Swamp Thing: "...Secret Truths"

Steve BIssette and John Totleben were hitting it out of the park from their first "Saga of the Swamp Thing" story, as seen here. Alan Moore would later weave tales of near-cataclysmic horror and end-of-the-world scenarios, but the series' moments of personal, "small-town terror" always resonated most with me, with issue #40 being the champion of those stories. Martin Pasko's "Stopover In A Place of Secret Truths" began where many horror stories end - with a person screaming at the sight of a monster - and then became a different kind of eerie tale. Alec Holland finds acceptance in a town in which a domino-styled mask allows others to see him as he still believes himself to be: human. And then he discovers that he's far, far from the only one wearing such a mask in this seemingly idealic little haven...Bissette's and Totleben's ability to reveal the grotesque (and beauty) in the everyday was showcased well here, especially in the double twist that concluded the story.

And by the way - if there's anyone who has artwork from the previously-mentioned issue #40 and is willing to part with it, or knows anyone who owns some, please send me an email - I'm very much open to talking over trades from my gallery and/or cash for those. (I know, I know - keep dreaming, but that's what we collectors are here to do, isn't it?)