dry as his gang-mates, the Clinkers, continue fishing. A rival gang, the Berlin Airplanes, spy them from above and board their wooden Fokker Biplane. One gang member, a stunt flyer named Fleegle the Eagle, shines a spotlight on Pow and the Clinkers. The light rejuvenates the dummy as the Airplanes' leader, "Baron" Spike Jakowski, swoops in to steal the doll's boots.

Brother Power, The Geek #2: "Part One-A Visit From the Dead"

Crashing the plane, the Berlin Airplanes come out swinging. The Clinkers, though startled, are ready to fight. One Berliner tries to steal Pow's boots, but Pow kicks him and sends the entire gang running.

Brother Power, The Geek #2: "Part Two-Attack of the Berlin Baron"

The Baron is drummed out of the Berlin Airplanes following his embarrassing defeat. Joining the Hippie movement, he remains friends with Fleegle and other members.

Brother Power, The Geek #2: "Part Three-The Hippies Make the Demonstration Scene"

Brother Power befriends the Cinkers but finds their street-corner existence dull and gets a job at a supermarket, where he earns a reputation as an amazingly fast express aisle cashier. One day, an impressed customer gives him the business card of her husband, J.P. Acme, President of the Acme Missile Parts Factory. That night, Acme calls a meeting of the Board of Directors to tell them an assembly line snag is costing them a million dollars every year, and if their consultants cannot solve the problem, bankruptcy is imminent. One Board member suggests handing management of the company over to their rival, Lord Sliderule, an eccentric industrial genius who is also quite insane. Reluctantly, Acme invites Sliderule to the company and signs over ownership to him provided he can solve the production slowdown. Pow shows up to meet J.P. but is kicked out immediately by Sliderule's acrobat-like personal bodyguards. They jump the puppet, who fights them until J.P. steps in, reminding Sliderule he still calls the shots for now. J.P. shows Pow the 238-employee assembly line, explaining the process so he can find a better solution than Sliderule's engineers and keep the company out of Sliderule's hands. Meanwhile, Sliderule secretly plans to sell the missile blueprints to America's enemies. When Pow finds an easy solution to the problem, Sliderule orders the acrobat guards to kill him before Pow can report it. Pow stands his ground, making short work of them despite peaceful intentions. He tells J.P. his solution and is promoted to Plant Foreman for saving the factory. Not holding a grudge, Pow hires Sliderule and his crew to work on the assembly line.

Brother Power, The Geek #2: "Part Two-Attack of the Berlin Baron"

13-year-old Abby Arcane and her nanny, Ingrid Kline, walk outside Castle Arcane. The locals fear Anton Arcane and his creepy wife, and many former nannies have quit as a result. Passing Ingrid's school-mates, Greta and Stefan, Ingrid is unable to hide her attraction to Stefan. She takes Abby to an old witch living in the forest, who gives Ingrid herbs to bathe in so she can become pregnant. The witch recognizes Abby, who resembles her grandmother, Ana�s. Abby no longer remembers her grandmother and does not realize the witch is Ana�s. She puts Abby in a trance and says to dream of her heart's desire. Abby dreams of a frog that becomes Alec Holland, but does not understand why.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Lady Arcane"

NOTE: The timeline in this issue places these events in 1973, but that conflicts with much internal evidence in the series so I had to move it back. In any case, it is somewhat odd that Abby would no longer remember her grandmother, as she'd last seen her only three years prior. Incidentally, this is the only reference to Anton Arcane's wife in the history of the series; who she is and what happened to her remain unexplored.

August 10, 1968 A.D.

A squad of U.S. Marines from Liberty, Iowa, are sent to fight in the Vietnam War. Their commander, Lt. Frank Ross, rapes a Vietnamese woman while the rest of his squad fight a losing battle against the Viet Cong. Rather than risk his life to help them, Ross calls for the entire area to be napalmed. As soldier Craig Anders and others make their way through the jungle, the rustle of leaves causes them to open fire, thinking it an ambush. When the napalm hits, Anders' last thought before dying is that Ross-his commander and friend, his sister Nancy's fianc�-has lost his mind and abandoned them. Their ghosts are propelled forward in time to 1987. Grief-stricken, the soldiers' wives and girlfriends move on, unable to stay in Liberty alone. With no children to replenish Liberty, the town dwindles in population. Some families remain, however, hoping their loved ones will come home. Only Ross survives the war, and others in town hate him for it. Earning a Purple Heart, he opens the Liberty Corner gas station and business flourishes. Still, he carries guilt over the incident for two decades.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #5: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"

mid to late 1968 A.D.

Brother Power continues to devise time-saving innovations, allowing the Acme factory to prosper. The Board is so impressed that when J.P. retires, he is named Chairman of the Board. Outside, meanwhile, a group of Hippies picket the factory, protesting the missile construction. Among them are Brother Nick, Brother Paul and Cindy.

Brother Power, The Geek #2: "Part Two-Attack of the Berlin Baron"

The protest turns ugly as factory workers set fire to the protestors' demonstrations. Spotting his friends, Pow rushes to end the fighting, explaining to the Hippies that the missiles are for outer space, not war. He even offers them jobs on the assembly line, which they accept. This gives Sliderule the chance he needs to counterattack. Sliderule sends a note to the editor of the Daily Flash, letting him know Hippies are building missiles. The next day, a reporter named Scoop writes the front-page piece: "Are Hippies Slowing Down Space Program as Protest?" This negative press worries both the Space Agency and the factory workers, for an unmanned missile is scheduled to launch the next day. Sabotaged by Sliderule's men, the missile explodes, causing widespread panic. Governor Ronald Raegan suspects Pow may be in league with demonstrators and sends Army tanks to bring him in. Help comes from the least likely of allies: "Baron" Spike Jakowski, now a Hippie himself, who calls Fleegle the Eagle to create a diversion. Fleegle crashes his biplane to distract the military, giving Pow time to run for cover. He hides inside a missile, which Sliderule launches into space. Bursting into the control room, the Hippies overcome Sliderule's gang, whom the police arrest for the sabotage. Pow's missile makes it to a perfect orbit, and the Hippies wonder if they'll ever see their friendly Geek again.

Brother Power, The Geek #2: "Part Three-The Hippies Make the Demonstration Scene"

NOTE: The last panel promised that "The Geek will touch down in good time for the next issue... but you'll never believe where!" Brother Power, the Geek was (mercifully) canceled, however, leaving his fate utold until 1989, when Neil Gaiman revived the character in the fifth Swamp Thing annual.

Several Deadheads witness these events and, in later years, tell Chester Williams all about them.

Swamp Thing Annual #5: "Brothers"

August 23-28, 1968 A.D.

Clark Johnson, future political science professor at Tulane University and founder of the Bon Temps Rulers Political Discussion Group and Marching Society, takes part in a "freak-out" protest at the Chicago Democratic Convention with activists Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin.

Swamp Thing (Series 2) #122: "The Eye of the Needleman"

October 1968 A.D.

Abby and Ingrid Kline return to Ana�s. Ingrid complains that she has not yet produced a child, and the witch says to eat a certain tree's berries and try again. While picking berries, Abby has a vision of a giant wolf warning her that the old witch is trying to kill her so she won't turn out evil like her uncle; he then turns into Matt the Raven and flies off. Abby asks the woman if this is true, but she denies it.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Lady Arcane"

NOTE: The timeline in this issue erroneously places these events in 1973.

Winter 1968 A.D.

Ingrid Kline becomes pregnant with a child she claims is Stefan's, but he leaves her. Afraid Anton will take the baby for his experiments, she returns with Abby to beg Ana�s for an abortion potion. The witch admits she is Ana�s Arcane, and that she fears Abby's future child will be a monster like Anton. She leaves Abby alone with a nest of dragon eggs, which hatch four hungry dragons that try to eat her. Ingrid saves her life, saying Ana�s tricked her-rather than causing an abortion, the potion caused her to give birth to a hideous moss-covered changeling child, born not of Stefan's seed but of Arcane magic. After the girls' experience, no one ever visits the old witch again.

Vertigo Secret Files & Origins-Swamp Thing: "Lady Arcane"

NOTE: The timeline in this issue erroneously places these events in 1973.

In the swamps of Prelude, Louisiana, Jeb Wheeler finds three babies in a box, along with several cylinders of radioactive waste. He brings them home and names them Seth, Jeremy and Delta. In time, the children develop telepathy, empathic powers and the ability to commune with the elements. The local townspeople fear their albino skin, quiet demeanor and strange powers, blaming them for the deaths of many people and animals. Rafe Taggert, in fact, runs Wheeler and the kids out of town. Moving to the swamp, Wheeler and the kids hide the cylinders for safety and grow a home from a tree. There they live until Wheeler dies in his sleep.

Swamp Thing (Series 1) #14: "The Tomorrow Children"

Dr. Dennis Barclay, a medic in the Viet Nam War, treats soldier Jerry T. Haggerty at a M.A.S.H. unit near Saigon. Haggerty's unit and five others are testing a defoliant called "Agent Blue." After the war, those in the units find themselves unemployed, ineligible for disability benefits, hated by most Americans and unable to adjust to normal life. Some, like Haggerty, re-enlist, but others succumb to Vietnamization, unable to do much of anything. Several take to watching movies as a refuge.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing (Series 2) #8: "Here's Lookin' at You, Kid"

John Constantine (age 16) begins a 20-year rift with his father, Thomas, during which the two never speak. However, he does send his father money from time to time whenever he feels guilty about it.

John Constantine, Hellblazer #28: "Thicker Than Water"

February 1969 A.D.

Count Anton Arcane, now a gnarled old wizard, learns of Alex Olsen and mistakes him for the swamp creature he met during World Wars I and II. He sends a team of Un-Men to search Louisiana but they find nothing, for Olsen retired in 1937 and Alec Holland won't assume the role for another four years. Frustrated at their failure, Arcane abandons the Un-Men and begins watching the swamps from an ancient mystic mirror in his Transylvania castle. Those abandoned are captured by the U.S. Army in New Orleans. Army Intelligence sends Dr. David Manguy to examine them for Project Genetic Exploration, Priority 1. Though shaken by the hatred and pleading in their eyes, he vivisects them in the name of science, breeding and experimenting on the offspring in the hope of finding a serum to eliminate their deformities. Unfortunately, the serum is unstable and the offspring eventually regress to their parents' hideous forms. All but one of the offspring are destroyed, while the one successful specimen is named Damien Kane and told his parents were shot down while dealing arms to an unknown rebel faction. He grows up in the Army's care until learning the truth at age 23.