Plot
The Choate Chemical Plant accidentally dumps a substance called HOS92 into a nearby swamp. The chemical animates the swamp into a shambling creature that acts on orders from a mysterious unseen entity, compelled to seek out more of the life-giving material. When the Swamp Monster attacks a local scientist named Dr. Diablo, a man named Ellis Johnson contacts the Ghostbusters and describes the situation.
While Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore investigate, Dr. Diablo attempts to neutralize the HOS92 residue using a new compound he calls GSMT. His intervention backfires: instead of breaking down the original creature, the GSMT spawns an entirely new race of purple Swamp Monsters. A battle breaks out between the original green creature and the new purple ones.
The conflict resolves in an unexpected way. The Swamp Creature reveals itself and explains to the Ghostbusters that both groups of monsters and the Creature itself share a single hive mind. They have no hostile intent toward humans; they only want to survive and gather the chemical that sustains them. The creatures collect all remaining barrels of HOS92 and depart. After the Ghostbusters leave, Dr. Diablo attempts to obtain a new chemical from another plant to resume his elimination effort, but discovers the swamp creatures have already vanished entirely.
Characters
Trivia
- The chemical name HOS92 is a deliberate reference to House of Secrets #92, the landmark DC Comics issue that introduced Swamp Thing in 1971. The swamp-monster story structure reinforces this nod.
- The compound GSMT is a reference to Giant-Size Man-Thing, a Marvel Comics title featuring their own swamp-based character, Man-Thing. The two references together position the issue as a playful tribute to both major swamp-monster traditions in American comics.
